It seems kind of foolish not to walk when the weather is beautiful in England but when I woke up Tuesday morning that’s exactly what I felt like I needed to do. Despite clear sunny skies and what would be considered a five star weather forecast, despite an unrelenting chilly wind, I knew I needed a rare “Do Nothing Day”.
The hike from Port Gaverne to Boscastle offered some spectacular coastline hiking but sections of steep ups and downs with a stiff wind, that seemed to be blowing from all directions, had me feeling quite fatigued. Of course get re-acquainted to carrying a full pack wasn’t making things any easier and my legs and knees were feeling sore from the burden. I considered calling it a short day in the village of Tintangel but was put off by the overly touristy atmosphere. I continued on along the coast passing near the remains of a 7th century castle, hence the tourist attraction, stunningly situated nonetheless.
Five miles past Tintangel I arrived at my intended destination of Boscastle and chose to check into a hostel. The old fishing village of Boscastle is situated in narrrow river valley that feeds into the sea. In 2004 the village was hit hard by a flood but old world stone built engineering holds up well and today, aside of impressive flood photos posted in shops around the village, you would never know the area was more or less wiped out.
The hostel occupies one of the oldest buildings at the bottom of the village and it's one of the nicer ones I've stayed in. It's managed by the internation hostel organization known as YHA and they didn't hold back on the rebuild after the 2004 flood. Everything is top notch. I wound up sharing a roomy 5 bed room with one older fit retired gentleman from Bristol who is traveling around hiking sections of trail here and there. I've found the room to be very comfortable and slept great which made it easier to choose to stay another night.
Boscastle is one of those quaint seaside villages that's busy during the day with tourists popping in and out but after five it gets very quiet. Today I did well by holding true to my intention of resting. I visited the famouns Witchcraft museum which happens to be located next to the hostel. It's a very nice and extensive museum with a strange vibe and a large collection of items. One of the more interesting items on display is Allistar Crowley's silver chalice.
After the museum I had a full English breakfast for for lunch then took an hour long nap. Taking a nap in the afternoon and actually sleeping is rare for me. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day for walking and I should made it to my next stop at Bude without a problem. On Thursday the weather is due to change with clouds and rain moving in.
Obviously I'm a little more tired than usual but I know how fast I can snap out of it. I attribute my uncharateristic fatigue to flying overesas already tired, jet lag, and just plain getting used to carrying a pack again for a bunch of miles. Also, not to mention how much much a chilly wind can take it out you.
Hiking what I consider to be an average pace of 15 miles a day puts me in Minehead, the end of the Southwest coast path, in 10 days. However, I am planning 12 to give me a little buffer. I have plenty of time and can take as long as I want but I like to keep up a consistent rhythm of sorts. A long distance walk goes better with some kind of consistent routine.
Well, I guess I'll head up to the Cobweb pub for a pint and call it a day. I can go weeks without a beer at home but find it difficult to go a day in England witout a pint in a pub.
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