Day 11: Bude to Boscastle

Start: Bude

End: Trethevy

Miles: 19

Total miles: 144

After my challenging day yesterday I had a very restful night, falling asleep before 9pm. Today I was joined by Brian and his friend's dog Wenna for the first 10 miles or so of my day. We were tasked with the job of tiring her out on the hills. The coastal path was gentle, initially following a meandering route close to the road leading to the sandy beaches at Widemouth Bay. Following this, the route climbed a series of steep-sided valleys and headlands on the way to Crackington Haven. Wenna made the climbs look easy, often running ahead and then back to check we were still following. She easily tripled my miles. Crackington Haven appeared and we descended down the hill for a tea and cake stop. The village was only a small collection of buildings with a dramatic contorted strata in the cliff rocks. I said goodbye to Brian and Wenna, happy to have shared the path with them for this stretch.

From here I pushed on further towards Boscastle which would take me over more large ascents. The sun burnt through the cloud by late afternoon and made the sea look inviting. The cliffs were coverred in lush vegetation and the area began to resemble a tropical island. Further into this stretch a group of intimidating looking cows obstructed my route. I tried to balance the risk of aggravating the cows and getting to close to the cliff edge. I crept past cautiously, but the grass was more interesting to them then me. The crooked inlet of Boscastle harbour eventually appeared and I headed down. I completed my solo traveller obligation of taking photos of various families and groups of friends before pushing beyond Boscastle towards camp.

I had a wonderful greeting when I arrived to my campsite. A couple I'd met earlier in the day just beyond Crackington Haven were sat in their camping chairs and called me over. Their neighbour popped his head out his caravan to say 'is this the girl that's come all the way from Bude?' We had a lovely chat and they gave me a tea and some shortbread. They'd been completing stretches of the path for many years so loved meeting others that had similar goals.

After a 19 mile push, I'm ready to pitch my tent and get some rest. Today was a long day, but my body has adapted well to cope with these more demanding stretches. I was happy with both the challenges and the scenery today. Cornwall delivered again.