Day three: St Ives to Gwithian

09 June 2010 - Left my new home at Porthminster view and strode out once more into the unknown.

But not before I had enjoyed the massive breakfast and big French press of coffee (fulfilling the second B in B&B) and having wonderful conversations with the owners and the guests. My first cup of coffee for a few days and for those of you that know me well, will understand the significance of this for me!

Ah, the great British breakfast and vegetarian too.





Alfie watching TV











The weather yesterday was actually beautiful but I decided to stay another day in St Ives and try to get a little more sorted - I was feeling as though I had been on the go since I left Salt Lake. I ended up taking a bus back to Pendeen to collect my all important plug adapter and mobile phone charger that I had left in the pub. I could not understand how I could have possibly left them in the pub as I was being especially careful, knowing that these items were the key to my connectivity with the rest of the world. Despite this I left them plugged in the wall. Let this be a lesson to me.

Interesting to travel via bus the section of the trail that I had slogged along the day before. I thought it would minimise the achievement for me but actually it still seemed a bloody long way! Funny to think though that I had felt so alone and remote, when actually, the road had never been too far away.

Anyway here I was on the coastal path again and glad of it. Why was this feeling so good? Before leaving, the other guests had all taken a turn to pick up my rucksack and had all wondered how I was possibly walking with it and I had no answer for them. It hurt at first to put it back on and it was a painful reminder of the day before but once walking I was thankfully able to overcome this discomfort. My body was dealing amazingly well with all this abuse.

I followed along side the beautiful stretches of sandy beaches through dense vegetation on a very well defined path. I walked across a golf course, through an an ancient church yard and the middle of a funeral, along the A30, around the estuary, across the oldest draw bridge in Britain. It was so much more civilised than the previous days hikes but somewhat difficult to navigate. I frequently stopped to ask directions and got very complicated answers "go along here, turn left, turn right, through the housing estate, over the bridge, dip through the hedge, you can't miss it". I was always very proud when I would look up at just right time to see a miniscual acorn sign (for the SWC0) pointing through a hedge and with a quick jog through, I would be back on the path again.

I reached Hayle with relative ease. I had initially planned to stop here but feeling good, I decided to carry on just a few more miles to a campsite.

It seems as though 6 miles has become my limit of comfort. After that, it all becomes so much more difficult. I found the next 4 miles very hard and the pack once again became unbearable. I had the choice of either walking across sand dunes and cliffs or walking along the beach. I decided along the latter but the tide was not out all the way. I had to remove my boots and paddle through sections until those sections became too deep with crashing waves and then I had to climb back up onto the cliffs and dunes.





I was especially excited to get to Gwithians because I was meeting my good friend Pete who had driven down from Plymouth to see me. I met Pete 24 years ago when I was 19 years old, living in Plymouth, unemployed and a rock climber.

He reminded me of all the climbs we had done together and I did not realise that I had walked right by some of them the other day on route to St Ives. He had brought an old Devon and Cornwall climbing guide and pointed out the new route we had put up together in 1987. A Bonner (that's me!) - how impressive is that?







Me and climbing seem a long time ago now. My arthritic fingers and feet would make it impossible for me to climb and anyway, I have a major fear of heights now. As for Pete, he is still climbing, better than he ever has. He has overcome a terrible illness and is still an extreme climber - most impressive.

We spent a wonderful evening together, watching the sun set over Godvrey Island, reminiscing and finding out that we had the same opinion on many different philosophical issues. For instance we both have chronic diseases but have decided not to sit and wait for them to progress but to live life to it's fullest. I am very aware that this walk may make my RA worse but i am not about to sit around and wait until I am incapable of walking.





Thanks Pete for coming :)








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Location:Chynance,Portreath,United Kingdom