Hiking the Coast

After setting up my tent, and putting my batteries to charge, I set off to explore the coastline, and visit the rest of Porthcurno. On my bicycle, I’d stopped at the museum and hadn’t continued down to the beach. No less than 14 fibre optic cables pass under the beach, connecting England to the rest of the world.

Just as I left the campsite I crossed a group of hikers I’d seen earlier in the day; two Dutch girls who’d already been hiking for a month, and their mother who’d joined them for a week. They still had a month of hiking to go to finish their tour!

A little further down the path, I passed a french couple, busy picking blackberries to make jam. They’d started their trip with one pot of jam, and intended to refill it. They told me of their misadventures whilst car camping: getting woken up by an angry farmer who followed them until he was sure that they had left his land. “Ce n’est plus de votre âge!” (You’re too old for this), I told them. They were both on the verge of retirement, and agreed with the sentiment.

They told me about the beach down the path. A naturist beach they said, but one of the most beautiful beaches in Cornwall (just rather inaccessible). They’d not brought a swim suit with them, but had gone swimming anyway.

The path took me on towards Porthcurno, and another beautiful beach. I looked for signs of the communications cables, but modern cables are buried too deeply to be seen. Tom Scott, the youtuber, had made a video about this beach, and even then, he had not seen the modern cables.

I walked up the valley, through some fields, and back to the campsite. Entering the village, I passed in front of a pub. I wondered if I should head back to the campsite to make dinner, and then pop back into the pub for a cider.

My appetite got the best of me, and I went in for a hearty meal. Battered fish with mushy peas and chips, and a pint of cider to wash it all down.

The pub was warm and dimly lit. I needed to sleep. There would be no scrolling tonight.