Day 24: Snakes and lizards

Start: Lizard

End: Coverack

Miles: 10

Total miles: 311

Last night was an uncomfortable one. I struggled to find any patches of shade, with the sun at the wrong angle meaning the hedge surrounding the field didn't cast a shadow. My tent created a tiny triangle of shade, which I uncomfortably tried to squeeze in as the tent itself was like a greenhouse. The heat made me feel exhausted and I fell asleep at 8pm. I felt a little better when I woke up, but was dreading another day in the heat. I knew it was calming down after today and had planned only 10 miles for this stretch, knowing the temperatures were closer to 30 degrees. I started early and headed past Lizard point round to Church Cove, by 8am I had developed the layer of sweat on my back that would stay with me until my cold shower.

Beyond Church Cove I looked out to sea, where there were rocks scattered around the headlands. I played my usual game of is it a rock or a seal until I was interrupted by something moving in my peripheral vision. I looked down at the path and an adder lay there coiled up and wriggling around. I didn't know if it was agitated by the heat or the sound of my feet on the path. I crept round and then remained on high alert snake watch for the next hour, my tired irrational brain convincing me every tree root was another adder. Little lizards darted off the path into the safety of the grass as I walked by.

Later I met a man with a huge beard, he had drying washing dangling from his pack and looked wild. I asked him if he was doing the whole thing. He replied "I'm doing the whole whole thing", drawing an outline of the UK coast with his finger in the air. He'd left from his home in Newcastle back in February and was walking clockwise around the English and Welsh coast to get back home over a 10 month period. We sat on the rocks and chatted, I find people on these kinds of endeavours captivating so I naturally had many questions. He spoke of wild camping while watching badgers, storms on the North Sea coast and using public toilets to do his washing. His bag was huge, still carrying his winter gear which he would rely on again towards the end of his trip. He was a great storyteller and our conversation lifted my spirits. We wished each other luck and both pushed on.

Following this the route climbed a series of steep steps and passed over large boulders, the kind of section where you need to get your hands involved. I diverted inland to head towards camp in Coverack. I'm slightly shy of the halfway marker after the short day, but there's no campsites or shade on the route for the next stretch and all I want is a cold shower. I have claimed my shade spot and will pop into the village for lunch then rest up in for the rest of the afternoon.

I thought back to the hiker who was living this life for 10 months. Not knowing where you'll sleep next, where you'll wash your clothes, when you'll next get fresh food. I found this hard to comprehend. 6 weeks is enough for me I thought, for now.