Thursday 10th March

 

The storm has blown itself out, but from our bedroom window we can see the huge breakers still rolling in. We get the U1A bus to Perranporth.  We are on the path by 09.45.  Climbing up the hill from the beach, we meet a chap with a white bull terrier.  ‘Nice dog’ I say, ‘Is that a bull terrier?’  Yes, he says.  ‘Tricky, though’ I venture.  ‘Not at all.’  He replies ‘they are gentle dogs really’.  I agree, thinking of the times we had as children with my grandmother’s dogs, Fergus and Tom.  My father didn’t agree after Tom bit him, and was ‘put down’.

It is not long before we are back in Trevaunance Cove.  The path runs literally past our hotel room window.  I pause to take advantage of the WIFI to check my emails.  In the planning, I imagined us coming down the path at the end of a day’s walking and falling into the bar, then literally walking out the door onto the path next morning.  Sadly, the logistics don’t allow it.  We eat our sandwiches sitting on a bench overlooking the cove and crack on.  We are soon at St Agnes Head and looking out at the two landmark rocks, known as Man and His Man, but always referred to by us as Cow and Calf.  It is windy and chilly, but the rain holds off, and we get decent photos at the iconic Wheal Coates, the mine which adorns the cover of countless holiday brochures.  We descend into Chapel Porth and sit outside the café – closed obvs – and chew apples.  The weather has cleared by the time we get over to Porthtowan.  We get a nice cuppa before hitting the bus back to St Agnes.  Unfortunately, buses don’t run at this time of the year beyond Porthtowan, so we have to check out taxis for the morning.