This path talks to you, just when you think you have it mastered, it cries “Don’t take me for granted”

So today saw me once again on my own after a lovely long weekend with Gav, Catherine and Harry, and Madders now on the train back to reality. The sun was up early as was I to head into it’s morning rays. A fairly straightforward section along the cliff tops, with only the odd incline and cow to tackle, around Lion’s den (one for dad), then a climb to the headland at Carn Les Boel, no I have not quite made it to France yet. More clifftop until you reach the Lookout point at Gwennap Head. The path continues past Porthgwarra, and you reach the headland that contains the wonderful Minack Theatre, overlooking one of the most wonderful beaches in the South West at Porthcurno. Porthcurno is famous for its early sub-marine telegraph cables the first of which was landed in 1870, this was part of an international link stretching from the UK to India. From the seas edge at Porthcurno you head high to the clliff tops and life starts to get a bit more difficult. The views of the stunning beach below mask what lies ahead, as you start to drop into Penberth Cove. Up again out of this cove, and the air is awash with birds, bugs and butterflies, all brought to life by the warming sun. A section in tightly enclosed gorse sees my arms covered in scratches, and then another big descent after Boscowan Point, into a small stream valley at Chough Zewn. This is a very big steep climb out, on very poor steps and rocks, the fun is starting. More rocks and a boggy section that is very difficult to negotiate a drop onto a ridiculous rocky beach section at Zawn Gamper, up again through more gorse, rocks and undergorwth that masks the little boulders that you stub you feet on. I meet two guys John and Sean, who are resting from the pounding in this section. Sean is walking the coast of GB, and is 3,500 miles in, two great guys who lift my spirits for the final push. Past the lighthouse at Tater Du, the memorial to the Penlee Lifeboat where 8 crew members of the lifeboat Soloman Browne lost their lives trying to save the 8 crew on the Union Star who also perrished on the 19th December 1981. The power of that story means something to me, as I have stated before Mousehole is one of our favourite places and the crew were all mostly men of Mousehole. The path is angry now, and the final mile is basically a rock climbing exercise, until at last you turn the corner into Lamorna Cove and its peace and tranquility. Knees, ankles and heart screaming, thank god that is over. 11 miles in six hours tells the story of how hard the going was at the end. That pint of Rattler is going to taste good tonight.