Day 9: Fluffy towels and pillows

Start: Hartland

End: Hartland Quay

Miles: 3

Total miles: 109

After my first 8 nights in a tent I have treated myself to a night in a hotel. It gives me an opportunity to recharge everything, wash and dry my clothes and most importantly refuel. The walk to the hotel is just 3 miles away from my camp spot. The Hartland coastline feels wild and rugged, the waves crashing into the crumbling cliffs. I imagine this place would be incredible in a winter storm. My 3 mile morning felt like only a few hundred metres, as I spent the walk anticipating everything the hotel would have to offer. Fluffy towels, not a microfibre one that looks like something you'd wash a car with. Soft pillows, not a lumpy drybag stuffed with clothes. Dinner served on a plate, not something I've rehydrated and eaten straight from the packet.

Pushing beyond Hartland Point feels significant, marking a sudden change of direction and a remarkable change in scenery. The wooded slopes and valleys give way to rugged barren headlands. I descend from the cliff to arrive at the Hartland Quay hotel, an array of weather beaten buildings right beside the wild coastline. There are fishermen casting hooks into the sea and a few weary walkers waiting for the restaurant to open. There will be no stories of adventure today, I plan on being mostly horizontal and still. Only motivated to move by the prospect of food.

When planning my trip I split it up into 7 phases of varying length, but each has a hotel or b&b at the end. This serves as a morale booster and gives me more manageable goals to achieve, preventing me from feeling the weight of the path in it's entirety. My first phase took me across Exmoor to Hartland Quay, a varied stretch from remote moorland to bustling coastal towns. The aim of this first phase was to adapt, so I kept the miles manageable and the days short. Over the last 109 miles I've developed a strong but mildly dysfunctional relationship with this 630 mile stretch of dirt. It provides me with endless beautiful views and opportunities to witness nature. But other days it punishes me with relentless elevation gain, heavy rain and high winds that slow my progress. Despite this, I am still very happy to call the South West Coast Path my home for the summer and will continue to nurture this relationship over the coming days.

Over the next 5 days I set my sites on Newquay, the end point of my second phase. This will take me into my next county of Cornwall and cover 81 miles. My daily milage will increase to an average of 16 for the next 5 days, hopefully allowing me to reach the 200 mile marker by Friday. I know the daily elevation is creeping back up to above 1000m so I'm anticipating longer, slower days. I'll review the details of tomorrow's stretch in the morning. Nothing productive is happening before a restful night's sleep. In a bed. With pillows.