SWCP: Port Isaac to Polzeath

Rain started at lunchtime again today. We got the bus to Port Isaac, arriving at about 9 o’clock. There was somewhat of a delay because the bus driver was in training and she managed to smash one of the doors against a branch at high speed. It shattered into pieces all over the floor and her supervisor had to take over the driving and chuck everyone out at the next stop. Luckily for us, the next stop was Port Isaac (phew!) as the next bus wasn’t for another hour and a half. 

Today’s walk seemed longer and harder than yesterday’s for both of us. I think that was due to “second-day legs” and the fact that there was a lot of path that was slippery, due to loose scree, rain or both. Also a lot of steps to climb up and down during the first half. For my part, my right knee became more and more painful as the day went on, and by the time we got to Polzeath I felt I had to stop, despite having taken ibuprofen. It only hurt going downhill. A trapped nerve pain radiating up from the knee whenever put the other foot forward. Very annoying and tiring to cope with.  I’m not sure if it would be wise to walk tomorrow, although it is allegedly quite level. 

Weather a bit dodgy when we arrived in Port Isaac

Leaving Port Isaac

Loads of steep slopes again today

Tintagel Castle footbridge in sight

An empty Tintagel Castle site

Looking back toward Port Isaac

Loads of wildflowers today - purple, pink, bluebells and primroses

One of two mineshafts just past Port Quin. Veeerrry deep! Dog owners beware!

This is Lundy Hole, a collapsed cave between Port Quin and Pentire Point.

Sea churning in and out.

You can just about see white granite marbling in the side of the rocks here

Flowers galore!

Overlooking Port Quin

Coming up to Polzeath, we got intermingled with a group of about 30 charity walkers 

who were also going from Port Isaac to Rock

Huge and beautiful beach at Polzeath. Loads of surfers - rain no obstacle!

As we arrived at Polzeath, heavy rain set in and we began to feel cold. My right outer knee was getting painful, I was almost limping and my socks were wet once again. We went into a cafe for a cup of tea and decided that rather than trying to walk another 5 miles to Rock and have to wait for the 5.45 bus back to Camelford, we would call it a day and get the 4pm bus back. Got home, had a lovely hot shower and then got delicious, freshly cooked fish and chips from a place across the road. The sun had come out and was flooding into the apartment. 

The next day we drove to Padstow to walk from there to Porthcothan, but en route we had a half-hour traffic jam due to some car show in Wadebridge and we decided we would just chill out in Padstow for the morning instead, look around the shops and have a lovely time. The sun was out, tourists were thin on the ground and it was altogether absolutely delightful. We will come back later in the year to complete our mission!

SWCP: Tintagel to Port Isaac

 

Tough day today - lots of up and down towards the end of  the walk. We caught the 7.10 bus to Tintagel in an attempt to avoid the promised afternoon rain, but still got caught in it just after midday. My boots proved woefully waterproof and I had squelchy socks, but fortunately the rain only started in earnest a couple of hours before the end. Saw lovely black lambs and black calves today. Skylarks and gulls. Great crashing waves and a few surfers. Even some blue sky, first thing.

Arrived in Port Isaac at 2.30 and had a cream tea before catching the 4 o’clock bus back to our rather chilly Airbnb. Managed to get the heating on and each had a lovely, restorative hot bath.

Pretty good weather as we set off at 7.30 am(!)

The highly unusual sight of an empty Tintagle Castle site - doesn't open till 10 o'clock.

Lots of up and down

A pause for breath

Now the rain's started.

Port Isaac tantalised us from a distance for many miles.
It looked close, but alas those hills...

Quick rest at Port Gaverne beach - almost at Port Isaac. Just one more hill to go.

Yay!!!

Some Doc Martin buildings in the distance

On arrival in Port Isaac, we had a cream tea and listened to our second unsolicited life story of the day, from the cafe owner. (The first one was from a random guy where we stopped for a coffee in Port William.)

Then a half hour bus back to Port Isaac. I was in charge of ringing the bell. Laura was crevée.

Back to the Airbnb at 4.30, managed to get the radiators on (hallelujah!) and it's raining again. Wondering how tomorrow will go - same sort of distance and ascent as today, and my knee ligaments aren't very happy on the downward slopes. Some of those today were not much fun at all - slippery after the rain and covered in loose bits of stone and slate. Tricky even with poles. Oh well, we shall see!

SWCP: Crackington Haven to Tintagel

These figures omit a half hour section near the beginning (very hilly) when Strava did that annoying thing of losing connection and just drew a straight line. 🙄 

As I started walking from Crackington Haven this morning, a group of trail runners came past me in the other direction,  bursting with youth and vitality. I looked at their feet and saw that they weren’t muddy - first great news of the day! And in fact there was no problematic mud today at all, which made life ten times easier. my legs felt tired to an ominous degree though, as I set off, and I wondered whether I would manage to make it all the way to Tintagel, but they started to feel better as they warmed up. Yesterday was about 2500 feet of ascent and today more like 3500 according to the guidebooks (and more mileage too). Also, I’d had to wait for the 9 o’clock bus so I was starting off more than an hour later than the previous day. In the end, it took about 5 and a quarter hours of moving, same as yesterday, and I peeled off just before Tintagel so I could get the 4 o’clock bus rather than having to wait another two hours till the final bus at 6pm. So I’ll have to make a slight detour when Laura and I walk from Tintagel. It was a bit annoying because if the bus had been a tiny bit later there’d have been no problem. Anyway, the first stretch from CH to Boscastle was really hard work - hardly any level bits, all up and down steep slopes. I walked as much ascent between 9.30 and 1.30 as I’d walked the whole of the previous day. Fortunately, it got a bit better on the approach to Boscastle.

Tintagel barely visible in the distance behind me

Loads of steps

Sans chapeau - thought it might blow clean off

Lunch with a view. The rock is called Gull
Rock and is covered in them.

Quite a few white granite rocks dotted around,
and used in walls looking like grisly extracted teeth

Groan

A whole hillside was covered in these primroses

By Boscastle Harbour

This herringbone pattern is called curzyway.

The views became very beautiful between Boscastle and Tintagel. This is the so-called “Valley of the Rocks” - dramatic enough for a film.

Was as relieved as ever to see the bus appear to take me the hour’s drive back to Bude, especially as the weather had closed in - mist and drizzle - and I was feeling cold. 

I have escaped

Another soothing warm bath, followed by fish and chips made to order. Beautiful evening sun but once again, my legs are too sore for me to contemplate walking to the beach or some other part of Bude. Shame as it’s a lovely place. 

Pleased that my feet held up today. Spent much of the day thinking/worrying about them. Think I need some new walking shoes that are a bit bigger because over the course of the day, my feet definitely swell up and start feel squashed.

Hope I sleep better tonight. Last night my aching legs kept me awake. Going to try some ibuprofen. Breakfast at 8 tomorrow, then a bus at 9.00 back to Okehampton and my choice of trains home. I really wanted to walk a bit of Dartmoor on the way back but I don’t think my knees would thank me for it.