We have a fairly challenging and undulating route in front of us today that sticks fairly rigidly to the coast, as long as there are no diversions. With nothing in between us and Polruan, the likelihood is that we will have a mid-morning break on the hill and then eat a late lunch when we get to either Polruan or Fowey.
There is a ferry ride in store across the River Fowey to the town of Fowey. After returning to the clifftop, at the end of Southdown and Lankelly Cliffs, We cross Polridmouth cove, before heading on to and round the headland at Gribbin Head with its iconic red and white-striped lighthouse. There follows a short stretch of cliff to Polruan. Our campsite for the night is about a mile and half outside of Polkerris, following the long-distance path 'The Saint's Way', as far as Trenant where we cut up to the Penhale Caravan and Camping park. The weather is set to be fine, albeit with a cold wind coming off the sea. After yesterday's torrential rain, I could do with a wee bit of heat to warm up the bones.
With the early morning light on the water and the gentle lap of the waves, silver and blue skies, boats marooned on the low tide and the houses clambering up and holding on to the cliffside, there was an unearthly hush over the harbour. The peace and the quiet of early morning solitude, broken only by the cry of the gulls riding the thermals high above or faring in the mud in the harbour, the day looked felt and tasted just divine.
But when you turn the corner, a different kind of magic awaits. Swathes of wild flowers and green shrubs roll and tumble down the hillsides, falling over the cliff edge, dropping down almost on to the ragged rocks below. Little bunches of Sea Pink cling tenaciously in the little pockets of sandy soil on the rocks. Bright yellow-coloured lichen clothes the ragged rocks, and an emerald sea breaks gently against them. The colours of sky and sea stretch to infinity and, if you can avoid the senseless task of naming things; avoid attaching inadequate concepts to the natural phenomena thereby imprisoning them, then an open sense of wonder appears, as endless as the distant horizon. One can only stand and drink it in.
With no rain on the horizon, the path dry and solid, narrow but clear, it is a fine day's walking. Out here on the open hillside all the cares of a life back home ; the rains of yesterday; the storms of tomorrow, seem insubstantial so captivated are you by the experience. When the vistas open up they are beyond exciting. When a headland looms in front of you it is full of mystery and mystique and you know, you just know, there are delights ahead.
Now and again the skies clouded over, but never with the dark foreboding clouds that predicted rain. Rather, they were a silver lining on the day, creating wonderful shows of opaque white light in the sky and over the water. On a day such as this, the walk from Polperro to the outskirts of Fowey, is ten kilometres of joy. Here there be magic!
Starting the descent from Blackrock, there was wonderful hedgerow right and left where we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse, but not a photograph of, a lovely yellow Brimstone butteryfly. Where you find these wildlife corridors on the Cornwall landscape, there is an abundance of flora and fauna on all sides, including at your feet where myriad beetles, caterpillars, bees and other insects scurry about. The vegetation growth going through the hedgerows is luxuriant with a base of Blackthorn mothering little groups of pink Ragged Robin, wild garlic and Bluebells.
Just before you reach the village of Polkerris, another long distance path 'The Saint's Way', cuts off to head north and we took this route to access our campsite. At the end of a long day the last thing you want to do is to walk through a farmyard covered in animal dung just as the rain comes on. But, hey! You cannot plan for everything. Despite slipping and sliding across the farmyard, we eventually reached our turnoff without incident at Trenant and set off on the last mile, steeply uphill as we have come to expect of the last mile of walks in Cornwall.
Fortunately, we were in a nice campsite, with a grassy, even pitch and protected from the wind by the thick trunk and spreading branches of a tree. There was a wee shop on site and we were able to buy eggs and baked beans to go with the pasties we carried. We met and spoke to nice young Dutch man who was just setting off on the Land's End to John O' Groats cycle ride. By the time we had finished booking in we were too tired to be bothered cooking a full meal and made do with hot coffee and the delicious Cornish pasties we had bought in Fowey.