The sun glaring off the Camel (that’s the river, not the dromedary), we flowed down the tarmac into a slightly quieter Padstow for a takeaway breakfast from the Chough Bakery. Pastries and coffees on a harbourside bench we got chatting to a young lad that had, in the past, walked a big section of the South West Coast Path from south to north. After St Ives would be hard for us, we were told, but onto Lands End and the Lizard we should be able to stretch out the distances.
Red admirals, greater tortoiseshells and cabbage whites were enjoying the fields on the way out of the estuary north of Padstow. Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy with barely a rise to the headland and a visit to the tall marker for the estuary entrance. The sun was out, the swell was running and the beaches packed with surfers.
Butter hole was a treat. An inaccessible slip of sand surrounded by high cliffs with perfect swell rolling in. You could abseil down or kayak around. I’d pick the kayak and avoid the jumar out. Tourist RIBs from Padstow zoomed into the bays and out to the rocky islands.
Easy top of the cliff walking on soft, wide grassy thoroughfares took us around the sights of the usual blocky cliffs, rocks jutting out of the sea claimed by gulls and the endless sets of swells rolling in off the Atlantic Ocean.
Round hole is a very big, round hole. It has a tunnel at its base connecting it to the sea so it floods with the tide. It is surprisingly deep and, like the cliffs, not fenced off. Humans are trusted with not falling into it by using their instinct of self-preservation. This is not a man made environment and it does not need to be made safe. There are many holes along this stretch.
The toilets at Trevone Bay took an actual, physical, old-school fifty pence piece to open the door, just like the one I have been carrying in my shorts pocket for 170 miles. But a guy was leaving and held the door for me. The 50p continues its adventures.
It is bays for days. This stretch of Cornwall is popular because people like beaches and here be beaches. The bank holiday weekend has not yet started but crossing sandy bays as part of the coast path requires fine navigation skills to not get lost amongst wind breaks, sunshades, surfboards and hundreds of people in shorts or swimsuits. Keen communication skills are needed to keep us together and up through the soft sand to the exit steps.
Trevose Head was the next turn. There was a light blue RNLI life boat station just before, and a lighthouse out on the point. After the steady waves landing on beaches to screams of delight as children got knocked off their feet or body boarded back to shore, the tide was clearly running compressed at the point. Waves crashed off rocks and rough water filled gaps between islands, creating almost standing waves but also eddies of calm swirling out of the way.
From here we could see new coast, but also the end of England. Almost. We picked out tomorrow’s target for beer, Newquay, (although we will finish many kilometres after so maybe just a coke), further away we figured out where St Ives probably was, and after that the coast thins and ends. Lands End is around that bend.
From Trevose Head to Porthcothan the order of service is along the lines of bay, bay, point, bay, island, cove, cove, cove, islands, rock, bay. The shapes are fascinating and seem unlikely. I would like to be sat in my kayak amongst them. Arches and sea alleys between islands abound. These promontories used to have settlements on top, presumably Iron Age and well defended. Also good views and likely enjoyable fishing.
Passing campsites in fields perched on the edges of the cliffs I saw a teenager on a blow up sofa beside a huge tent scrolling on his phone and I thought, “I bet this will be one of his last family holidays”.
A sign on the path for Porthcothan Bay Stores promised happiness. Two quality ice creams in cones with a flake and a fudge stick (I am the son of an ice cream man so am qualified to judge), a coke, coffee, and 3/4 of a packet of Maryland cookies later the sign was proven to be correct.
An easy day done, and cooled down after sitting by the shop regaining energy we climbed the hill to the campsite du jour. We covered today’s ground quickly and would have gone further but are limited by campsites with available spots as we enter a sunny bank holiday by the coast in Cornwall. We could wild camp, but again, it’s going to be a busy bank holiday in Cornwall. Campsites let us pay back to the communities we pass through, have good showers these days (feels great after walking all hot day) and real, flushing toilets. We have wild camped and still do. We have known the joys of the first porcelain after days without.
26km and 526m of ascent.