South West Coast Path Day 15.
Distance today: 16.8 miles.
Total distance: 1370.9 miles.
Accommodation: campsite.
I started the day with the Expedition Breakfast which I had been carrying with me since Scotland. It was possibly a bit late for me to think about preparing for an expedition now. After making my way down through St Ives, I re-joined the SWCP not far from the Tate. I do like that building although I have yet to be blown away by any art that I have seen in it. Not that I am a regular visitor.
Disappointingly, given my lovely walking experience over the last few days, today was a bit of a slog. Possibly one of the my least favourite walks of the whole SWCP. The views were okay-ish although perhaps there was more rugged rocky coastline than long, inviting sandy beaches. I think it was the trail itself that proved tedious. Lots of boulders and uneven ground which made it quite jarring, particularly given that the soles of my feet were still feeling tender after walking for too many days in too much heat.
At one point, when I was stopping for a breather, I was overtaken by a young woman. By the size of her pack I’d say she was also on a multi-day hike but she barely slowed down to say hello. There’s me thinking there was a hiker’s etiquette. In contrast, I had a longer chat with a couple of older day hikers called Helen and Melissa and they very generously gave me £20 for the cause.
Around lunchtime, I took a brief inland detour to stop for a coffee at The Moomaid In Zennor café in Zennor. It was a nice courtyard café and while it wasn’t too upmarket, I was conscious of exactly how scruffy and unwashed I was compared to everyone else. It’s been a long trip.
At a (real) push, I could have carried on all the way to Land’s End today but decided to stop at The Old Coastguards campsite near the Pendeen Lighthouse (aka Pendeen Watch). Even though there were some houses nearby, the place had a rustic off-grid feel to it, complete with tin shack showers. I don’t know why it annoyed me so much but the couple pitched closest to me had created a large enclosure made out of several windbreaks. This is our territory. Trespassers will be prosecuted. I found it a really miserable, antisocial attitude.
I wandered into Pendeen and headed to the North Inn for a beer. I could see a fellow walker tucking into some food but decided I’d just pick up a couple of things from the Spar instead.
For my last night, the Gods treated me to a beautiful sunset.
