By: Mike

 

The weather has worsened.  We have worked out a bus route to our next destination which is Portwrinkle.  Once again, we are walking backwards. So we catch an 08.40 bus which is ram-packed with school kids who all get off at a big secondary above Looe.  The empty bus takes us on to Whitegates where we wait for a connection.  In a couple of minutes it appears and swoops back down to the coast at Seaton, then threads its way through Downderry.  At the turning to Portwrinkle, the bus halts.  We are the only passengers.  We are sitting on the top deck wondering what is happening, when the driver’s head pops up at the top of the stairs. 

Us: “What’s happened?”

Driver: “ I’m waiting for the other bus to come up.  If we meet in the narrows, we are doomed”.

Sure enough a few minutes later, another big red double-decker eases along the tiny road.  It is completely empty.  Why do they run these huge buses on these tricky routes?  Maybe the buses are full in the summer.

We alight at the stop in Portwrinkle, which is a nothing place.  It is raining and continues to rain the entire day.  We are prepared with anoraks and waterproof over-trousers.  After a while Chris says:

“I thought you said it was flat!”

Me: “Well nowhere in Cornwall is completely flat”.

Chris: “We have just done four quite steep climbs”.

Me: “Undulations”

Chris “I never want to hear the word ‘flat’ again, if you don’t mind”.

                                                            Undulations

The day proceeds miserably.  A bright spot occurs in Downderry.  We are desperate for coffee and loo.  We stand disconsolately in the street wondering where to go, when a woman comes up and asks us if we need help.

Us: “Is there anywhere near where we could get a coffee?”

Nice woman: “There’s a lovely café about a mile further on – or you could try the pub – just down there”.

The rain is tipping down and we thank her and scuttle into the pub.  They are welcoming, serve excellent coffee and have clean loos.  Full marks for The Inn on the Shore at Downderry.

We resist the temptation to abandon the walk.  It would be so nice to just hang out in this lovely pub. 

We are made of sterner stuff and crack on.  In a hillside field the rain seems to be easing, so we flop down and open our sandwiches.  Instead of easing, the rain gets heavier.  We gobble our lunch and press on. 

                                          Looe -looking across at East Looe from the west side

By 16.00, we are in East Looe.  We need shopping and cash, which we find in the Co-op and thankfully catch a bus back to Polperro at West Looe fire station.  We are the only passengers.

We decide to try The Three Pilchards for supper.  It is only a few steps further than the Blue Peter.  It is busy and they serve an excellent fish pie. 



We ponder our next move.  To me, the logistics of completing the walk to Cremyll seem insuperable.  I argue for stopping at Cawsands or even calling it a day at Portwrinkle. Then Chris comes up with a genius suggestion. 

“Why don’t we book dinner in Cawsands and get a late taxi back?  We have only used two taxis so far and they were both for transfers, not walking”.

This is an excellent plan.  A local cab firm takes the booking and the fare is a reasonable £43.  Chris finds The Bay Bar and Restaurant and books us in for 18.30.

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