Day 37 - Evening research.

Hello dear readers, sorry for the delay in publishing this blog (applicable to Thursday 16th July 2020), but after a hard days walking between Pentireglaze car park and Port Isaac, I had some evening research to undertake meaning I was unable to produce it.

The research involved a visit to The Fourways Inn at St. Minver, where the magnificent mural above adorns the side of the Inn. Created in 2019 to mark Remembrance day, I thought it was fitting that I visit the Inn as part of my Lock-down walk to raise money for the Royal British Legion. It was an amazing stroke of good luck that Lock-down rules had been relaxed to allow Pubs to re-open only thirteen days before I walked the section of coast closest to St. Minver, an amazing coincidence that my mate Dave owns a caravan on the holiday park next door to it and bookies wouldn't have given odds on the chances of the government relaxing lock-down rules further so that we can expand our 'bubbles'!

Hard to believe isn't it? Still, it would have been rude not to take Dave up on his kind offer of spending a couple of days walking the coast around here and spending the night at the caravan (to save me driving) and therefore allowing us to show our appreciation to the Landlord of the Fourways Inn by adding a modest amount to his takings, whilst sampling his wares.

Anyway, the walk.

We stared out Eastwards from Pentireglaze car park (National Trust owned) with our target being Port Isaac. The conditions were overcast, but with promises of better weather to come later on. The picture below shows where we were heading.

The path is a bit up and down around here and, knowing how badly Dave suffered when he accompanied me on my Day 25 walk (see Blog for greater detail) and having experienced Dave's 'relaxed' walking pace, I was happy to let him set his pace (I was also in need of a gentle walk myself, having suffered a couple of 'mini-revolts' by body and muscle groups this week).

The first cove you come to is Lundy Bay, but just prior to that there is an impressive sea arch to admire (the picture below was taken on the way back when, as you can see, things had got better weather wise)

Once you climb out of Lundy cove (steps hewn from the cliff, with a thick rope strung up them) you would be forgiven for thinking you'd cracked the worst of the climbs, but you'd be wrong!)

Dave spotted the mushroom below, and suggested I use it in tonight's meal I had promised to prepare). After a close visual inspection, two things that I believed I knew gave me cause for concern, one the underside was light coloured and two, it had a skirt. I settled on taking a picture and Dave advised me he would identify it when he got back home using his "spotters guide to mushrooms" or some such book.

My research today has convinced me it is a Destroying Angel mushroom, which after giving you a stomach upset for about 24 hours, allows you to think you're over the worst, before killing you 3 - 6 days later with kidney and liver failure (one can only hope that the meal I have planned for tonight is not equally as toxic!).

Rounding the next headland brings you to Doyden point and Portquin. A strange little castle sits on Doyden Point, which Dave tells me was owned by a wealthy local who built it as a place he could entertain friends. It looks like a 'one up, one down' and I suggest that the friends were ladies. The truth is a bit of both, read more here:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/doyden-castle

Portquin is a tiny fishing port, now just a series of National Trust owned holiday lets.

The path climbs out of Portquin fairly steeply, taking you around Kellan Head before you come across the hardest part of today's walk, the path between Kellan head and Varley head. in one mile, you climb 407 ft and descend 236 ft in a series of steep steps. The views are fantastic but the terrain less so! The photo below shows the path leading back westwards from the top of the final steep climb.

Dave insisted on a rest at this point, but to be fair to him, it seemed like a good idea!

Around a mile later, we approached Port Isaac and the steep drop down to the harbour. Dave once again sent me down to complete the section (as he did on Day 25) whilst he ate his lunch!

After I trudged back up the hill and gathered up Dave, we made slow progress back to Pentireglaze car park before driving back to the caravan at St. Minver.

I created a fantastic chlli chicken pasta dish which was quickly wolfed down, accompanied by some beers, whilst we watched the cricket highlights. Then (and only then) did we head off for the Fourways Inn.

It appears, that despite my best efforts, I had been unable to re-break Dave. He appeared to have improved his endurance considerably, although he did whine a little about the tendns in his foot on the way back today!