Another amazing day today! The miles may seem short when compared to recent days but the terrain today changed back to a much more strenuous effort from our previous. So the distance doesn’t tell the story of the effort involved.
Our new companion, Chris, hadn’t done the Hayle to St Ives bit yesterday so he set off early to walk it from the, slightly strange but nice, Madhatters tea house in Hayle where we all stayed last night.
Matthew, Bo (the dog) and I got the bus back to St Ives in the rain...
It felt very dark and gloomy when we got to St Ives but it starts to clear.
But it is such a pretty place.
So, as we waited for Chris
We explore a bit of the town
And, as Chris knows St Ives well, when he arrived, he got us ready for our walk - so with Artisan sandwiches, beetroot bhajis, yum yums, pork pie, millionaires shortbread and a belly full of great coffee, we were finally ready for the path.
So here we are - Chris, Matthew, Bo and myself (no Harry 🙁) ready to march on.
On our way out of St Ives we walk over the beach with all the posh houses - the Tate gallery is at the end of these.
And then we climb into the rocks behind the town, it has stopped raining but it is still very dark and beautiful.
The guys (and girl) quickly break into their stride
And the terrain starts to turn from beach to rocks
The path is hard because it is difficult under foot - lots of stones and mud. It is a very technical challenge compared to the relative easy path of the last few days and you have to remember to look up as you pick your way through to take in the scenery.
They say in the guidebook (again) that this is “one of the toughest days on the path” but I don’t agree with that - perhaps tougher than on the rest of the Cornish bit so far but nowhere near what we saw in North Devon or the early part of Cornwall. But it is still amazing...
This is an ancient stone circle or a bit of a laugh... you decide!
We’re on top of the world one minute
And down in the valleys in another
The sun comes out and it is a wonderful day again
The rock changes from slippery to granite
In the distance here is Gurnards Head - our destination for today.
The sea is rough again, bashing into the rocks
We find interesting things on the path
Reaching Gurnards Head, the path goes on, but that is for tomorrow. We decide to explore the point
With spectacular results
And some steep climbs
Time for a cup of tea and a chill in the sunshine
Before heading to Treen and the fantastic Gurnards Head Pub. Stone floors, great beer, lots of people and dogs!
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