New Valley Hills

Slept badly again. Sore throat is joined by a stuffy nose and a cough.

Foggy start at 0600 so took my time leaving.

Left at 0800, walked 1km and found Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel with an open cafe. Coffee and full English breaky to help make me feel better.

Only 21km today to Padstow where there is a campsite waiting for me.

What I have learnt:-

• Normal October weather is not good enough to dry handwashing outside. Leaving it out overnight just adds morning dew to it.
• My quilt has horizontal baffles. As I’m a fidgety sleeper the down shifts to either side during the night leaving me cool on top in the middle. I have to shake the feathers back at least once a night.
• Arriving in good time to set up a wet tent and air dry it properly before setting up inside makes a world of difference regarding further overnight condensation.
• I really value a shower at day’s end. What do I need to do to manage on future long-term hikes where showers may be only weekly?
• I can cope without a morning coffee. Single caffeine tablet is enough pep. Coffee is an enormous diuretic to me, not good when carried water is precious. Maybe I need to switch to decaf again.

Two days ago I traded tips with an enthusiastic American couple section hiking. She was thrilled to hear of Callestick ice cream with blackcurrant- her favourite berry. He told me of Caffe Rojano’s takeaway pizza in Padstow. The sister to a Michelin starred restaurant there.

Coming into Padstow I bump into the path warden for this section. She has a survey of 2000 data points to complete before March. She directs me to the best cake cafe in town, Cherry Blossom. Sadly we don’t trade names.

My campsite is 3km out of town. I don’t fell like doing the trip 4 times before I leave tomorrow morning on the ferry to Rock. I order a takeaway margherita pizza from Caffe Rojano, hoping it’ll last as small lunch, supper and breakfast. I go hunting for loose fruit while it’s in their pizza oven.

Something pings in my left calf followed by a rippling sensation up to the back of my knee. Uh oh, that’s not good. I hobble to a bench for a rest. Ringing around for a taxi gets no results so I hobble onwards. It gets more comfortable apart from a congested feeling in the back of the knee. Have I torn a muscle?

A mile from the campsite I can smell cow shit on the wind. Arriving I’m confronted by an enormous pile of shit in the field opposite and industrial scale muck spreading going on. They must be adding feet to the height of the soil – I’ve never seen such a quantity being laid before. At least I can smell – it’s likely I have a cold and not Covid.

Entering the campsite I’m met by two agitated men waving their arms around. The one with one tooth is effing and jeffing about selling a caravan. The other is backing away. Interrupting I’m instructed where to pop my tent, the campsite owner will be along soon they say, before returning to the arm waving. Turns out it’s not a fight, but an overlong shaggy dog story by the nearly toothless, from which the many toothed is backing away trying to escape, probably thinking my suppers getting cold.

I’d read online the shower was cold water only despite a handwritten sign saying ‘hot showers’. It’s basic, but the shower is warm enough. No wash basin, just a tap, and a portaloo.

My leg has calmed down. I do some gentle stretches.

Three hours later the muck spreading is still happening as they go back and forwards covering the same ground.

The campsite owner is a nice chap, apologising for the muck spreading in the next door farm. The flies have been terrible he tells me.

I book tomorrow’s campsite near Port Gaverne. It’s on a need-to-know basis. There is no website or Google Maps identity, no digital footprint at all. I’m passed a landline to call. It’s open for a few more days and they can fit me in. Phew! As there are no others still open on this stretch and I don’t fancy wild camping as the weather is turning wet and windy for a few days. Friday being the worst, so I decide to have a rest day and find a small hotel in Boscastle which has a relatively cheap single room for two nights. I can avoid the worst rain, catch up on sleep and give my pins a much needed rest. Maybe wash some clobber as well.

The muck spreading finally ends at dusk.

I’m over 70% of the way round.