24 March 2013: 31km. Started 08:30. Arrived 18.00.
This was to be another long and tiring day, but I was well-fuelled with an enormous cooked breakfast preceded by my favourite granola with chocolate chips. In the past this was much more available in continental Europe – others return with bottles of booze but I used to return with boxes of cereal.
The weather was dry although much colder and I wore my hat and gloves for the first time on this expedition. Cornwall is a very long thin county and today I crossed the border into Devon. Of course I had spent just over two days from The Lizard to Lands End, but nonetheless it had taken me eight further days to walk the length of Cornwall. To put this in perspective, the whole expedition eventually took seventy-six walking days plus two rest days so I spent over an eighth of the entire journey time in Cornwall.
Having said that, I thought I had missed the border point, when I saw a sign for the Devon Wildlife Trust at Marsland. Is Devon trying to take over Cornwall I wonder? However the border was actually marked several metres further on, where a footbridge crosses a stream. Soon I arrived at the poet Ronald Duncan’s hut – this is kept open for passers-by and houses a small exhibition about the poet. The visitors’ book only contained entries from July 2012 so I could not see my previous entry from October 2010. This time the hut was a welcome respite from the bitter cold. Other walkers were few and far between but commented that it was too cold for a long walk.
Between the border and Hartland Quay, the route continued to be hilly. I saw two impressive waterfalls no doubt arising from streams swollen by the recent rainfall.
Eventually I reached Hartland Quay just before 1pm. The area was an unexpected hive of activity, crowded out with motor bikes of all shapes and sizes, many with sidecars. It turned out to be an annual hill climb event. As I ate lunch, I watched a few motor bikes revving up and noisily making the steep ascent up the twisty course.
Waterfall 
Coastline – Hartland 
Hartland Quay Hill Climb
It was still over ten miles to my destination in Higher Clovelly, although the route was not quite as hilly as the morning’s walk had been. I walked as quickly as possible, not wanting to arrive late and overtook some walkers who were carrying considerably lighter loads than mine.
My destination was next door to where I had stayed on my South West Coast Path walk and I discovered why I had not been able to contact my previous hosts – they were travelling in New Zealand. I walked down to picturesque Clovelly Village for my meal – an owl swooped eerily ahead of me as I strolled down the quiet lane towards the well known cobbled hill.
The room at my B+B felt very cold – I was the first visitor of the year so I think it was just that the guest accommodation had not warmed up combined with the sudden cold snap. The wintery but dry weather was to continue – a welcome respite from torrential rain.
Where's Kathryn? 