Day 17: Porthcothan to Newquay

Weather: Sunny with the odd cloud and a cool breeze

Distance covered today: 19.0 km (11.8 mi)

Last night's B&B: Old MacDonald's Farm

% Complete: Cumulative distance: 32.1%: 325.8 km

Total Ascent/Total Descent: 496m/ 529m

GPS satellite track of today's route: Day 17(click!)

After this much practice, I’m definitely getting better at spotting them. It’s the choice of clothing and equipment, which includes a total disregard for anyone else’s opinion. Mostly though, it is the wild and staring eyes: you know a LEJOGer when you see one! 

To be fair, Louise and Nick only partly qualify, for reasons I’ll come to, and their appearance is therefore infinitely more respectable, though there is still a touch of the eyes about them. Have a look at the photo below and tell me I’m wrong, though of course Louise has done her best to conceal her giveaway eyes behind sunglasses! I first saw them in Port Isaac. I overheard them soberly discussing appropriate clothing for the conditions as I was setting off and I nodded approvingly to myself.

Half an hour later, I met them again as I was standing in an enormous and horribly liquid cowpat, having jumped across a stream with a couple of bemused cows looking on. I was on a sensible alternative option of the coastal path, which though more remote, was more direct and I had chosen it judiciously.  I had missed this particular stile and footbridge concealed in woodland by a few metres and was feeling foolish with the cows agreeing, when I heard Louise and Nick approach. Nick managed to slip on the glass-like slate of the Cornish stile, and landed on his back-pack, and was also feeling a little foolish but relieved that he was unhurt.

We walked together for a little while and chatted. I learned that they were completing LEJOG, or in their case, JOGLE (John O’Groats to Lands’ End) and they are on their way to Land’s End. Sensibly, they have been doing it together over a number of years and have been patiently putting all the bits together. Once they reach Land’s End they will still have to do the bit from Inverness to John O’Groats to complete the whole trip. This explains their almost normal appearance.

Nick insisted that I go ahead as it is his wont to stop and take lots of pictures and even he and Louise have different walking speeds. As It happens, our walking speeds are quite similar, so it is not surprising that we bumped into each other a couple more times; on the beach at Treyarnon Point the following day and then again the day after that at a café off Porthcothan beach, where we discovered that we were heading for the same accommodation at Old MacDonald’s Farm! (Cheap, cheerful, and available: typical LEJOGers!).

It is the nature of these things that the more you meet, the more intimate becomes the conversation. I learned that Nick is in his early seventies and Louise her late fifties, that they live in the South West, that they have young family who think that their obsession with walking is odd, if not really dotty. It turns out we have many trails in common and I won’t list them all, but obviously all the trails I did on LEJOG and of course the Coast-to-coast. On so many issues to do with walking we shared common practical views, learned on the job, so to speak. We talked easily and trustingly though we come from very different walks of life; what we have in common is the trails.

The one shock Nick delivered was in response to my suggestion that they really should consider doing the wonderful Pembrokeshire Coast when they finish LEJOG. Nick turned to me and said that no, this was his swansong; after completing LEJOG, he is hanging up his walking boots.

I suppose I haven’t really considered taking such a decision. I have always imagined I would just go on walking until some medical condition stopped me. Maybe, though, Nick is right? Given how hard this trip has felt, maybe that is my body telling me something and maybe I should be listening? Well, if I am listening, I must be a little hard of hearing, because I’m enjoying myself so much that I have no plans to cease and desist for the present.

By sheer coincidence, and again there is LEJOG experience in there somewhere, we are sharing the same accommodation tomorrow night in Perranporth.  I have already devised a set of questions to ask Nick about how he intends to replace this addictive activity. I bet he doesn’t have any satisfactory answers!

Nick and Louise

A tiny shaft of sunlight caught the centre of this plant. I couldn't resist!

The last time I saw a sign like this, I was in Betty's Bay! Shortly after this picture was taken, I realised I had left my walking poles behind at the B&B. Back I went, all 2km, to find them in my bedroom. Idiot!

The glorious beach at Pentire Steps

Queen Bess Rock on a beach surrounded by flowers

Flowers like snow. GH's comment on last evening's post may be pertinent

Looking back to Park Head 

Accommodating cobbles for access at Bedruthan Steps

Carnewas Island (at low tide!)

Mawgan Porth Beach comes into view 

Trevaladur in Trenance: a very good friend holidayed here as a little lad

Trevaladur amongst the lovely houses of Trenance

This reminded me of building sand castles on the beach. Only the clothes have changed! 

A Flybe jet landing at Newquay Cornwall Airport

Closely followed by a Coastguard helicopter

Beacon Cove 

Stem Cove

Turquoise sea in Stem Cove

My first view of "Tregurrian or Watergate Beach". There the Cornish go again. Choose the name you prefer! I wonder whether the Watergate Centre in Washington DC is named after this magnificent beach 

This is the world of Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver. Not my milieu!

Flowers at the exit from Watergate Beach

A last look back along the 3km beach. I heard loudspeakers below barking warnings that the tide was coming in and anyone not now moving beyond those rocks ahead would be trapped for the duration! There is no way up the cliffs.

Tumuli as I approached Porth

Porth Beach, as I approached Newquay. Not particularly inspiring after the earlier magnificence!