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Day 12: Crackington Haven to Duckpool (18 miles)

I wake up at 5:10am with the light and the bird calls of oystercatchers, a wren, and a blackbird. I get up and have scones, from Port Issac, for breakfast as I take my tent down. I'm trying to get that backpack weight further reduced. I leave the Cornish blue and crackers for lunch and then will resupply at Bude later in the day.

As it’s another strenuous and then moderate section to Bude and then severe and supposedly the toughest day of SWCP to Hartland Quay. I’m keen to get as far up towards Hartland Quay as possible today - Warrens’s Gutter is what I’ve earmarked on the spreadsheet although I think that’s quite an ask. I’m concerned that the weather forecast tomorrow afternoon to Friday isn’t looking good - rain and someone has said high winds so I’m thinking of giving Hartland Quay hotel a ring to see if they have a room spare.

Glorious exposures of strata on beach as sun comes up. A Steep climb follows but worth it for a superb ridge walk. Castle point with the white blossom of blackthorn and the strong dark strata below. Coming up hill from Cleave and Castle Point each step seems laboured and I wonder if it’s a lack of calories or a little bit of the CLL kicking in. Certainly the interruption to my walking with the op in November for 3 months won’t have helped so I must remain patient while I build up my stamina and keep determined aka stubborn.

I make it to Dizzard and have an isotonic tablet in water and some meat to give me some energy.  I’m pleased I’ve made it to Dizzard already supposedly one of the more difficult stretches. I see an oil beetle - supposedly quite rare but occurs here in the SW just after the appropriately named dung beetle.

There are ponies grazing in the valley and it looks like someone’s set up a cosy home on the upper beach below a beautiful waterfall falling in the gaps of the eroded strata from above. I hear Chiff chaffs and I see another oil beetle. But there’s a fair amount of path kill of beetles and snails.

I come to a stunted sessile oak woodland - if I remember rightly - these are some of the treasured “rainforests” of the SW. I meet two elderly gentlemen reassuring me the weather forecast is actually fine now over next few days so not to worry.

I arrive at Widemouth Bay for lunchtime. The last stretch has been hard work and I feel exhausted. I was taken care of by a lovely lady with ham, egg and chips along with water and a hot chocolate to try and stock up on calories.

Another swallow when I’m walking on the sand over to end of beach. That will be last long stretch of beach I’ll walk I think until John O’Groats Trail. What a thought. And my last day in Cornwall/Kernow. A melancholy feeling - I love it here.

I eventually get to Bude at 15:00 and find a local store and bakers to get supplies for the next 2 days - no shops or cafes likely now until Clovelly. I buy a hot chocolate and carton of Ribena - having also wolfed down a pack of quavers earlier I finally seem to have the energy I really need.

I enjoy the next stretch - I’ve 4 hours until it gets really dark so that should give plenty of time to find somewhere. I’m pleased to get past Sandmouth Bay where surfers are out and come to Gutters Warren where I had thought from satellite imagery there might be suitable spots - there aren’t but climbing towards Duckpool I see the perfect level grass where sheep are grazing and looking back down the coastline to Dizzard and beyond. I take a quick peak down at Duckpool where there are vans parked up so I decide my spot will be better than down in the valley. It is rather weird though as I am overlooked by the Bude radar complex. The lights from there will keep me company tonight.

I’ve set up the tent before 18:00 watching the sun go down, and cooking noodles while writing up my notes. I lower the fly of the tent to reduce the draughty as it’s exposed up here and the wind has risen a little. The pitch is much better today so hopefully all will be well tonight. I hear the sea booming far below- it will be strange when I leave the coast and don’t have that constant background noise. As a light sleeper perhaps that will be a relief!

I’ve remembered not to pump up my sleeping mat quite so hard so it holds me rather than my rolling off as happened last night. I’ve also discovered with the down sleeping bag it’s better to wear the bare minimum so your body heat warms up the down and creates a warm bed. Counter intuitive and means you can feel cold for the first hour but worth the wait.






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