Day 9 Port Isaac to Crackington Haven

22 March 2013: 36km. Started 08:00. Arrived 19:00.

Fortunately, in view of the length of time this leg took, I had breakfast at 07:00 and was out of the house at 08:00.  It was raining and the wind was against me so I was fighting with every step.  Moreover the stretch of path from Port Isaac to Trebarith Strand is graded as “severe” by the South West Coast Path Association; there are seven deep valleys and it is easy to lose count.  The paths were also very slippery because of the rain so I had to be careful and slow on the downhill sections.  I did not meet anyone on the path until I was past Trebarith (four hours walking).

In contrast, Tintagel village, famed for the nearby castle and King Arthur legends, was crowded out with tourists.  I detoured to the village as I needed to find the post office and send home a trail guide for the part of the coast path now completed and a paperback novel.  All that needless weight carried up and down the hills!  I then enjoyed the walk to Boscastle past the Valley of Rocks, but reaching Boscastle at 15:30, I avoided the temptation of coffee and cake at the National Trust café.

I alternated between footpath and road and was delighted to reach Crackington Haven pub at 17:52.  I had been told that this was only 15-20 minutes walk from my booked bed and breakfast.  However, the directions I had didn’t seem to fit.  Phone signal was fleeting when I thought about phoning – and subsequently whenever I checked my phone there was no signal.  I walked to Middle Crackington and back almost to Crackington Haven on another road, plus to and fro on various other turnings.  I asked several people including a couple with a yowling dog on a lead.  I was planning to go back to Crackington Haven again to try to phone for directions from the pub, until I saw a man at the Methodist Chapel who told me exactly where to go.

The pleasant elderly couple who owned the house had been worried not knowing whether I was injured or had stopped walking due to the weather (still raining).  It was 7pm – over an hour from when I had arrived at Crackington Haven.  I unpeeled all my wet and muddy layers of clothing which were hung around the Aga.  I was given a plentiful supply of newspaper to dry my boots.  Moreover, I was offered a portion of turkey stew followed by coffee and cake, rather than needing to go out to the pub.  Despite having a TV in my bedroom, I was offered use of their living room for the rest of the evening.  However I was too tired to do anything but turn in for the night.

They were perfect hosts.  Breakfast was offered the next morning at 07:00 and I was regaled with stories of sea trout fishing at night with head lights from 1 April then salmon fishing in May.  I wasn’t their first visitor to be attempting The Lizard to Dunnet Head – I promised to send them a card to tell them when I got to Dunnet Head.  In fact in the end I sent post cards to all my accommodation providers apart from the big companies and the YHA.  As on walks before and since, I am impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of these small providers of B&B the breadth and length of UK.