Day 21 Portreath to St Ives

 I had a brilliant sleep last night, followed by an excellent cooked breakfast at the Portreath Arms. The place has recently been refurbished and was very welcoming. I can thoroughly recommend. 

I set off back on the path at 8:30 and there were soon a couple of steep hills to climb, but then a lot of headland walking. As per usual, the views were rubbish!

It was a nice walk and I was able to motor on a bit for the first 5 miles, then I came upon an oasis called Hells Mouth Cafe! 

I stopped for a coffee and salted caramel flapjack and soon got chatting to a lovely local couple. Before I knew it, I’d been sat there for 50 minutes! 

I got back on the path out to Godrevy Point, where there was a nice lighthouse. 

Also, it is an area renowned for seals. However, they were a little camera shy today, but I did see a few in the distance!

After rounding Godrevy Point I had to negotiate The Towans Dunes / Beach. 

My goodness, they were vast. The signposting in this area left a little to be desired and I soon lost sight of the path ( because there are a maze of paths) and ended up walking through the dunes. The trouble with that, is that the path twist, turns, goes up and down in a short distance and then repeat.  You soon get tired of it. The only problem with these dunes is that they are very tall and there is a 20-30 metre cliff down to the beach! 

I continued for what seemed like ages, but made very little progress. Eventually I found a ravine, where I was able to scramble down to the beach. 

This beach reminded me of Perran Sands, in that it seemed to go on forever. 

It was difficult to walk on, because the sand was either too dry and soft, or too wet and soft. Trying to find a happy medium was nigh on impossible. 

With a heavy pack on your back, it soon gets quite tiring when your feet sink in the sand. 

After about an hour, I eventually managed to get off the beach at Black Cliff, where there just happened to be a pub. I had a cold lager and ham & cheese baguette. Just as I was leaving, the manager came over and gave me a free bottle of water in aid of my charitable efforts! 

I then walked around Hayle Harbour. 

This is another one of those annoying stretches, where you have to walk inland around the Hayle Estuary to get to the other side which just seems a stones throw away! 

Even worse, a lot of the walking was alongside a busy road until you get to Lelant, where you cross the river.

I was starting to get tired at this point, so stopped for a short rest at yet another pub! 

Having rejuvenated myself, I continued along the opposite side of the Hayle Estuary. 

I carried on to Carbis Bay ( where last years G7 conference was held). 

As you can see, the rain clouds were threatening and my feet had had enough! I therefore curtailed the walk and caught a train from Carbis to St Ives, where I faced a stiff climb up to Ayr Campsite on the western edge of town. 

I managed to get the tent up with 10 minutes to spare, before the rain arrived ( drizzle). I have walked over 17 miles today. 

Tomorrow, first thing, I will get a train back to Carbis Bay and complete the walk into St Ives. I then need to collect a re-supply package, left by my sister last week, sort out what I’m keeping etc, before re-joining the path. 

I’ve no idea how long that is all going to take, so tomorrow’s destination remains subject to change.