Day 5, June 5, 2011 -- Portreath to Perranporth

I stayed last night at the Cliff House B&B in Portreath. It seems that some B&Bs have improved over what I have come to expect as the typical bathroom set up. Cliff House had modern facilities, and conveniences for traveling guests – like mixer faucets and a heated drying rack for guests who wash clothing. The shower was actually large enough so I didn’t hit my elbows on all the walls. Too bad I stayed only one night.

Today I felt like an ant walking a washboard must feel, constant ups and downs all day. I prefer the ups, because my knees don’t like the downs. But all in all it was a good day, with sunny, clear weather.

One of the descents took me to a busy café on a small beach where I had a fresh crab sandwich – a nice departure from the pasties (pronounced past’ – eez).  One of the ascents took me across long-ignored tin mine tailings.  It was not very picturesque - indeed it was ugly, but it served as a reminder that everything we have comes from the ground, and there need to be places like this if we going to have even minimal comforts.

Except for the tailings, the scenery was outstanding all day, and I met quite a few walkers, including a couple from Pittsburgh who have been hiking 100 mile segments on the South West Coast Path for several years. Regrettably, I didn’t write down their names, so if they see this posting, I’m hoping they’ll send me an email so I can add more detail. (Actually, this is a good way to find out if all the people I meet actually look at the blog like they say they will.)

Tim and Simon

Two men, Tim and Simon, were walking the coast path for charity. Simon’s daughter, Octavia, has spinal bifida and they are raising money for advancing treatment. Incredibly, they have already raised £120,000 – almost $200,000. I overlooked taking their picture, which would have made a nice addition to this blog. I’m hoping they will email me a picture of themselves in their “walking for Octavia” shirts. (My mind was on scenery mode today, so I wasn’t even thinking about photographing people until Tim and Simon and I were 100 yards apart. I wasn’t about to chase them down.)  Here's the link to their blog.

Even with all of the trail chit-chat, I arrived at my Perranporth accommodation at 5:30, tired but happy. Fish & chips for dinner tonight – maybe I’m becoming English.

© 2011 Ken Klug