June 10th: Trevaunance Cove to Lelant

My Cornish Pasty by the Harbour!

Rosie and her fab Morris Minor

Day 11.

I left my lovely lodgings in St Agnes, a charming village nestled along the coastline of Cornwall. My wonderful host, Rosie, who had been incredibly accommodating throughout my stay and was the proud owner of a fully refurbished Morris Minor, directed me to the local bakery. The establishment was well-known among locals for its delicious pastries and I was greeted by the smell of the place before I even got there. Being one of the first customers of the day everything was delightfully fresh and stacked with goodies. Of course, the bakery was located uphill, which added a bit of a challenge to my morning routine, but the promise of freshly baked goods made the trek worthwhile. Upon arriving at the bakery, I indulged in a Cornish pasty, a staple of the region, a jam doughnut and a cup of coffee. With my breakfast in hand, I made my way to the Harbour, and ate in the rain - but I didn’t mind; there was something refreshing about the cool mist in the air.

St Ives

The weather forecast had indicated a chance of rain then clouds and sunshine, but as I sat there, it was clear that the rain had taken centre stage. It poured all morning and was very misty. As I began my trek along the coast path, I realised the pouring rain and thick mist made navigation significantly more challenging than usual. Much as you would think just keep the sea to your right and you can't go wrong, trust me you can. There are many junctions in the path, some go down to the beach and others to view points. Unfortunately, not every junction is marked with the familiar Coast Path guiding acorn, which left me feeling somewhat disoriented. The mist obscured my view, making it difficult to see far ahead, which typically would have offered some guidance as I could gauge the direction of the path in the distance. 

Despite these obstacles, I made it through the morning, which turned out to be a very tough 10 miles, and into the afternoon - an easier 12. However, the afternoon was not without its challenges. When I was about 6 miles from Lelant, I encountered a sign saying ‘Coast Path diversion’ that instructed me to veer left. That was the last clear indication of the path I would see for the rest of the day. I somehow weaved my way through the remainder of the walk to my accommodation for the night, The White Hart Hotel in Hayle, and to a welcoming smile and hug from my son Max. He had travelled down to see me one last time before heading back to Melbourne. 

Arriving to a familiar face

Max, proud of his bin

Initially intending to walk a couple more days with me he had unfortunately acquired a couple of injuries from our walks on June 1 & 2 and was gutted not to be able to walk with me again. But just getting to see him was enough to lift my spirits. We settled in for a couple of refreshing beers and enjoyed a hearty meal together, sharing stories of our adventures over the past few days. I was happy to know he had visited his sister Alex, her partner Howard and their just-over-three-month-old Lennie. Alex and Howard are bin painters at the famous Glastonbury Festival, and he had enjoyed his time with them immensely, even getting a chance to join them painting for a day and creating something in memory of Anna - Marmite, she loved it, I hated it. Anna had always felt the distance between us, with family members spread across the globe, and knew the importance of enjoying those sacred moments we do get to spend together. 

After buying our first beer we were informed that someone called Sharon had phoned ahead and put £20 behind the bar for us. My lovely niece who joined me on day 2 of the walk! Again I felt the love. I felt the support and community.

One particularly amusing story from the day was when I met an elderly gentleman at the top of - you guessed it - another hill! As I huffed and puffed my way up, I stepped aside to let him pass in his large electric car. He pulled up just ahead, right in front of his beautifully maintained house that boasted amazing views of the surrounding coastal landscape. We struck up a brief chat, during which I shared my journey and the purpose behind my month long expedition. He regaled me with tales of his charity work, expressing a desire to support my efforts. ‘This is looking promising!’ I thought. With a smile he reached into his pocket and pulled out two shiny pound coins, gave me one and put the other back in his pocket!! I know I know, every little helps - but Max and I did have a good laugh about this over our beers in the evening. Finding humour and lightness on this journey and enjoying the quirks of the people I’m meeting along the way only enriches the experience I’m having. It encourages me to seek out more connection and camaraderie with the people that I meet and to continue talking about Sue Ryder and my beloved wife, Anna.