Log No 259. Fri 28th Feb 2014 - Port Isaac to Wadebridge, 17 miles (3944 miles walked)

There would be no worries about being in time to catch a bus today, I had driven to Wadebridge first thing this morning and taken the first bus to Port Isaac so I would be walking back to the camper.

I forgot to say yesterday that when I was on the bus it stopped, en route, at a filling station to top up with diesel before continuing. That was a first for me.


It was a late start at 09.45 and it was wet and very much windier than yesterday. Climbing up the side of the hill out of Port Isaac I was sonewhat sheltered but when I got to the top of the cliffs the wind really hit me.

With the wind swirling around a lot it was difficult to say for certain which direction it was coming from, probably northwest, I know it was cold enough for me to have to put my thick gloves on for only the second time in 11 months.

Port Isaac is where they filmed the Doc Martin series on TV.

It was only 3 miles to Port Quin but it took an hour and a half, there was a steep descent off Reedy Cliff and coming round Kellan Head I found a camera lying on the footpath.

I don't suppose it can have been there long since, judging by the footprints, the path appears to be well walked. The camera was wet and there didn't seem to be any life in it, I'll have to wait for it to dry out.

I made the most of the relative shelter in Port Quin and had a sandwich at a picnic table.

I saw a few other walkers around Port Quin but our paths never crossed.

Walking round Pentire Head was hard going in the wind, it even knocked me backwards on a few occasions.

Only when I got to Pentire Point and turned southeast did I have the wind behind me.

The tide was out so I was able to walk across the sand of Hayle Bay. I had to climb over the rocks at one point but the clumps of muscles stuck to the rock gave my boots a good grip.

I was back up on the sea front footpath at Polzeath and Trebetherick round Padstow Bay then I was able to get back on the sand again to avoid having to walk on the dunes. An hour later and the tide would have been too high for me to get round Brea Hill.

I came off the beach at the slipway for the Rock to Padstow passenger ferry, at low water the ferry drops the front ramp onto the sand for the passengers.

The ferry came in while I was sat on a bench finishing off my lunch. It was just a short trip across to Padstow but the thought never entered my head that I could save 12 miles of walking by hopping on it.

The clouds had finally cleared away and it was a fine afternoon, still windy but a lot more sheltered inland.

There was no footpath from Rock along the River Camel so I ended the day with a 2 hour walk on the minor and B road into Wadebridge, getting back to the camper at 16.10.

17 windy miles, it would make a nice change to have no wind tomorrow.