I was quite excited when i woke, it was going to be a good day, not only was the sky clear but I'd be able to see the most south westerly point of Britain later maybe even reach it by nightfall.
I left my secluded little spot earlier than normal and headed off. The wild cornish coast continued to provide me with breath taking views and challenging terrain. Gradually the path became less rugged and more tame. Along the way i not only passed old ruins and the occasional cottage but also a myriad of day hikers mostly heading for pendeen. Well the lighthouse at pendeen.
It was another scorcher of a day and quite unusually i had kept a couple of mouth fulls of water which were very much welcomed as the day progressed. As i came close to the lighthouse myself i found a lovely little waterfall that ran onto a gorgeous empty sandy beach and as i was carrying enough coffee to start a small mobile cafe and plenty of gas which was really quite unusual i decided to stop and make myself not one but two mugs of coffee. There was a nice cool breeze as I sat next to the crystal clear water of the waterfall and down the small valley i could see the turquoise blue waters of the sea. It was an idealistic little spot for an extended break.
Just as i was having my second mug of coffee a familiar face appeared from above. Stuart had stopped off in st ives while I'd carried on another five miles. I must admit its always good to randomly see a familiar face while on the trek. Stuart sat down on a rock nearby his boots looking a little tattered. He'd tripped on one of the enormous boulders and the sole of his boots had become detached. I'd gotten rid of my duct tape many months before but i rummaged around my pack looking to see if i could find an alternative such as paracord to make a temporary fix to see him through til he reached some kind of civilisation. Unfortunately my paracord had had to be cut when Fishguard rescue services had "rescued" me on an excercise in wales. As it was no longer long enough to hold my pack to hoolley I'd also thrown what was left away. I felt a little helpless. Stuart assured he'd be ok though and while i finished off my coffee he darted off.
Slinging my pack on i headed off towards the old tin mines. It was a large industrial area now no longer commissioned. As i approached the mines i met a couple of elderly gentlemen. One of them had been gradually hiking the south west coast over a period of years doing small sections at a time. They were both in their 70's which i had to admire.
Grouping up we all walked among the ruins and between the mine shafts. One of the gentlemen, their names i wish I'd remembered, commented that the highlight of the miners day having to work in the dark and probably never seeing daylight was having a pasty and a mug of tea. "That would be the highlight of my day too" i commented. "When we get to cape Cornwall" he said "I'll buy you one".
We carried on continuing to follow what we believed was the path but it soon dawned on us that maybe somehow we'd deviated. A thought that became more apparent when we ended up have to rock climb down a very large boulder onto a narrow ledge. Judging by the smoothness of the ruts and cracks we all felt sure we weren't the only ones to have made the same detour.
Eventually after hiking a few more good miles and descending into a lovely valley, which was very different to the rocky and barron landscape of the mines, we ended up at the car park at cape Cornwall. There was a small catering van ideally located there which not only sold ice cream and drinks but also sold pasties. Unfortunately the lady in the van had given her last pasty to another hiker who's boots were falling to pieces, stuart. I settled for a choc mint chip ice cream and a bottle of spring water. The ice cream had a flake.
I was now a mere 5 miles from lands end. The end of the day was quite literally in sight. On my way along the coast path heading down towards the sea in frontof the cliffs i met another hiker. Jessie had walked from lands end to john o groats three times and was training for his fourth attempt. We had a fair bit in common he loved the outdoors and hated work. We walked together for a while discussing our adventures but after a couple of miles i needed to take a rest so said goodbye and wished him good luck.
As i approached Sennen my legs felt like they were about to give way beneath me. I put it to the back of my mind focusing solely on the goal i had set for the day.
Passing through Sennen i could smell chips being cooked. I couldn't resist the temptation and being hot and feeling extremely hungry what halm could it do. I stopped at the pub on the promenade and ordered a bowl of chips with two slices of bread and a pint of orange juice and lemonade. £9.50 it came to. In weatherspoons you can get chips, a burger and a pint for less than a fiver. Ok so the chips were good but to be honest not £9.50's good.
I'd just finished eating and enjoying my very expensive drink when i saw the local lifeboat crew returning from their weekly excercise. I hadn't expected to see them at all especially this late in the day. I grabbed my pack and headed up the road to the boathouse after them. After a quick chat and photo i filled my bottles and walked up to lands end a couple of miles away. The signpost wasn't quite as nice as the one at john o groats and i felt sure the signs were pointing in the wrong direction.
Thick dark clouds had now filled the clear skies and it looked like rain was coming. After posing for a quick selfie i headed off away from the tourist attraction to find a place to camp somewhere in the wilderness.
Settling in i lay out on my sleeping bag. It seems that no matter how long you hike for, and I'd been hiking for a long time, you always ached once you relaxed. Every bone and muscle just seems to tell you they've had enough. Feeling particularly tired i couldn't be bothered to make up a dinner and although I'd pulled out a packet of rice it sat there untouched while i settled for a coffee.
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