23rd - 24th June

23rd June day 474

The air was still and the skies clear. Inside the tent i was slowly baking. I wasn't far from st Agnes having perched on the cliffs that night. It didn't take long at all before i found myself descending towards the little village.

St Agnes is located partially on the hillside and partially at the bottom of a delightful valley. There was a certain peacefulness about the place as i headed towards the harbour to pick up the coastal path. I began to climb yet another steep slope back towards the cliffs stopping just above the harbour to look back. Thats when i spotted a small wooden building brandishing a large rnli flag. It was the voluntary lifeboat shop. I turned about and headed back down to pop my head in and say hi.

Sat in a couple of garden chairs on the front porch were two ladies nattering about the village life. As i approached one looked up and said "you must be the man walking Britain". They seemed very impressed with my progress and as has been the rnli way i was offered a coffee and presented with a packet of fudge and a packet of biscuits.

While i was sat chatting and tucking into the biscuits some lifeboat supporters drew up who were on a little hike of there own. They'd seen a piece about the area in a times column and were asking for details as what had been written seemed a little incorrect. They were right, whom ever had written the column had mixed up their norths and souths. If the group of friends had followed the instructions in the article they would have ended up going in completely the wrong direction.

With the group now pointed in the right direction and me filled with chocolate chip biscuits and caffeine i headed back to the path and back to the cliff top walk. My pack was heavy and the day was hot. My tshirt after a while was wringing wet with sweat.

After a couple of miles i eventually came to the next valley where there was a small remote cafe serving snacks and drinks. I was feeling peckish and although tempted by a burger settled on some fancily named sandwich and a can of 7up. Essentially it was ham with melted cheese on toasted garlic bread. It was quite delicious. There were only two benches and space on only one. I asked politely if i could sit with those who were already sat there only to discover it was the group I'd help direct earlier at st Agnes.

We chatted some more as i devoured my lunch but before i continued on with my walk and while they waited for their ride home i was given a cup of coffee a slice of lemon drizzle cake and a slab of flapjack to take with me.  I eventually had the flapjack for breakfast the following morning.

The rest of  the day was spent hiking the hills and enduring the rising temperatures until i reached Portreath. Evening was now upon me but luckily the local store was still open so I bought a carton of orange juice, a litre of milk, bread rolls and a ready made tikka. It was enough for my evening meal. From Portreath i continued along the coastal path until it began to get dark. I found a reasonable spot on the headland with st ives across the bay and settled in, watching the gorgeous sunset as i reheated the curry and dipped my rolls.

24th June day 475

It was incredibly peaceful up on the headland. The sun was out and as i woke i could hear the faint sound of birds chirping away. I was running really low on gas so my first priority was to locate a camping store either in Hayle or at the very least in st Ives. I knew that once I'd left st Ives i wouldn't really be passing any significant towns or even villages until I'd passed lands end.

Setting off on the days adventure i headed along the coastal path around what remained of the headland and down onto the beach which seemed to go on for ever. Thankfully it didn't although i did at one point find myself among the dunes avoiding getting my feet wet with the tide all the way in. It took some time before i was able to find a way out and back to the beach.

As i approached the estuary i felt tempted to unpack hoolley and make a sneaky crossing avoiding hayle completely. But then i saw it, a shining beacon of hope. Asda. The superstore with a whole lot more. I needed to get food to carry me round lands end and this would probably be the last superstore I'd come across for a few days. I grabbed two packets of savoury rice, a packet of pasta in a tomato and basil sauce, a chorizo sausage, some rolls, a packet of mug o porridge  and a milkshake. I also grabbed a pot of fruit, some crisps and a crusty bread baguette to satisfy a pang. Eating the baguette with some of the sausage followed by the fruit filled me nicely. I like the freeze dried food from mountain house but it was a refreshing change.

It was another four mile hike to st ives around the estuary and with the summer temperatures soaring i was finding myself soaked in sweat and feeling tired. Reaching st ives my first port of call was mountain warehouse to get some gas. They had an offer on, buy one get one free (bogof).  Great. Now not only was i carrying enough coffee to see me through to dorset but i was also now carrying more gas than i needed. My pack was now becoming a tad heavy and i had a tough hike through some wild coastline before arriving at lands end.

My mug was now looking very beaten which is not surprising considering what it had gone through since Southampton. I did think about getting a new one whilst in the store but again it was bogof. I certainly didn't want to carry two so I left it and went to find the lifeboat station which was being modified to fit the new shannon class lifeboat they were to receive at the end of the year.

Again i was met with a smile and coffee. I got my battery pack on charge and filled up my bottles with water not feeling confident I'd be able to get water until i reached lands end, as it turns out i actually came upon several lovely clear streams with quaint little waterfalls. After a couple of hours break, i set off around the harbour and out of the town. The coastal path almost immediately went wild. It was very similar to some of the paths in wales and very much reminded me of parts of  Scotland.

I'd met several hikers over the previous weeks who'd mentioned that the path from st ives was hard going and that I'd have to climb over boulders in order to stay on the trail. They weren't wrong either. I wouldn't say it was too hard going in fact i was in my element on the trail. Large rock falls had in places completely covered any path that was once running along the coast there. It was exciting and interesting. I loved it.

I had no idea where i was as i continued and around 8:30pm which was early for me i found a lovely place to pitch up. I did ponder for about ten minutes before i eventually decided that i probably wouldn't find anywhere better before nightfall.

With camp set i began to sort my dinner. Pasta with chorizo. Boiling water for a coffee using a new canister brought my attention to the fact that my stove wasn't working as well as it used to. I'd thought i was running out of gas. Luckily i had a backup with me which i must admit I'd considered sending home several times but decided to keep anyway. Having switched stoves i set about making the evening meal it wasn't high calorie but it was filling and had all the right ingredients.  The rolls had been somewhat squished but that was ok. Cooking while wild camping with one saucepan and limited ingredients is always a challenge but its a challenge i always happily accept.