#17 Minehead to Porlock

#17 Minehead to Porlock

Distance - 8.86 Miles
Ascent - 582 Metres

Well it had been a while since my last walk, I blamed the weather, everyone else blamed my laziness.  So what better than a stroll on the coast, something to ease back into it, fresh air, the sea, and a section of the coast path rated Challenging, say what?  Challenging?  Well that's a bit harsh!  So of I went to the coast to meet up with Nick, now a local to Exmoor.

The start of the SWCP

The first 3/4 mile is flat and mostly tarmac, this is to lull you into a false sense of security and is only just long enough to get the legs going.  The path soon starts climbing, with a short sharp section in the woods.  Despite the recent bad weather, the path is in pretty good nick, with only a few trees still blocking the path or muddy underfoot.

Newquay to Perranporth

Newquay to Perranporth

Distance - 20.2Km
Time Taken - 5hrs ish
Assent - 360m ish

Day 3 and a very early start to the day.  The bridge at Penpol to cross the tidal Gannel can only be used 3-4 hours after (or before) low tide.  The low tide for this morning was just before 4am so we wanted to get to the bridge between 7 and 8am.  A guesstimate of the distances put the bridge at approx. 3 miles into the day, so we set off just after 6am (6.20 give or take).  The night before we had a early night in preparation....OK we went to the pub and watched England lose against Holland at football.

The Penpol crossing

The early start meant the streets through Newquay were pretty deserted, with only ourselves and a street cleaner daring to venture out.  Things were a little misty this morning and for the first time this trip I needed to wear a fleece.  The first mile is through the town centre, before a section along the sea front around to the Headland Hotel and Fistral beach.  A few hardy souls were in the waves, I can't imagine how cold it must be!

Treyarnon to Newquay

Treyarnon to Newquay

Distance - 19.5Km
Time Taken - Hard to say with tanning breaks
Assent - 450m ish

Day 2 of the South West Coast Path (SWCP) adventure.  Another glorious day, it was hard to imagine that we are still in February.  February is still supposed to be winter?  After day one the only injuries were a slightly burnt face and to the wallet (Hostels with bar and cafe are not cheap...).

View from the hostel.

This section of the walk was much quieter and more 'wild' than the day before.  We only saw a few other walkers (and a couple of runners...) mostly near to the villages on route.  The route is again very easy to follow and should not pose any navigation issues, I carried a map but it was only really used to see how far we had gone (and how far it was to the hotel!). 

Padstow to Treyarnon

Padstow to Treyarnon

Distance - 17.5Km
Time Taken - A few hours
Ascent - 325m ish.

Back to the South West Coast Path (SWCP) to complete the full 3 days that I didn't quite finish last year.  This year I was lighter and came off a full training regime, haha yeah right.  Not sure 3 long walks since Christmas count as a regime...

A walking person

A bus ride from Newquay took us to the tourist trap of Padstow for the first day of our adventures.  Joined by Nic we made a swift start and went straight into a Pasty shop (or bakery as they are known in these parts).  Today's award winning pasties were of the Lamb, Leek and Mint variety, and were pretty tasty.

2011 Highlights Part 1

Walks were few are far between in 2011, mainly due to laziness and a fear of hills and rain. One of the best walks in 2011 involved both. The last week in March saw James and myself driving down to Newquay for a few days on the South West Coast Path (SWCP). Using a combination on Hostels, Premier Inns, Buses and dumping the car in Newquay, we could do 3 nice days along the SWCP from Padstow to Perrenporth.

First day was a bus ride from Newquay to Padstow and a 12(ish) mile walk to Treyarnon Bay YHA. The day started well with the bus breaking down, but James was in his zone, as a mechanic he loved diving into the engine armed with nothing more than a Swiss Army Knife. I obviously stood back and tried to nod in the right places..yeah it's obviously a broken grommet on the water flange...pffft so obvious...

Considering neither of us had done any walks of any note I think we did OK, being fueled by pasties and in good weather. It was my first time in A Youth Hostel and was pleasantly surprised. Decent food and a bar, yes a bar with cider...might of had a couple...just to recover of course.

Second day had the twin evils of rain and hills, by hills I mean anything with a slope, we also had 14 miles to walk to Newquay. It rained all morning and was to be honest a bit grim. However once the sun broke out it was a lovely afternoon. All went better than expected till about a mile away from the hotel when the legs had a moment and went on strike. Legs stiffened up badly. Today was fueled by ice creams and Ibuprofen.

Third day was supposed to be a 12 miles (ish) wander to Perranporth, where we we would catch the bus back to Newquay. The weather turned to rain just before Crantock and the will to live was blown away between Porth Joke and Holywell bay. Quite literally blown away as the wind was strong enough to lean into and made the day much more draining than it should be. I bailed out at Holywell Bay as I was knackered, sore, achy...James completed the whole walk but didn't see the need to brag about it... Today was again fueled by Ibuprofen.

A good few days but lack of fitness or preparation made it harder than it should of been. Losing the ability to walk down stairs due to leg stiffness was a clue