Day 14 - Tintagel to Port Isaac - 7 Miles

It had rained heavily on and off all night and so I was constantly woken up, the rain sounding like gravel being thrown at the tent! Consequently I wasn't raring to go in the morning, especially as every time I thought about looking to see if it was time to get up, the rain started again!! I eventually got up at about 7.30am and walked up the field to the shower. Who was camped there on my way up?? None other than the Hadrian's Wall bloke!! All a bit spooky really!:) I had a chinwag with him for a bit. He said he was only going to go as far as Tintagel that day and so I expected that from now on I would finally leave him behind.

I got showered and started putting the tent down and packing away in a totally disorganised way between showers. Karen got up and went for a shower and then she drove me to Tintagel while David and Naomi started packing their stuff away. I was dropped off at about 9.15am and stopped off at the Londis shop on my walk down the main street from the Tourist Information Centre car park. I bought a 2 litre bottle of diet coke with lemon and some snacks and then walked further down, right to the end of the street where I'd seen a pasty bakery the day before. I bought a veggie one and a cheese and onion one, though they were big enough (and heavy) enough for two when I saw them. I stowed the cheese and onion one in the rucksack and ate the vegetable one as I walked down the lane towards the castle. I branched off left on a level or slighty climbing path up to the castle gates rather than go down to the bay, only to have to climb back up again. I stopped for a rest and a drink and then carried on around the cliffs. It was really windy, but it seemed at least, that the cloud was breaking up despite Steve's telephone warning of torrential rain when he rang me this morning before I even dismantled the tent? I pressed on along the flattish cliff tops, on a pretty broad but puddly track, descending slightly near the youth hostel at Dunderhole Point.

My rest spot near the castle entrance at Tintagel.

The clear waters and the 'island' of the castle at Tintagel.

Looking back at the island of Tintagel Castle from further along the flat topped cliffs.

The cliffs near Dunderhole Point, with Gull Rock out in the bay of Trebarwith Strand and beyond, Port Isaac in the far distance.

Looking back at Dunderhole Point and the small Youth Hostel perched near its edge, with Tintagel Castle Island just poking from behind.

After the next headland of Penhallic Point, I was walking along the cliffs at the back of Trebarwith Strand. Unlike last night though, when we'd gone there to investigate food, the tide was in and there was no sand to be seen at all, and so it all looked very different. The pinnacle of rock left standing after mining at the back of Hole beach was quite impressive and soon after that I started the descent to the hamlet of Trebarwith Strand itself. It was odd to see the slipway, carved out of the bare rock here, predominantly filled with sea water instead of being a gentle ramp down to extensive golden sands. I sat on the rocks for a short break and almost lost my roll mat, when a gust of wind blew it away and into the 'Strid-like' carved channel of the stream behind me. Luckily it got caught in the gully rather than float downstream and out to sea, so once I'd put my boots back on (I'd let my feet out for an airing while resting) I managed to clamber over the rocks to retrieve it.

Trebarwith Strand Bay on my walk in from Penhallic Point.

The rock pinnacle left after mining as I walk behind Hole Beach in trebarwith Strand Bay.

Approaching valley containing the hamlet of Trebarwith Strand. The pub can be seen just poking from behind the foreground.

It started to drizzle and so I packed everything in the rucksack again and set off. It was a ferocious climb out of Trebarwith Strand and the sheets of drizzle drifting across from inland out to sea didn't help my mood! I stopped frequently!! I only planned to get to Port Isaac today anyway and so had plenty of time, even though the route from Trebarwith Strand to Port Gaverne was described as 'exceptionally strenuous'!! If the first climb was anything to go by then it certainly would be!! No sooner had I reached the top, than I was on my way back down again, into the next valley of Backways. I passed two men clearing the path with a brush cutter as I started the steeper section of zig zagging path down the valleyside. The path up and out of the valley on the otherside was a zig zag as well and so it wasn't tooooo traumatic on the heart, lungs and thighs! - though even that was bad enough, especially as I was again carrying the extra weight of the bloomin rucksack for the first time in two days!! The next mile or so was thankfully pretty flat, but pretty drenching on the whole! It didn't know whether to drizzle, pour or ease off, but one thing it did seem intent on was getting me drenched whichever way it could! I'd put on the waterproof for a while, but with it being a cheap one, like yesterday, I was getting more drenched from within than I was from the outside, so in the end I took it off at a rest stop. At least the drizzle and strongish wind was refreshing rather than hot and sticky and it was hardly hypothermia weather if I got drenched!

The grey veils of drizzle as I climb steeply out of Trebarwith Strand and look back at the tide filled bay.

The sea inlet at Backways as I descend.

Looking back as I begin to climb out of Backways Valley. Gull Rock out to sea.

The cliffs ahead, half obscured by drizzle.

There was a small descent to a crossroads of paths, the right hand one down to Tregardock beach, though an elderly couple just coming up from that way assured me there was no beach with it being high tide. I exchanged a few words with them and they assured me it 'wasn't far' to Port Gaverne. I'm sure that it wouldn't have been had it been flat going all the way, but the guidebook and map promised a grueller ahead with contour crossing a plenty! To begin with though, from here it was pretty flat going until the first real combe at Jacket's Point. I took my time on the descent, though the right knee seemed to have righted itself somewhat after the easier two days it had had with no rucksack weight! I HAD to take my time on the climb out though of course!:) No sooner was I up, than I was on the next valley descent, and what made it worse was that I could see the next two valleys ahead of me and the third ascent out looked the worst!! At least it was the last of any import for the day according to the map! I struggled onwards the descent into the last of the three combes was a nightmare!! The more or less constant drizzle or heavier rain, had made the slatey scree and mud scar of a footpath totally treacherous!!! I, usually quite sure footed compared with most people that I've walked with, was slipping, sliding and almost dying all over the place!!! The state of the path, the drizzle, and the shear scariness of the experience lead to more than choice language I can assure you! I left the path, after nearly losing it twice, and tried to pick my way through the undergrowth at its side, though still had to hold on in places, almost on hands and knees and managed to cut my fingers twice on brambles hidden in the spiky and painful low growing gorse bushes... good grief!!! I really did begin to wonder why on earth I was doing this! It certainly wasn't much pleasure at this moment!

Looking back from one of the three steep combes after the high level flattish section. The pinnacle of Gull Rock in Trebarwith Strand Bay is further away and the Tintagel Castle Island is the furthest headland you can see.

Strenuous descents and climbs....

...but rewarding scenery!

As I climb yet again, the drizzle begins to clear up with good views back to Tintagel and Gull Rock.

Port Isaac ahead slowly but surely gets nearer!

The climb out of this valley was strenous, but not as bad as it had appeared from the vantage points of the high ground between previous valleys.. maybe I was just relieved to have survived the treacherous descent!!?? Afterwards, it was a return to gently undulating cliff tops, though I had to negotiate a field of rather frisky looking bullocks, straight after the climb out of the last valley. Several of them looked as if they might come over and then give chase, but a bit of a shout seemed to put them off. If they'd have all charged I was too tired to worry anyway! The stiles along the ensuing section were a bit of a nightmare - three stone steps up over tall dry stone walls and three back down the other side. They would have been fine had it not been blowing a gale, I didn't have an unbalancing dead weight on my back and the steps weren't slippery with rain!!! At least the buildings of Port Gaverne and Port Isaac were becoming nearer and more distinct as I was totally weary by this point.

There was of course one last combe to cross before I got there.. isn't there always one?:) It wasn't too big, though as I descended I had a close encounter with a posh woman out for a walk with her three dogs - two terriers who madly yapped at me and a larger dog that barked and looked quite upset to find me there! The dozy woman apologised profusely, but as is the way with dog owners, assured me that they were 'perfectly fine'. Sigh! I parried and told her that isn't that what all dog owners said and at least I seemed to still have both arms and legs intact!!! Hmmm definitely over tired and snappy methinks!:) But to be fair the big dog spooked ME enough, so if they'd come across a none dog owner they'd have been petrified and probably jumped off the cliff to get away!

I had a rest at the bottom, as the sun was finally breaking through on and off. I was soaked through and smelt terrible even to myself, let alone people I might meet along the way!! Maybe that's what the dog had been barking and looking ferocious about?:)

Looking back after my last small combe crossing!

The rest of the way was pretty much a gradual descent to Port Gaverne, apart from the last little bit to the bay itself which was an incredibly steep descent on tarmac for a change. From the hotel at the bottom it was a bit of a trudge up the lane, avoiding cars waiting to pass each other because of the narrowness of the road. I made it up to the terrace of houses overlooking the harbour of Port Gaverne below, and hoped that I would be able to get in for a night of luxury B&B at The Anchorage, where I'd booked in ahead on my previous failed attempt on South West Coast Way. When I got there I was sweating buckets and ponging horribly, both from my boots which pong horribly when they get wet inside! I think that if I'd been the woman answering the door bell i'd have refused me a room on principal. Luckily she didn't, and they did have a single room, though it was right on the top floor, so yet more climbing and yet more sweating!

The buildings of Port Isaac above the inlet of Port Gaverne are finally drawing near after a VERY tiring and drizzly morning.

First stop for me was the bathroom, where unusually I actually had a bath!!! The soaking of aching muscles in warm water was wonderful!! Worriyingly the B&B didn't take credit cards and i was running short of cash by this point, though i was assured that the Crow's Nest pub just up the road had a cash machine. After a rest I set off for there, with my maps and diary, but on arrival was told that the cash machine had no cash, though there was one in the co-op around the corner, though the barman seemed to think that that was out of order too!!? I could try getting cash back though apparently!? I decided to worry about it later and sat down to write some of the diary and had two pints!! I left my stuff at the table while I went for a stroll round to the co-op and luckily the cas machine was actually working so I withdrew a further 80 quid. I returned to the Crow's Nest and sat there with another pint and the diary again. I happened to glance up at one point and see a dolphin out to sea. It turned out to be one of quite a few in a pod, that made its way from right to left across the bay in front of the pub windows and then back again, much to the great entertainment of a lot of people in the pub. It was a lovely site to see!

The middle aged couple came in to investigate food as I was sitting there! And we had a quick chinwag before they left to go and find somewhere else to eat in Port Isaac itself I presume? Apparently they'd wanted to stay in The Anchorage the night before after finishing in Tintagel. They'd rung ahead to say they would be late.. at 10.30 and turned up quarter of an hour after that to find a note on the door that it wasn't 'a hotel'. I'd have been devastated if that had happened to me after a looong day's walk! No amoutn of knocking would get them to open up and so they'd had to drive back to the place they had stayed the previous night in Tintagel who luckily had a room still!

I finished my pint and went back to bed, eating a bit more of the humungous cheese and onion pasty that I still had left from Tintagel that morning before going to sleep! the room ponged from my smelly, wet boots and so I left the window open. The sound of the sea down on the rocks far below was wonderful!

Map of the day's walk:(click to enlarge)