Campsite: Carlyon Bay Camping Park
Campsite cost: Walker rate of £10, just turned up in the evening with no booking
Tip: There was a path diversion 2 miles before St Austell which adds a couple extra miles onto the trail. You have to go inland and walk along a main road.
I set off at a nice pace taking my time. It was raining a little again but I just threw on my light, waterproof jacket to keep me dry. I never bother putting on waterproof trousers, just normal leggings, as I know they will dry eventually in the day. I’d checked the weather and later on it was due to be sunny, as is usually the case I’ve noticed in Cornwall.
Looking back at how far I'd come
10 miles to St Austell. St Austell is the largest town before Plymouth so I plan to pick up any food and supplies I need.
After a couple of hours I feel like my pace is slowing down. I think perhaps because of the wind last night - the tent rattled all night from the wind. I don’t sleep well when the tent shakes.
Taking a pause by some coves
I make it to Portmellon and then to Mevagissey. I am quite shattered by this point! Luckily there is a little cafe where I can buy some fruit. It’s quite rare to find fruit on the trail unless you stock up in larger towns. And I’ve noticed fruit is usually quite expensive - more than in London. The lady who sold her fruit and cakes made it affordable so I thanked her for doing that. She said yes - she had seen other sellers increasing their prices for fruit but wanted to be fair. I think I bought 3 nectarines, bananas and anything else, along with a cup of tea.
A little rain in the morning before sunny spells
I really felt like I wanted to stop early today, especially once I sat down in Mevagissey eating the fruit. I think perhaps because I was ill a few days ago I still felt weak and wiped out from that experience. I’ve noticed from doing long-trail hikes that part of the journey is mental as well as physical. As long as you listen to your body and really know when to stop, for example from any physical injuries, then you can push through mental discomfort a few more miles. I decided to push through to St Austell. I wanted to get to Plymouth in a couple days and finish the trail. I was quite exhausted.
From Mevagissey the trail becomes filled with more people and there’s a few inclines and descents which I struggle with but I take my time and enjoy the warmth of the sun which has appeared.
I pass someone who says I look like I’ve been walking for sometime. Ha! It totally feels like it. But I’m proud of myself for pushing through a lot of exhaustion.
The last 1-2 hours before St Austell were extremely strenuous with the steepest incline I hadn't experienced in a while. In the end, I walked a total of 24km today which is way beyond my usual typical amount of 16km. I had to walk the extra miles because there was a path diversion due to a fallen cliff, and then arrived at a campsite at around 8pm absolutely shattered. I could barely put one foot in front of the other. My feet and legs were hurting like I hadn’t felt before. I'd been walking for 12 hours.
I was so grateful to stop at the campsite. The campsite owners opened up their shop for me at 8pm in the evening and I bought so much food and treats. I put up my tent and passed out for the night not having much energy to eat. The campsite was one of the best campsites I stayed at through the whole route. Really kind people who gave me a great rate as a Walker.