Anyway, the relevance of that comment is that I felt the weight on a couple of occasions this week, particularly when walking in the heat and when we were camping and sleep was in short supply. Last night, however, was a joy. Spacious king-size bed, roomy shower, warmth, peace and quiet, tea, coffee, biscuits and cake on tap. The result was that on waking this morning we were full of vigour and ready for the fray. There was a lovely little cafe / bakery across the road from our accommodation that opened early and we visited there for 'latte' and breakfast rolls before hitting the trail.
Already, although it was still early morning, the sun was beaming down and there was considerable heat around with little breeze to cool us down. There was nothing other than the odd very light and wispy white cloud to mar the blue skies. The brilliant blue of the sky was echoed in the colour of the Atlantic and both contrasted with the emerald green of the swathes of grass as we left the confines of the town. The mainland, where it ran up to the little bridge that connects it with Trevelgue Head, was criss-crossed with dry, brown paths, scarring the low hillside. Away in the distance, we could see the faint outline of Trevose Head through a slight, light, grey sea mist.
We stopped at the village for an early lunch in the Merry Moor Inn, as much to get out of the heat as from hunger, but nonetheless enjoyed a meal sitting outside under one of the large umbrellas. If you follow the website you will know that we do like to eat and tend to take whatever opportunities are put in front of us.
The pub was crowded out with people standing in front of the large television screen watching the Royal Wedding and while ordering our food we were able to watch a little of itm but those few minutes were plenty. We spent some time outside chatting to a lady who was manning a charity stall for a children's cancer charity but she did not seem to be attracting much attention so we bought something from the stall and made a small donation.
You pass feature after rock feature on this section and I lost count of the number of times we stopped to stand and look in awe. A friend of ours spent the holidays of her youth in this area and as you walk and see the many interests there are, you understand why.
Along the length of this coast there are deposits of harder igneous rock such as granite. The softer surrounding sedimentary material wears away quicker than the harder igneous rock, creating the rock spectacles that you see on and off the coast and on the beaches. As well as the outcomes of natural processes, one can see the value and utility that the rocks have held in their depths in both the remains of the tin and copper mines that dot the land and beachscape and, on this stretch particularly, in the wonderful flint dykes, made from local material and which are used to differentiate the land.
The general conditions had continued to be very hot during the afternoon and we took the opportunity to stop at the wee shop and partake of a cold drink and some scrummy frozen gooseberry yogurt. And, of course, we bought some Poldark postcards for friends. As well as visits from Poldark, D. H Lawrence lived for a time in the village in the house of the novellist J D Beresford. Although he did not stay long in Porthcothan, he did stay longer in Cornwall subsequently taking a house in Zennor, close to Land's End.
Later, after eating, showering and washing away the aches and pains of the day, we sat outside the tent and watched the moonlight play on the waters of the Atlantic and allowed ourselves to be mesmerised by the rotating lantern of the distant Trevose Lighthouse as it communicated with the sailors on the sea. Beautiful!