It was a good location for a wild camp. The views were incredible and it felt like I really had the best seat in the house. I could see all the way up the coast to Tintagel and also back the way I’d already walked. I knew everyone would be envious of me.

Unfortunately the views ended up being the only good bit. For a start, the pitch was very sloped. There is a certain amount you can get away with, but this was too much, so I was fighting to stay on my sleep pad all night.

The second problem was the wind picked up, a lot. Or changed direction. I’m not sure which but I do know that when I set up camp all was calm and an hour or so later the tent was being thrown around by the wind. The noise was deafening. The tent seemed to handle it fine but I was constantly shining my torch at each peg to check it was holding. It wasn’t a constant wind either so the tent would shake for a bit, then calm down, and then shake violently.

Needless to say, these two things kept me up most of the night. I know that I must have slept a bit but it wasn’t very good quality and it definitely didn’t last for long. This did not set me up well for the day ahead. Apparently sleep is a very important element to a good hike.

When I look back on this trip though, I won’t mind the difficult nights sleep, I’ll probably just look back on the location and think of it fondly, or maybe excitedly, for getting away with it.

Unrealistic goals

Due to the winds and my lack of sleep I packed up early and headed off onto the path. Figuring an early start would mean I could make a lot of progress. However I massively underestimated both the terrain and my fatigue. I sort of knew about the terrain really, but the impact of tiredness on my stamina caught me by surprise.

Initially I thought I could make it all the way to Boscastle, and slightly beyond, as I knew of a campsite I liked there, but right from the start of the day that was unrealistic. It was a tall order anyway but with the tiredness as well it was never going to happen unless I walked into the night. And that would have made no sense at all.

For some reason I didn’t take the hint and continued to think I would get that far, when it would have made far more sense to rethink my plans. Not that it made any difference to the actual walk though, it just created some urgency and anxiety that wasn’t necessary.

Stunning

I got to Port Isaac at around 10am which meant I’d walked for about 4 hours and only covered 5 miles. Even for me this was quite slow going. I did want to get breakfast here but all the cafes were busy so I decided to eat the sandwiches I had bought the day before and then buy some more from the local coop.

Just as I was leaving Port Isaac I saw a hiker walking the other way. She was from New Zealand but was always travelling. We talked for ages as she was really interesting. She was stopping in Port Isaac today and meeting a friend and had time to kill. I didn’t think I had any time and was sort of rushing so her stopping me to talk for so long, even though I didn’t realise it, was helping me and ultimately would improve my day. She warned me that hiking can be addictive – I didn’t tell her that I already knew!

Last time I walked here I’d gone to the same coop in St Isaac but that had been late in the evening and I’d then walked on to find a camping spot. I was glad I didn’t need to do that today because it’d been a real struggle to find anything. Although I’d forgotten quite how far I’d walked back then, because it wasn’t for another few hours until I arrived at the spot. I was impressed by past Ben as he’d done really well – although that was by necessity rather than wanting to.

This whole section, from Pentire Point and up to Tintagel, is incredibly beautiful. The rock formations, set against the sea, look like something particularly special. I’m glad I was having a slow day because I was able to stop and marvel at the views.

This plan is better

I hadn’t even got as far as Trebarwith Strand by early evening, which was where I’d spent my breakfast last time. So I knew the campsite I was thinking of was way out of the question. It wasn’t even close. Maybe even a day out. So I decided to stop for a rest at the top of the cliffs before I made my descent.

When I look down into the valleys here I’m impressed by how high I am. Everything is so small down there, and a lot of the banks so steep, it really does concentrate the mind to not miss step. But it looks amazing. These are the times I wish I was sharing the experience with someone else, when I see things that seem out of the ordinary.

On this particular rest, I’d had many, I lay down with my rucksack as a pillow and shut my eyes. Just listening to the sea roaring all around me. Now, I don’t usually snore, I don’t think, but I think on this occasion I maybe woke myself up with one. Wow, I really was tired. I’m not sure how long I was out for but it felt nice. If it wasn’t for lack of food and water I could have just stayed there all night.

So, in what turned out to be one final descent I forced myself to walk down into Trebarwith in search of some water. My plan was to get to Tintagel (a further 3 miles) and go to a shop there for food but once in Trebarwith I saw a pub, with lots of outside seating, and serving food.

So the plan was changed again. I went and sat down, had a soft drink and crisps, then ordered food with a not so soft drink, and relaxed. Maybe I wouldn’t be getting to Tintagel after all.

It’s funny because I didn’t really feel hungry. I forced myself to order food, even considered the ‘light bites’ menu, but when my steak and ale pie, with mashed potatoes and vegetables arrived, I soon ate it all. So I really was hungry. I felt better for it as well. I always say on these walks, the walking is the easy part – it’s all the other things that make it difficult.

And so it was

I think I stayed at the pub for over an hour, maybe even two. It was now 7pm and I decided to head off, get some water from a tap at the public toilets, and then head up into the cliffs again to find somewhere to camp.

I was really happy now. The sun was reflecting off the sea and cliffs and it all looked rather wonderful. I was fed and watered and in good spirits. I was extremely calm and just had one job now, find somewhere to camp, which wasn’t worrying me at all.

And within a mile the perfect spot emerged. Tintagel would be waiting until tomorrow. The floor was a bit rocky for the pegs but I’d work round that using rocks to support them. I sat down, relaxed, and watched the sun slowing lowering in the sky.

I’m really glad today didn’t work out as planned, because this day has been so much better. Despite being tired I was very happy. I felt sure I’d sleep better tonight as well so tomorrow was looking good as well.