Log No 261. Sun 2nd Mar 2014 - Porthcothan to Newquay, 11 miles (3973 miles walked)

I got off the bus at Porthcothan at 10.00, it was very overcast with light rain.

A notice next to the footpath sign, dated 5th Feb, said "emergency closure for 3 weeks due to missing footbridge - follow diversion". Three weeks had passed so maybe it was okay now, I would find out when I get there.

The coastline here is full of caves, a veritable smugglers paradise.

Coming round into Porth Mear I found the missing footbridge, it wasn't missing, merely displaced by the winter storms and high tides.

There wasn't much water coming down the stream and the tide was out so it was easy enough to cross without getting wet, the hard part was getting up the bank on the other side as it was quite high.

Like yesterday, it was not a strenuous walk and there were hardly any streams to cross.

The path stayed along the clifftop with good views of all the sandy bays.

I was surprised at the number of people on the footpath, I thought the weather conditions would have put most folk off.

They were all just out for short walks from the carious car parks near to the coast.

The bay at Trenance/Mawgan Porth was the first one I came down to and I took my first break here.

The path hugs the clifftop all the way and at the popular Watergate Bay you can't see the large hotel complex until you are right at it as it is squeezed in a small valley.

The weather was taking a turn for the worse with the rain becoming heavier and the wind picking up.

I should have stopped to put an extra waterproof jacket on at Watergate but as it was only an hours walk from there into Newquay I thought the jacket I had on would keep the rain out long enough. It didn't.

I only had a t-shirt on under the jacket so I was starting to feel cold with the clammy jacket sticking to me.

It was a good thing I had the camper to jump into and not to have to put up a tent.

Only 11 miles but they were a bonus as I don't usually have public transport available to me on a Sunday and have to take the day off.