20180622 Charlestown – Fowey

Date: 20180622

Time: 9:30 – 14:50

Distance: 19.5 km

Stay: Safe Harbour Hotel, Fowey

Walk

After another tour around the historic port of Charlestown, it continues on the Coast Path.

Just after Charlestown there is a Coast Guard station, at Landrion Point. I walk there for the view. The volunteer invites me to come and see the station and tells me a lot about his work. Due to budget constraints, more and more Coast Guard stations were closed. They were putting all there trust on equipment. Until it went wrong and drowned people were found under a closed Coast Guard station. Then it became clear that one can not do completely without human observation. Since then, more and more of the closed Coast Guard stations have been staffed again, but with volunteers this time.
Since there is only one volunteer at a time on each station, they call each other every hour (to prevent that someone is in trouble without anybody noticing).

The route to Par is a breeze. Almost flat and for a large part along a golf course. Only the last piece is a bit less interesting. That part is also easy to walk, but not so beautiful. I have to walk around the clay industry.

There is little to do on the beach in Par. That may be due to the industry that is just around the corner. In the village itself there are possibilities to have a drink, but I prefer to sit somewhere by the sea.
So on it goes to Polkeris. Here is a pub on the beach with a large terrace and it is open, what more could I want. Time for a pint!

After Polkeris it goes up and down again a number of times, but in general it is also just a nice walk. When I arrive at Gribbin Head, it’s time for biscuits and drinks. We used to do that with the kids when they came from school. I sit on the bench at the day marker on Gribbin Head and enjoy the sun.
After this break, it continues on an alternative part of Coast Path that goes more along the coast. But not too long, after about a kilometer I am back on the official route.

I arrive at Polridmouth Cove and a little later things go wrong. So you walk on an as good as flat sand path in a small forest and a bit ahead a stile appears, a fence that you have to climb over. You look ahead at where you are going and do not pay attention to where you are walking. After all, that was the flat sand path… And then suddenly, spontaneously, a tree root jumps up the path, right in front of my feet! And what do you think? I stumble and go down completely, with my face straight on the path.
Everything full of dust, a thick lip and blood on my chin. After brushing off most of the dust, having my chin fitted with a tissue and having inspected everything else, it goes on. I do not have to go that far.

In Fowey I go straight to my hotel so that I can better see how it is with my face. That appears to be mainly dusty, just like my clothes. Apparently, I had not completely brushed off the dust.
The wound on my chin continues to bleed, but I do not think stitching is needed. After the shower, the bleeding stops and I feel fine again.

Total damage:

• Scratch on the nose
• Wound on the chin (which nobody sees through my beard)
• Scratches on the frame of my sunglasses
• Bended cross (the chain, for me that is the worst)
• Ego fucked up 🙂

There are worse things in this world…

Weather

Sunny, dry and generally perfect walking weather. Not too much wind today, yesterday it blew quite a bit.

Lyric of the day

After walking more than 370 miles, occasionally on the most difficult paths or simply rocks, today I went down on an ordinary forest path. The lyric of today therefore, Down Down by Status Quo, an appropriate title.

Get down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Get down deeper and down

I want all the world to see
To see you’re laughing, and you’re laughing at me
I can take it all from you
Again again again again
Again again again and deeper and down

Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Get down deeper and down

I have all the ways you see
To keep you guessing, stop your messing with me
You’ll be back to find your way
Again again again again
Again-gain-gain-gain deeper and down

Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Get down

Get down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Get down deeper and down

I have found you out you see
I know what you’re doing, what you’re doing to me
I’ll keep on and say to you
Again again again again
Again-gain-gain-gain deeper and down

Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Down down deeper and down
Get down

Photos