Tuesday 16th September 1997 - Day Four, Tintagel - Rocky Valley - Trebarwith Strand - Tintagel Prev Next

I woke up but it was still dark so I went to sleep again. When woke up again it was light so I read for a bit, but then my eyes got heavy and I fell asleep again. Finally I woke up and felt hungry so I had four weetabix. There were twelve in the packet and I had three days to eat them.

My legs were stiff and hip sore, but not like they had been so a bit of walking and exploring was in order, besides it was a lovely sunny day and I didn't have to carry my back pack. I followed the path beside the campsite which was marked 'To the coastal path'. I soon emerged on the coast, down the track that I had seen two days previously, and that I had wondered whether it was a short cut to Tintagel or not. It felt very odd walking with the sea on the left, unbalanced, a bit like only having one shoe on, or wearing half a pair of glasses.

I went back as far as Rocky Valley, the picturesque gully carved by a fast stream over the last few thousand years. Previously I had been too keen to get to Tintagel to take much notice of it because of my leg, but his time I could look at it properly and take photographs. I went all the way round to Tintagel castle and back up the hill. This time it was me overtaking the old ladies going up the hill. I was feeling a lot better at this point compared with two days ago. I returned to the campsite for lunch. The lads in the tent next to mine, who had got through a significant amount of alcohol judging by the beer bottles and cans outside their tent, surfaced and started to pack their car. Then they dismantled their tent and left.

After lunch I tackled the coastal path to Trebarwith Strand where I would have been going two days earlier. The path started off predictably with day trippers walking to the nearby church. Soon after though it reverted to its more normal wild, empty self. A youth hostel appeared over the brow of the hill, this must have been the one which was closed for Mark Wallington, it looked very much open now. The path made its course over and round headlands. This part of the coast was composed of slate walls and posts. I was gazing inland as I walked past a fenced off bit of cliff, then I looked right and down, woooha - it must have been a couple of hundred feet straight down and my feet were only 3 - 4 feet from the edge, and the fence wasn't that substantial.

A little further on was a spectacular slate stack, a tall column standing on its own. I continued on, enjoying the scenery until I came upon Trebarwith Strand down in a coombe. In Trebarwith Strand was a life guard building, rocks, a notice saying how clean the water was and how to deal with rip currents, and a do-nut shop. There was also an ice cream shop. I went inside and had a mint magnum.

I continued on the coastal path just as far as the first stile and touched the coastal path post, I was as far along the path as I was going on this trip. The walk back went very quickly but again seemed lop-sided with the sea on the wrong side. By the time I got back my leg was getting sore again, but not too bad. Whilst I had been out a German girl had arrived in a Ranchero wagon painted like a fresian cow, and set up next to my tent. Dinner this evening was a cornish pasty and chips from King Arthur's chippie. I read for a bit longer this evening by setting up a candle in the end of the tent and standing the Trangia behind it as a reflector.

Next page, Day five, 16th September 97, Tintagel - Wind farm - Tintagel.

Previous page, Day two, 14th September 97, Tintagel.

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