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Saturday 25 April 2020

SWCP Day 17: Fun in the fog

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Day 17

Port Isaac to Padstow
Approx. 11.7 miles, 891m ascent
31,996 steps


Once again we woke up to persistent drizzle, and unfortunately the wind and rain had found their way in to Mum’s secondhand tent, so she hasn’t had a great night’s sleep. We packed up in the wet, hoping that the weather would improve over the course of the day and I could dry and air my tent in the afternoon. We stopped at the Co-op in Port Isaac so I could get some breakfast and snacks, then I rejoined the path behind the harbour. Mum wisely decided to leave me to the drizzle.

As I was leaving the village I could see the Vic and Helen, the American couple I had met a few days ago and a German couple I’d met the day before, on the path behind me. The path quickly climbed into the foggy rain, and headed round Kellan head after dropping in to the first steep valley of the day. The lonely chilly fog felt properly bleak; my favourite kind of weather for walking! Waterproofs on and hood up, I was in my own dry and warm cocoon and quite happy, a good day to be abroad in Cornwall.

Port Quin

The path dropped down into the pretty little cove of Port Quin, and I was surprised to come across the Vic and Helen, who I was sure had been behind me on the path. They had decided against going out to Kellan head and had taken an inland path, cutting the corner and overtaking me in the process. As we followed the path to the curious little fortress of Doyden castle we got chatting and it was good to have some walking company for a while. I left them behind at Trevan point, but they soon caught me up again on the decent, and we admired the collapsed cave at Lundy hole together, the sea roaring in and out of the rocky archway below. 

Looking down into Lundy hole
The Rumps and The Mouls in the distance

As we approached the Rumps and Pentire point they decided to cut inland again and head straight for Polzeath, so we parted ways and I headed out into fog once more. The Rumps is a promontory that juts out into the raging Atlantic, reaching out to the little Mouls island further out to sea. The headland is the site of an Iron Age fort, with some of the earthworks still visible. It seems like it would be a rather bleak location for a settlement, but perhaps it wasn’t so exposed all those years ago. 

I cut inland towards Polzeath, and once again bumped into Vic and Helen, who had stopped for coffee and cake in a gateway. We walked the last easy section into Polzeath together. I first visited Polzeath for a surfing holiday as a 16 year old. A friend arranged a trip for a big group of us, staying on the eccentric Robbie Love’s campsite, and I got my first taste of surfing. I remember it as an amazing week, feeling very adult to be off on holiday all on our own. The boyfriend and I, and the friend that organised the original trip, visited Polzeath for several years in a row after that, for surfing and camping. It got far too busy and expensive though and we reverted to South Wales and other parts of the South West. The town has undergone a flurry of development in the last few years, with plenty of massive glass-fronted houses popping up all over, and cranes indicating more to come.

Coming onto Polzeath, lots of surfers even on a bleak day!

In the town car park I was surprised to come across Mum, who had decided to see if she could bump in to me (iPhone friend tracker!). We went for lunch in the beachside cafe, then I was reunited with my big backpack for the last section to Padstow, as Mum had had enough of the wet weather so had decided to head home. Of course being such an excellent support team, she had already been to the campsite in Padstow and pitched my tent for me!

Up the Camel estuary

It was a bit of a shock to have the big weight back on, so I was glad the last section to the ferry at Rock was easygoing. The views up the Camel Estuary were delightful, with little sailing boats skipping about in the wind, and the weather was finally improving. I remembered the walk to the ferry as we had frequently visited Padstow when holidaying in Polzeath, although I had remembered it as quite a trek; now I was used to big miles it felt like only a tiny hop between the two.

First ferry done!
Pretty Padstow harbour

I was rather excited to take the ferry, the first one of many required to complete the coast path. The crossing was very pleasant, and was made more entertaining by the presence of a cat on a lead, everyone acting as if it was the most normal thing in the world. I disembarked in Padstow harbour in the early afternoon, had a little wander round the town, and stocked up on pasties, studiously avoiding the many Rick Stein establishments. The campsite for the night was a little out of town along the camel trail. Dennis cove campsite is really excellent, all the amenities including a much needed drying room, and a very lovely receptionist who I chatted to for a good while whilst charging my phone in her office. The weather much improved, I ate my dinner pasty in the evening light.

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