Day 19 - Watergate Bay to Holywell Bay

Donna dropped me off nice and early after another night with family, and I set off from Watergate Bay with the promise of a hot day brewing..

They were starting the prep for Boardmasters up on the cliff, reminding me I am in surfdom with Newquay, our Blackpool of the south just round the corner..

This part of Cornwall is such a mix of beautiful beaches and scenery and tacky tourism...look at this beauty on the way to Newquay! 

And the best way to view Newquay at this time of year ;)..

I passed through with mixed feelings to the heat of the sandy beaches. First Fistral

Then Crantock beach, which seemed to go on for ever as the path crossed it. Walking through sand is not so easy with a heavy pack!

The beautiful landscape returned between here and Holywell Bay and I found myself reflecting on a previous visit to Holywell not long after losing Jamal,  Donna and I took the boys and struggled with a double buggy through the sand. I see that day in my mind in colours of red and black on the sand. A lot of that time seems to me to be colours of death. Sometimes no other images just colours and feelings...

But today there is blue and green,  soothing to heart and eye..

And a new thistle for me too to make a smile and a tear.

He is with me I know it .

Day 18 - Porthcothan to Watergate Bay...a walk for Donna

I had the pleasure of a night with Donna and the boys plus extended family of her mum, nephew Jordan and uncle Vandazzler. ..

So with others around Donna was able to spend the afternoon walking a stretch of coast with special memories for her. Such a bitter sweet and emotional walk for us both. ..

Porthcothan

We walked in the hot sun and it was good to share time and space and talk about my boy, their joy in this wonderful landscape and plans they had made to explore as many beaches and coves as they could... marking them down on a map. Plans unfulfilled. The promise of a life denied. A future lost.

Bedruthan Steps was always going to be the most important part of the day and approaching and leaving I captured pictures to mark the moment. 

There is a very special photo of Jamal on the steps at Bedruthan. ... somewhere round here... this photo looks wrong without him...

The tide was in and we couldn't get all the way down to the beach but poignantly stopped just here..

We sat at the top for some time with tears and memories. ..miss my boy so much xxx

We walked on to Mawgan Porth for a well earned shandy before walking on to Watergate Bay through cliffs of heather and gorse. The colours were ablaze in the glorious sunshine - purple and green and gold...spirit,  love and wisdom. 

Day 17 - Polzeath to Treyarnon

So, days late but finally back on track, I was dropped off on an already hot morning at the surfers' paradise of Polzeath.

The way was fairly easy going and many runners were out and about. This was a sure sign I was back in civilisation- or the tourists' equivalent! 

The path led to the ferry from Rock to Padstow. This was boarded from the beach..

The ferry deposited me on the other side of Padstow, so no need to brave the throngs. I travelled a coastline of beautiful coves and bays but overflowing with windbreaks and bodies...

Most, but not all thankfully...

Coming out of the estuary, the cliffs rise once more and are fill of inlets and crags ...

Butter hole

Stepper point...

The tower has it's own secret door to forever too...

Such a beautiful coastline with rugged cliffs and amazing views.

The lifeboat station..

The lighthouse at Trevose head..

But all these beautiful sights and experiences pale into insignificance as the day lengthens. I am meeting Donna and the boys at Booby's bay!

Well it turned out to be Treyarnon but no worries.. :) who cares where when 2 little squiggles are wrapping their little arms round me and looking at me with Jamal's eyes...?

An evening of fish and chips and kite flying

And a most gorgeous sunset - Jamal smiling on us xxx

Days 14, 15, 16

Well washed out in the night and had to be picked up and taken home! Good job too as had a strange leak in kitchen too...

Sorted that and also re packed bag leaving things out that I didn't need. Friend Sue came over and waa going to drive me back out early next day, but more problems! Fuses kept tripping in the house and eventually traced it to freezer in workshop. So reasons for everything - I would've come back to an awful mess otherwise!

It also gave me opportunity to reflect and I realised I wasn't ready to walk the sections from Bude to Tintagel yet as I walked them constantly in the early days when all I could do was walk and howl and scream in the empty wind.

One could say that I have already walked this part then but I will come back and rewalk when able.

Day 13 - Hartland Quay to Duckpool

Set off early as a long hard day to come. This section is renowned as probably the hardest with ten river valleys to cross... and steep up and downs they are!

But breathtaking too :)

Speke's waterfall

Bumped into Kate and stopped to chat and she sponsored me and gave me great encouragement.

Each place where the cliffs are separate is another valley to descend and ascend - very tiring on the leggy loos! But each valley brought it's own reward :)

Sometimes odd ones when carefully descending a really steep set of steps, muttering like mad woman I look up and there is an aging, green haired, black-clad punk stood right next to me! Nearly went rolling down the hill as he greeted me in a strong Glaswegian accent! The last thing I would have expected, then he went bounding off like the hill was nothing leaving me wishing I'd got a photo! Proof at least fir the daughters who remarked..."are you sure he was really there????" And trust you to see a leprechaun! !"

And another doorway to forever. ..

Thistle waving at me :) hiya baby boy xx

Other delights I

included friendly wildlife...

And incongruous juxtapositions...

The day got long and energy less so wild camping was in order.

Duckpool - not quite to Bude...

Day 12- enforced rest day!

Howling gale and torrential rain stopped play and I found myself hanging around the campsite. Ignorant American family almost got to me but then I met the lovely Kate :).  Chatty, smiley and full of enthusiasm we shared stories in the rain.

Did venture to the pub at the end of the world later, in hope of wifi. ..haha soaked to the skin and the wifi was out of action too.

Sat and had a drink and oh my days over the speakers came Yellow - Coldplay...cue tears and odd stares. Don't care...

Day 11 - Clovelly to Hartland Quay

Waking up to this first thing in the morning is something magical. ..

Getting to Clovelly before the shop is open is not recommended on an empty stomach though :(

The walk started fairly easy after the initial climb out of Clovelly. ..woods and grassy spaces with the odd sitting place. ..

Sat here for a while - they call it the angel's wings...:)

The path then entered fields on the top of the cliffs. Nice and easy.  More woods and more fields.

I just love these rocks with holes in...my doorways to forever...as though you could step through and be in an alternate universe. How great would that be sometimes. Maybe in that parallel universe Jamal is still alive?...

The radar thingy comes into view signalling that Hartland Point is not too far now.

Yep,  odd looking radar contraption on the cliff.

From this point on the going got tougher. ..very steep downs and ups. In fact climbing was involved at one point, literally hands and knees with a sheer drop one side!

Absolutely shattered when reaching Hartland Quay - look at those cliffs!

Thankfully a cool campsite on a farm with homemade cake yum.