Day 17: South West heat wave
- Amy Sturtivant
- Jul 11, 2022
- 2 min read
Start: Portreath
End: St. Ives
Miles: 15
Total miles: 232
Today started off relatively easily, with gentle paths along the clifftop towards Godrevy island where a perfectly white lighthouse was positioned. From here the day began to become more challenging as the temperatures crept up, making the heavy pack on my back even more uncomfortable. There was no escape from the sun as the route meandered through endless sand dunes behind long stretches of beach. Walking uphill on sand is difficult enough without the heat but we pushed on and rewarded ourselves at a cafe with cold drinks. We met a 90 year old man on the way who taught us a Cornish phrase and told us all about when he used to run these trails.
The afternoon was not one for scenery. St. Ives looked deceptively close but the tide was in so there was no way to cut across the expanse of water. This meant the route followed a lengthy detour inland past building sites and busy roads. The extra milage coupled with the heat was mentally and physically challenging. We took the last couple of miles on the bus which felt like the sensible choice in the mid-afternoon heat. I'm not out here to accumulate miles along busy roads and towns, in fact I'm here to escape all this.
St. Ives was busy when we arrived, after resupplying at the shop we pushed to camp and I had a cold shower. This helped me cool down a little and I used the heat to my advantage, washing my clothes and pegging them to the tent. Tomorrow I will start earlier to break the back of the miles before the heat becomes unbearable. It's forecast to cool down and cloud over a little in the coming days which I would be grateful for. Even though the elevation and terrain has been less challenging these past days, I'm finding the heat more of an obstacle to my progress. The hills are returning tomorrow. But I'll just take it slow, stay hydrated and hide from the heat when I'm able. It seems Cornwall doesn't offer much shade. I know I'm in for a tough couple of days but I tell myself it will work out. Hills or no hills. Heatwave or no heatwave.
Oh that sounds like it was very tough! I hope it's better for you the rest of the week and you stay feeling well 🦥
We said a few times how awful it would be if it rained and were drenched all the time but that would probably be the better option over baking in the sun. Hopefully a bit of cloud cover will cool things down just enough to make tacking thise hills more bearable.
Kev
Every step, one step closer. Every mile, a mile less to do. Very philosophical in me old age. Think I’ll get that put on one of those motivational posters! St Ives will be hot and busy. Steer away and enjoy the shower and the cool of the evening. Cheers. Nick
Ohhhhh, that sounds like a really tough and (reading between the lines) rather boring day. What a sensible decision to get through the worst of the boring bit on a bus. Those busy roads are dangerous and to be honest, when you've had a certain amount of solitude, to then have activity to the scale you're mentioning here, it can be too overpowering. You will add miles in your journey as it is, when you have tides in and can't cross estuaries. You'll also be adding miles for detouring to campsites, so this is by far a Captain Sensible idea.
I can nearly hear the ecstasy from here when you got your cold shower☺️
Chill (as best you can) this…
It is an annoyance that the sultry weather has become an irritation for you,however you are handling it competently. As each day elapses Poole is more immenent. Retain your optimism and you will achieve your goal. Lynn S.XX
"When the weather is hot,keep a cool mind.When the weather is cold, keep a warm heart."