Monday 08th June 1998 - Day Three, Polzeath - Padstow - Harlyn Bay Prev Next

I woke up at 04:00 with a familiar pain above the eyes. I lay in bed hoping it would go away, then hunted down the pain relief tablets and took two. I really, really didn't want a headache. As I am a larger rather than a smaller adult so I took another then tried to breath deeply, but every time I got to the second breath I started coughing. When I woke up later I knew I hadn't shifted the headache but I might as well get moving. Breakfast was pasta shells for soup and a tin of tomato soup. By 07:20 I was moving.

I picked up the path where I had left off and by this time it was raining a bit. The path was on sand and wound around the dunes which was hard work to walk over. The slugs here were a brown purple sort of colour with a white edge which just shows that you can get them in more than black or white. Presently I came upon the Padstow ferry.

I walked onto what was obviously a landing stage and in front of me was a board indicating landing fees and ferry times. Then I saw a notice which said if the ferry was at Padstow then wave the flag until you see it leave. I looked down and there was the yellow flag in a holder. The ferry was already coming over with a couple of walkers so I never got the opportunity to wave the flag. I thought about waving it anyway but the ferry operator might have thought I was being facetious. Halfway across on the way back he did a nifty hand brake turn in the middle of the channel and I thought he was going to ram a fishing boat. Instead he manoevered neatly alongside and picked up a couple of fishermen from the fishing boat and took them back to Padstow.

In Padstow I visited a pasty shop and purchased a large un-traditional, slightly expensive steak pasty and a can of coke for my second breakfast. I was going to need it. On the way out of the shop I spotted a local Spar shop but it was too late.

The path out of Padstow was also made up and offered easy walking. My headache was still niggling and so was the rain. Presently the path turned inland to skirt a sandy marsh area and stopped being made up. The grass was long and leaning over the path under the weight of rain, so I put the gaiters on again and continued. At 09:15 my feet got wet. The rain started to come down harder as I entered a woody bit with low branches that sent down a shower every time I touched them. Eventually I came out of the wood and saw I was only about fifty yards from where I had gone into it, quite a detour but I don't want to do any cheating by taking short cuts, I want to walk every inch of the path. The path climbed past Hawkers Cove with a boathouse that had slate clipped to the side of it, and up to Stepper point. I turned around and looked at Padstow bay for the last time, then rounded the corner where the path climbed up to a tower which overlooks the sea, and is a landmark for many miles. I could see a placard on the tower which presumably would tell me what it was about. As I approached I could clearly see inscribed the words 'Building Unsafe - Keep Out'. A large crack ran from the top to the bottom, so I had every reason to believe it.

The path was on top of the cliffs now and stayed there following sheep tracks with nothing to stop the full force of the wind and rain. I could see a couple of people, one walking a dog who went off on a different path and one on the path ahead.

Just before Trevone I stopped in an area bounded by stone walls and a few sheep troughs for a bite to eat. My headache was getting worse. The wind was still strong and the rain persistent. The path skirted the outside of a field of sheep, which had an enormous hole in the middle of it. The map says 'round hole' and that's just what it was, a hole about forty to fifty yards across that I couldn't see the bottom of. I got as close to the edge as I dared but the sides were sheer from where I could see, except for a possible path down the far side. These holes are apparently caused by collapsed caves. The sea digs a cave under the cliffs to such an extent that they can no longer support their own ceilings and they collapse leaving a large hole inland from the cave entrance. I would have looked from the other side to see how deep it was but the rain was bad, as was my head. In Trevone I could see a cafe but no Spar shop. I settled for cheeseburger and chips in the cafe after visiting the toilets behind.

The lad serving informed me he was about to shut shop, but he served me anyway. I think he was more interested in the state of the surf than in cooking my beef burger properly, a fact given away by him going outside and standing on one of the tables looking out to sea for five minutes. There wasn't any point in getting excited because the waves didn't have anything in them, the wind was blowing out to sea. I couldn't finish my lunch, I think it was the headache, I should have been starving.

Out of Trevone the path continued made up then dropped onto the beach at Harlyn. A notice said the path followed the beach for 370 yards, not accessible at high tide, no alternative route. I was lucky, the tide was out so I took the 370 yards over the sand. At the other side the path went up some steps, then along side fields in a narrow track and around the headland. The wind howled, the rain was horizontal and I was soaked to the skin. I passed the edge of one campsite but continued on a few yards further to a point where I could easily work back to, then went to find a place to camp. At the corner where the last path post stood was a red van not unlike those used by the post office with blacked out windows. A young lad with a surf board who I had probably seen earlier paddling about in the swell walked towards it. He looked wet and cold, at least I wasn't cold. I wondered what he got out if it on days like today.

I trudged on skirting the caravan site on the road. On the map it looks like it is called Trevose Farm and may be a friendly family concern. My illusions were shattered because in fact it was a large commercial concern which didn't seem to cater for tents, and probably disapproved if your slippers didn't match your caravan curtains. The office wasn't open anyway.

The best option seemed to be to try the next site. It was called Harlyn Bay Caravan Site 'Tents Welcome', 'Office Open'. I went in and a young lady gave me a slip to write my particulars on. I apologised for dripping on the carpet, for dripping on the counter and for dripping on the piece of card I was filling out at arms length. The charge was £2.50, bargain. I set up the tent as best I could on the lee side of a wall made for tents, then I went for a warm shower.

I undressed as far as was still decent because the coin box was on the outside, dropped in my 20p and the shower started. At this time I heard beeping. I got under the shower and it was the same temperature as the rain outside. After a minute I got out and thought it would probably be useful as anything to wash the mud off my trousers. Then the shower started to get warm. I put the slightly cleaner trousers down and got under. It got a bit hotter and my money ran out. I didn't have another 20p, a four minute shower and it took three minutes for the warm water to come through.

I changed into my dry things except socks and prepared to make a dash for the tent. I could still hear familiar bleeping which I tracked down to the mobile phone. It was lit up, the display was blank and it wouldn't turn off. I removed the battery and the contacts were fizzing. This was not a good sign. If the phone is dead then I'd get a GSM one which I wanted, but this could be an expensive accident. I hadn't thought about the phone getting wet in the depths of the rucksack.

I dashed for the tent, rolled out my sleeping bag and crawled in. It was 14:00. A cough and a migraine do not go well together and each time I coughed it was agony. Five and three quarter hours later I surfaced feeling a lot better and fancied tackling pizza, and chips. The lady at the counter in the resturant said they hadn't had their pizza stuff delivered so they could only do plain, pepperoni or ham and mushroom. As ham and mushroom was what I wanted that was fine. I had it with a pint of shandy. I wasn't going to drink any alcohol but they charge so much for orange mixers and I was thirsty that I had it. The resturant was warm and around the edges were numerous paintings including one of nearby Trevose Head lighthouse. After warming up and filling up I went back to the tent a fell asleep. What a day.

Next page, Day Four, 9th June 98, Harlyn Bay (rest).

Previous page, Day Two, 7th June 98, Trebarwith Strand - Polzeath.

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