Day 16: St. Agnes Coastline

Start: Perranporth

End: Portreath

Miles: 14

Total miles: 217

Last night's campsite was wonderful. They had a bar, served food and had live music. The atmosphere was lovely and it felt like a well timed celebration for both Sam's birthday and my 200 mile marker. Soon after leaving the campsite this morning, evidence of the Cornish mining industry began to dominate the landscape. Old mine shafts, engine houses and chimneys were scattered along the coast.

The path meandered around St. Agnes Hertitage coast before leading down to the town of Porthowan where we had lunch. The beaches were busy again with weekend visitors and it was hard to escape the heat up on the cliffs. The final hour of walking prior to arriving at camp was a tough stretch. Several short ascents and descents in the gruelling heat was exhausting. The views were stunning though, many secret coves with crystal clear waters. We cut through a woodland and sneaked through a gap in the hedge to arrive at the campsite. It was a beautiful site seeing the tents scattered on the grass. I dropped my bag and took my boots off instantly with a sigh of relief to be out of the heat. Within a matter of seconds I was sprawled out of the grass, reviewing the progress on the map. I chatted with two walkers from Germany, who I'd met a few days back. They were enjoying their walks but also finding the increasing heat difficult.

It's only a matter of a few days now until I reach Land's End. This will feel like a significant point of progress for me. I've crossed many rivers, wandered around endless headlands and climbed several steps since my arrival in Minehead over 2 weeks ago. I feel like I've been out here for much longer but I'm happy to keep going with this long walk home. Each day getting slightly closer to Poole, discovering new places and challenging myself as I go.