Padstow to Portcothan

The plan

After a rest day, 13.4\495m ascent\average grade 5%\4:29 easy hours to Portcothan, where we’ll stay at Penlan. Just a stroll, right?

Reality

Will update tomorrow in Newquay. Very slow internet in Porthcothan!

Updating in Newquay, a day late. Yesterday was the easiest day yet, made challenging only by the heat and the sheer length, not so much the terrain.

We seem to leave at about the same time every day–around 9am or so. This is the gentle climb out of Padstow toward the WWI memorial. As well as the memorial itself, it was touching to see many many benches dedicated in memory of loved ones.

Couple of panoramics showing the estuary in Padstow as we left. The tide is pretty low in these photos–at high tide, there is little sand visible.

Still super low tide. I love these ridges left by the receding water. We cut several corners by ambling across beaches–tide times are working in our favor at the moment.

This section of the coast has far more structures than the previous sections, including various lookout towers, lighthouses, and remnants of forts.

Also many secluded bays of golden sand and turquoise water. Some have precarious paths down the cliffs, others are only accessibly by  boat.

Heading down into Trevone Bay–an exquisite place for it’s sand, water, tide pools, beach cafe, and above all else, its clotted cream and blackcurrant ice cream. Best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.

Note the colorful windbreaks…a way to endure typically windy, cold British beach weather. Not really sure why they bothered today though–it was hot, though I concede that if I was dressed for the beach and had been swimming, maybe the breeze would be worth avoiding?

Lovely beach cafe…

Because they serve….

Leaving Trevone Bay…