2nd - 3rd July

2nd July day 483

Trying to sleep was difficult, i was hot and clamy and my sleeping bag felt restrictive. My legs and feet hurt and despite my therm-a-rest matress being quite frankly the most comfortable sleeping mat I've ever had i simply couldn't get comfortable. I did eventually pass over to the land of nod and woke rather late in the morning. It was nearly 10am when I opened my eyes. It was raining contrary to the various reports I'd had from those I'd spoken to the day before. I didn't particularly want to pack the tent away with it wet so i slowly made breakfast and waited.

It was just gone 11am when there was a short break in the weather i put my waterproofs on and quickly took the opportunity to pack everything away. The tent was still wet but i had no choice I'd simply have to put up with damp accommodation later on.

I followed the path to flushing a small hamlet on the banks of and met an elderly couple coming the other way. They'd stopped to take shelter from the rain, which had started again, beneath a tree to have some elevenses, a couple of crackers spreading little square butter sachets i think they'd acquired from a hotel or bnb. They asked if I'd be attempting the low tide crossing and described a shorter route around the inlet using two sets of stepping stones. That sounded just up my street. I followed the couples directions and found the stepping stones. The wet weather delay had actually worked to my benefit saving me a good couple of miles hiking round to st anthony on the far side of the inlet.

Having crossed using the stepping stones without incident i picked up the path again and made my way to Helford. As i hiked the sun came out and the skies cleared. I was soon sweating and getting soaked from within my waterproofs. Feeling thirsty i decided to stop at the shipwrights pub for an orange juice and lemonade and to get a charge on my battery packs.

My plan was to use hoolley to cross the estuary before heading on to Falmouth. The tide was almost all the way in and with very little wind i felt confident that a paddle across would be really quite a pleasant experience. Choosing to launch near to the passenger ferry i inflated hoolley,  secured my kit and set off paddling among the boats moored. I did feel tempted with such good conditions to head into the open waters of the English channel but knew that it could in fact be dangerous without knowing the local tides and currents so instead continued on to the village opposite, Helford passage. Landing on the shores without incident I packed hoolley away into my rucksack and located the coastal path finger sign, the acorn emblem I'd been following since Minehead and the start of the south west coast path.

The day had turned out lovely, sunny but not too hot. The hike from Helford passage towards the mouth of the estuary was easy going and looking back i was able to fully appreciate the beauty of the far side where I'd camped the night before and where i had walked during the rain that morning.

Although I  was planning to get to Falmouth by nightfall i took time out to admire the coastal views and utilise the sun to charge my battery pack. It was a popular path and often i stopped and chatted with those walkers heading towards me. It was approaching 6pm when i found myself looking ahead to the castle located on a small headland near Falmouth.  It was where i had planned to camp that night. Whilst peering across and picking out a good place to pitch three dogs. They seemed quite friendly and all wanted patting. Then from the undergrowth appeared Carl and Amanda.

Carl and Amanda were out walking their dogs and had brought with them their next door neighbours blind assistance dog. Seeing my save the children tshirt sparked a conversation about the challenge i had set myself.

Carl then suggested i stopped the night in their guest room and he'd cook up a meal that evening.  Falmouth was only a few miles away and not being in any rush to finish the challenge i accepted. We set off together while amanda walked the dogs. Carl had quite a stomp on and raced ahead i struggled to keep up so suggested he took the pack for the last bit.

It was strange hiking without my pack and feeling light footed we headed back to carls home. The house was in a lovely situation overlooking the sea from the cliffs.  The garden was enormous with unusual and interesting sculptures dotted around. The one that really caught my eye was a giant giraffe and its baby.

After having a shower and getting clean carl cooked up stir fry vegetables and bbq'd some cajun chicken. We cracked open a couple of bottles of red wine and relaxed long into the early hours of the morning. Amanda like a machine gun fired off questions about the trek some more unusual than others such as "Do you shave yourself ?".

It wasn't just i who had an appetite for adventure carl, who was ceo of his own company that produces and supplies toilet paper and paper towels, also liked living life to the full having travelled the world and rowed with three others across the Atlantic ocean.

3rd July day 484

Having completely passed out at around 3am i found myself feeling as the Scottish would say  "mortal". It was 11am when i finally woke. Carl had got breakfast ready, a full English.  It was a welcome start to the day. Carl had been the perfect host and had arranged a massage for me. The massuse commented whilst doing a little reflexology on my feet how lovely they were especially considering what they had gone through.

After the massage i felt amazingly relaxed, almost sleepy. For the rest of the day i continued to relax and caught up on my blogs which dated back to the beginning of the previous month and the start of the southwest coast path in Minehead. Again carl cooked a lovely meal and again we opened up a couple of bottles of wine. Two red and two white.

While we sat eating and drinking amanda, carls financial director whom i think he must have won in a raffle, was prompted to tell me the story of her cat.

Amanda had a black female cat and while she was waiting for her house to be built had to stay with friends only she wasn't able to take her beloved cat pippa. Pippa was instead taken to a cattery where she stayed for several months. When the house was finished and Amanda went to collect pippa the lady who'd been looking after the cat turned to amanda and said "your cats got the biggest balls we've ever seen". Sure enough pippa had somehow grown a set of kahunas and also changed colour from black to brown. I just looked at carl, it was obvious we were both thinking the same thing. When amanda took pippa to the vets, whom obviously not noticed the feline was in fact a male, pippa was re registered as Bournville. I swear i am not making this up.