Day 53: Porthcurno to Pendeen

I crawl out of my tent, still half-asleep, to be immediately quizzed by a tiny, golden-haired sprite, on my plans for the day. Her mother duly appears, to spare me a prolonged interrogation. She is wearing a long Afghan coat. Takes me back to my postgrad days in Edinburgh.

Porthcurno beach is deserted at this early hour. It is gorgeous, surrounded by turquoise sea and granite cliffs.

Steep steps up a cliff lead to the famous Minack Theatre. Sadly, it is too early to visit, and it was fully booked for the performance last night. It was carved into the cliff by the extraordinary Rowena Cade in 1932. She built it by hand, with the assistance of two gardeners, carrying the sand up from the beach below. I am tired after just one climb!

It is lovely to have a full day ahead to explore such a wonderfully rugged coastline. I make slow progress as there are so many fine viewpoints to take in.

A pair of rocket nose cones emerge from the pretty heather at Gwennap Head, looming over one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the UK. The cones are day markers. The cone to the seaward side is painted red and the inland one is black and white. When at sea, the black and white cone should always be in sight. If it is completely obliterated by the red cone, the vessel would be heading for the deadly rocks.

One of the joys of coastal walking is that you never know what lies beyond the next headland. I experience one of those “wow” moments when the granite cliffs of Pellitras Point come into view. Goosebumps.

Approaching Pendower Coves, the wind is whistling through the caves. The stunning views keep rolling in, all the way to Land’s End.

After the breathtaking walk from Porthcurno, I find Land’s End itself too full of tourist attractions to linger. A quick coffee and carrot cake. I pass on the chance to queue and pay for a photo next to the classic Land’s End to John o’Groats sign. I am more excited to be heading North, back to my roots, probably for the next couple of years! Will I look back longingly for this lovely warm climate?

Winding through the pretty heather, I stop for a long chat with Heather and Dave, two long-distance hikers from Bristol. It is their joint birthday tomorrow, so they have a candle each to celebrate at a suitable spot. Heather explains that Dave is a postie, and the poor chap has swapped his daily round of carrying a heavy sack of letters for a two week holiday…carrying a heavy backpack. We could swap stories for hours. It feels like the wilder and more remote the path, the greater the warmth of the human interaction, or perhaps it is just that you meet more like-minded souls?

The landscape is littered with mines. I could happily spend a day here, exploring and taking photos.

I finally arrive at Pendeen Lighthouse and head another mile inland to the North Inn pub, who have a field at the back for camping.

The pub is very friendly and there is an Irish band playing later. I would love to stay, but I have already had a couple of pints and need to make a really early start in the morning. There are a few battered old caravans in the field and one other guy who is camping with his son. We chat for a while, so it is dark when I finally pitch, using my head-torch. Climbing into my sleeping bag, it sounds like the band have arrived, as my tent is swept by headlights.

“Careful not to run over the tents!”.

That would be me then, as the other chap wisely pitched in the far corner of the field.

A perfect day. My favourite day so far.

Walk distance: 18 miles.

Total distance: 746 miles.