John O'Groats to Land's End (GB)

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 065 - Wadebridge to Newquay

Day: 065

Date: Thursday, 04 August 2022

Start: Wadebriidge

Finish: Newquay

Daily Kilometres: 37

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres: 1849

Weather: Warm and mostly sunny.

Accommodation: Hotel

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Pastries

Lunch: Egg salad sandwich/Ham & coleslaw sandwich.

Dinner: Fish & chips/Burger & chips. icecream

Aches: Dave - the usual niggles. Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight: None really.

Lowlight: None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were walking by 6:30am on a mild and partly cloudy morning, with the intention of buying something for breakfast in Padstow, 10 kilometres away. Our route firstly travelled along some country lanes before joining the Camel Trail, a railtrail linking Padstow to Wadebridge. The attractive trail followed the tidal River Camel and we enjoyed the peaceful early morning scenery of river, mudflats and sandbanks bordered by pretty farmland. There were a few people out for walks, runs and bike rides, but mostly we had it to ourselves.

At Padstow, a little town on the river that has become a yachting and tourist centre, we happily found a bakery open (they don’t open very early in England) offering yummy pastries and we bought some to eat for breakfast later on. We left the river here and walked across to the coast on a series of field paths to Trevone Bay, a small beach resort, where we rejoined the Coast Path. It was turning into a lovely day and many people were already out walking or setting up on the beach.

For the rest of the day we followed the Coast Path westwards along the attractive rocky coastline. The cliffs weren’t as high as for the last few days, but still high enough to be spectacular with brilliant white breakers crashing on the rocks below. Every so often, the path descended to attractive sandy coves full of holiday-makers - Treyarnon Bay, Porthcothan, Mawgan Porth and more - with the obligatory cafes, pubs and ice-cream kiosks. They were all buzzing and the mood was happy in the welcome sunshine.

On the cliffs above Watergate Bay, as we neared Newquay, there were some massive marquees and stages being set up for the upcoming Boardmasters Festival - a great location ….. in good weather.

We reached Newquay, a traditional English beach holiday town with a plethora of fast food joints, games parlours, hotels, etc., at 4:00pm and checked into our hotel. Although we covered a lot of distance today, there was always something to look at and the time passed quickly and easily.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 064 - Tintagel to Wadebridge

Day: 064

Date: Wednesday, 03 August 2022

Start: Tintagel

Finish: Wadebridge

Daily Kilometres: 29

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres: 1812

Weather: Overcast, foggy and drizzle until mid-morning, then mostly sunny and warm.

Accommodation: Hotel

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Cereal, toast & jam

Lunch: Cornish pasties

Dinner: Chicken pasta salad, rice pudding.

Aches: Dave - the usual niggles. Julie - admitted to tired legs after the climbing of the last two days, and Dave noticed that he was actually keeping up with her on some of today’s climbs.

Highlight: The village of Port Isaac was interesting and lively. An old seaport with narrow winding streets, very old houses and an attractive little harbour, it is now a tourist attraction and was very busy with holiday-makers on a beautiful day. We each enjoyed a yummy large Cornish pastie for lunch, seated on a wall by the harbour and watching the passing parade of tourists.

Lowlight: As we walked down the edge of a field in mid-afternoon, Julie’s cap was knocked off by a low-hanging branch and fell into a cow pat. On a more serious note, we had a scary kilometre of walking along a narrow and very busy road with poor visibility soon afterwards.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After making and eating our breakfast in the hostel kitchen, we started walking around 7:30am on a grey foggy drizzly morning. First we went down to see the ruins of Tintagel castle, which sit precariously on some rocky outcrops high above the sea, but we could see very little because of the fog. Fortunately, we had visited here and had a good look around four years ago, so didn’t feel quite so deprived.

From there we headed westwards along the Coast Path in the dreary conditions, with the ghostly dark outlines of the cliffs dropping down to the sea, just visible below. We feared more of the roller-coaster trail of yesterday but, initially, there was easier walking as the the path followed the field edges along the cliff-tops. The first big descent came as we dropped down to the tiny harbour of Trebarwith, followed by a lung-buster of a climb up a steep, and seemingly never-ending, chain of high rock steps.

More ups and downs were to come as we continued on, but the weather cleared dramatically, and we were finally treated to superb views up and down the spectacular coast from the higher elevations. We reached the very busy, with holiday-makers, Port Gaverne and Port Isaac around noon. Originally, we intended to buy some sandwiches on our way through and eat them later but, instead, bought some pasties and ate them by the harbour watching the world go by. Very pleasant.

It was amazing how the crowds disappeared just a few hundred metres up the steep road out of Port Isaac and we were soon walking on our own. Our guidebook route left the Coast Path at Port Isaac and followed a more direct course towards Wadebridge across fields, along country lanes and through cute little villages on a warm afternoon.

We reached Wadebridge and our hotel around 5:00pm, very glad of an earlier finish than the two previous nights.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 063 - Stratton to Tintagel

Day: 063

Date: Tuesday, 02 August 2022

Start: Stratton

Finish: Tintagel

Daily Kilometres: 37

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres: 1783

Weather: Overcast most of the day, periods of drizzle and very windy.

Accommodation: Hostel

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Cereal, toast & jam.

Lunch: Egg & cress sandwiches

Dinner: Chilli con carne/Chicken korma, icecream.

Aches: Dave - now on the anti-inflammatories for left ankle and right calf problems, and some more nasty chafing on the hips. Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight: Endless spectacular and wild Cornish coastal scenery. Jagged cliffs descending steeply into a wild green ocean, with occasional protected tiny grey-sand coves.

Lowlight: A very strong and gusty wind made hiking quite unpleasant for much of the day. Whenever we were up high, which was often, we were buffeted to the point where it was difficult to walk in a straight line, with our packs acting like sails. It was scary on one narrow ridge where the cliff edge was only a metre or two to our right and the wind was trying so hard to blow us off the cliff that we were both visibly leaning sideways into the wind as we carefully made our way forward.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Although we were very late going to bed, we woke at 6:00am and were walking by 7:30am after making ourselves breakfast in the hotel guest kitchen. We knew we had another day of arduous terrain, though hopefully not as far as yesterday, and didn’t want to start too late. It was quite a miserable morning with a heavy grey sky and periods of light drizzle. We stopped in at the same supermarket as last night and picked up supplies for the day before following roads for 6 kilometres to Upton where we rejoined the Coast Path.

The miserable start to the day seemed even more so when we reached Widemouth Bay, a windswept and forlorn-looking beach resort. We plodded across the beachfront grey dunes, blasted by wind-blown sand and passed shuttered ice-cream kiosks and a cafe where people huddled out of the wind.

The serious climbing and descending then began as we ascended to cliff-tops and then descended to cross streams at the bottom of narrow ravines, on one occasion passing through a beautiful protected woodland, and on others to some lovely little coves and hamlets. Inevitably, our progress was slower than hoped, and we didn’t reach the pretty, but touristy, village of Boscastle until nearly 5:00pm, much later than hoped.

We still had 7 kilometres to go, with more ups and downs and, after an ice-cream, we set off hoping to reach our hostel in Tintagel before 7:00pm. This last leg was enlivened by Julie treading in an unseen hole on the edge of the trail on the descent into a ravine. With a little yelp, she disappeared off the side of the trail into the ravine, falling a couple of metres and landing on her back (and pack), like an upturned tortoise, in some vegetation on a ledge, holding grimly on to some other vegetation. One more roll and she would have dropped another couple of metres into the rocky stream. Some people on the other side of the creek witnessed the fall and one ran around to help, but Julie was OK and with some help from Dave climbed back up onto the track and we resumed our hike. Lucky!

We reached our hostel a little after 7:00pm and checked in, later getting some microwavable dinner from a nearby store and having a late meal. It had been another very tiring day, with another 2,000 metres of ascent and descent, and we were very happy to finish.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 062 - Clovelly to Stratton

Day: 062

Date: Monday, 01 August 2022

Start: Clovelly

Finish: Stratton

Daily Kilometres: 45

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres: 1746

Weather: Mild to warm and mostly sunny.

Accommodation: Hotel

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Cereal, toast & jam.

Lunch: Ham, cheese & chutney sandwiches

Dinner: Egg & cress sandwich/Chicken salad sandwich, lemon meringue pie

Aches: Dave - usual niggles and some nasty chafing. Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight: Too hard to pick

Lowlight: We intended to join a running club committee videocon at 10:00am and planned our departure time to be in a location, Hartland Point, that British Telecom said had good mobile coverage. Alas, it did not turn out that way and we frustratingly lost the connection after a few minutes and could not reconnect despite much effort..

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We rose early and helped ourselves to cereal and toast at our AirBnB, before quietly leaving at 6:45am, time enough to reach Hartland Point, 11 kilometres away, for a videoconference we had committed to at 10:00am. We based our timing on the guidebook which described the terrain as relatively level, but that was misleading as there were a few very tough and slow climbs and we only just made it in time. However, we also spent time taking in the absolutely spectacular early morning views along the rugged coast on a calm and clear morning. Unfortunately, the videocon turned into a bit of a debacle (see above) and we ended up spending an hour at Hartland Point at a picnic table. A small cafe nearby opened at 10:30am and we bought some lunch sandwiches to take with us before leaving.

The rest of the day was spent following the Coast Path westwards. It was like the labour of Sisyphus, with us completing one steep and sweaty climb to a headland with spectacular views to have the next steep descent and steep climb revealed and so on. The guidebook said this was the most arduous day of the whole trip, and it wasn’t wrong. Our total elevation gain (and loss) was about 2,000 metres, and most of that was very steep. That said, it was one of our best days, scenery-wise, with never-ending magnificent views. The trail was easy to follow and spent time in some lovely woodlands and fields as well as passing some picturesque little coves where people were swimming and playing. There were quite a lot of walkers out as well, some clearly finding the conditions very tough.

It was a long day, distance-wise, and also a slow day, because of the terrain, and we did not get to Bude (and Stratton) until around 8:00pm. We navigated our tired bodies to a supermarket on the way to our accommodation and bought some food and drink for a late dinner. We eventually checked into our hotel just before 9:00pm after a very long, but satisfying, day.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 061 - Barnstaple to Clovelly

Day: 061

Date: Sunday, 31 July 2022

Start: Barnstaple

Finish: Clovelly

Daily Kilometres: 39

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres: 1701

Weather: Overcast all day, with a lot of drizzle in the morning.

Accommodation: AirBnB

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Pastries/Flapjacks

Lunch: Tuna & sweetcorn sandwich/Chicken salad sandwich

Dinner: Fish, peas & chips/Pork belly & vegetables

Aches: Dave - a lot of trouble with the left ankle today (arthritis?). Julie - partially broke a nail.

Highlight: Joining the South West Coast Path, our final long-distance trail for this trip. It was really nice to be back on the coast with the sound of the surf, the smell of the sea air and the spectacular views.

Lowlight: None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We got going at 6:30am on a very grey morning with a light drizzle falling. We knew we had a big day, distance-wise, and decided to walk to Bideford, 16 kilometres away, without a break along the old road linking Barnstaple with Bideford. It proved to be a good choice with very little traffic on the mildly undulating road and we made good time, reaching the picturesque Bideford on the tidal River Torridge a little before 10:00am. We walked through the town to a supermarket on the outskirts where we bought some breakfast, which we ate on a bench outside, and some supplies for the day. On the way, we passed the clubrooms of the Bideford Amateur Athletic Club and we certainly noticed a lot of people out running during the morning, some of them looking pretty fast.

Following the guidebook route, we left Bideford and ended up on some damp overgrown field paths which made sure we were wet before we climbed to Kipling Tor, with great views over the Bristol Channel, the town of Westward Ho! and a large holiday park below.

We soon joined the official South West Coast Path, which was initially easy walking, but soon we left the dog-walkers behind and began the repetitive and steep ups and downs of the real Coast Path. The sweeping views along the coast were impressive, but the trail tough, and this was the way it was for most of the afternoon. Although easy to follow, there were still plenty of brambles and nettles impinging on the path, and some parts, especially where damp, were quite slippery. For much of the time, the path passed through peaceful (apart from the sound of the distant surf) and beautiful National Trust protected woodland, though it occasionally crossed into the pastures behind the woods and cliffs.

We detoured off the path a little to go through a huge holiday park just inland from the track around 4:00pm to visit its small convenience store to buy supplies for tomorrow on the assumption that we wouldn’t be able to buy any supplies in Clovelly (which proved to be true). The last few kilometres into Clovelly followed an old cart road, before a steep descent through the picture-book village on its narrow cobbled road. No cars are allowed in the village, which still has a small fishing fleet, but is mainly a tourist centre these days.

We found our AirBnB in the middle of the village, checked-in and showered before wandering back up the steep lane to one of the two village pubs for dinner. After dinner, we walked down the steep lane to the harbour and had a look around before returning to our room.

It had been a long day, but we managed it well, and saw lots of interesting scenery.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 060 - Barnstaple

Day: 060

Date: Saturday, 30 July 2022

Start: Barnstaple

Finish: Barnstaple

Daily Kilometres: 0

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her afternoon run/walk

Total Kilometres: 1662

Weather: Mild and overcast with occasional drizzle.

Accommodation: Guesthouse

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Pastries

Lunch: Egg mayonnaise baguette/Chilli chicken baguatte

Dinner: Fish & chips/Sausage & chips, Strawberry trifle.

Aches: Nothing significant

Highlight: None really

Lowlight: None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Another day off, another Parkrun. This time the Barnstaple Parkrun which was at nearby Rock Park beside the River Taw. We walked down from our guesthouse in plenty of time to walk a few kilometres around the park in the drizzle before the Parkrun started at 9:00am. Although we both ran OK, Dave is starting to wonder whether running off no training is really a smart idea at his age.

After the run and the usual chat with some friendly fellow runners, we walked into the centre of Barnstaple, which was quite busy as the shops opened, to buy some new bootlaces for Dave and some baked goods for breakfast before walking back to our accommodation.

Later, we made use of a nearby and much-needed laundromat and in the afternoon Julie went for a 15km run while Dave spent time on his laptop catching up on some admin and rehabbing his body.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 059 - Simonsbath to Barnstaple

Day: 059

Date: Friday, 29 July 2022

Start: Simonsbath

Finish: Barnstaple

Daily Kilometres: 32

GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres: 1662

Weather: Mild to warm and mostly sunny

Accommodation: Guesthouse

Nutrition:

Breakfast: Full English breakfast

Lunch: Ham, cheese & salad sandwiches

Dinner: Sweet & sour pork & rice/Chocolate mousse

Aches: Dave - a few niggles and left ankle particularly troublesome. Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight: Late in the afternoon, we followed an old bridleway, Smoky House Lane, for about 5 kilometres. It was like walking through a circular tunnel that had been drilled through the earth and foliage. The high earthen walls, topped by hedgerows and trees that closed over the top were responsible for the effect with a little bit of sunlight finding its way through here and there to dapple the trail. It was very pleasant and easy walking.

Lowlight: We encountered a delivery van coming the other way while walking down a very narrow lane and as usual we stopped and got off the road surface as best we could to let it pass. It slowed a bit but made no effort to give us any clearance, with its wing mirror clipping the top of Dave’s pack frame, just above his shoulder and to the left of his ear, and slamming back against the van. While Dave banged the side of the van as it drove past, Julie fell back into the brambles and nettles mixed in with the hedgerow to avoid being hit, and had to be pulled out. The van stopped but the driver showed no concern before driving off while Dave shouted that he was calling the police and photographed his van and licence plate..

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We enjoyed our full English breakfast at the hotel, even though it was later than we would have liked. This was our most expensive accommodation of the trip, but we had little choice in the middle of Exmoor. Having said that, the accommodation and food was excellent, delivered with friendly service, so the higher prices didn’t hurt quite so much.

We started walking at 8:45am after conversations with some interested fellow guests and with the “Walk for George” charity walkers and support crew (see yesterday’s post). To get back to the guidebook route, we decided to take a road, for 6 kilometres, that we feared may have been busy, but turned out to be relatively quiet and a beautiful walk. Along the way we were cheered by some of the “Walk for George” supporters in several vehicle convoys that passed.

When we left the road to rejoin the guidebook route, following some field paths along a ridge, we were treated to “dress circle” views across Exmoor and into the valleys below including the village of Challacombe on an absolutely perfect day. We dropped down off the ridge near the village and then had some challenging ups and downs as we crossed some valleys before stopping for a break in the late morning. More undulations followed, though generally the walking was good, before a longish roadwalk descent from Exmoor to the village of Bratton Fleming, where we stopped and had a cold drink and ice cream from the village store while we waited for sandwiches to be made to take with us.

It was on the descent from the village that we had our encounter with a delivery van (see above) but, after we recovered from our surprise (we have become used to very courteous drivers on the narrowest of roads), we carried on down into the valley. At the bottom, we began walking downstream through an attractive pine forest before finding a spot to eat our late lunch.

After a stressful one kilometre roadwalk on a very busy and winding road, the balance of our journey into Barnstaple was on lovely trail through woodland and along Smoky House Lane (see above). At Barnstaple, we had to journey through the suburbs on a complicated route using our navigation app before eventually reaching our guesthouse accommodation at 5:45pm, happy with our day’s work and having enjoyed more superb scenery.

Day off tomorrow.