The South West Coast Path (SWC) is a 630 mile-long trail on the coast of Cornwall. It is a roller-coaster route going from the top of the cliffs to the little fishing towns and back. We are doing only a small section from Plymouth to Falmouth, walking contrary to most guides, which provides many opportunities for missed turns and getting lost.
After trekking 4.5 hours today, I did not need to do step aerobics; there were more opportunities to exercise my legs than I cared for. Instead of the cobblestoned walkways in Portugal, today we walked on 50% field grass and 50% pavement. It is very difficult on the ankles to walk on a slope. For this reason, I did not mind the “Diversions” onto road paths to avoid land slips caused by recent rain, even when one of the detours had a 14.5% grade for about 2 miles. Before reaching the top, I was huffing like a race horse, each step a deliberate effort.
To the left are yellow canola fields and our first look at Downderry. The impressive cliffs overlook the Lone Stone promontory and we could see the Plymouth lighthouse in the distance. It was a steep decline into the town and I was feeling my toes, luckily I did not end up with a blister. The sharp downhills hurt Dennis’ knees, so we stopped in the city, took off our socks and shoes, and relaxed on a bench beneath a shade tree. We were only there about 15 minutes, but it made such a difference.
We met two east-bound hikers: a woman walking alone doing the SWC in sections, and Ivan Godfrey, who is a life-long trekker.
We saw a few opportunities to camp today, but we were low on water, or the campground offered only field camping, with no trees for shade or for the amateur radio antenna. For this reason, we ended up in a B & B in Looe a coastal resort town. We have carried camping equipment on our bikes and backs for over two months; we need to justify our doing so by camping at least a few times. Maybe tomorrow.
To the left is Looe. There is a beach and all the honky-tonk of a seaside town–only with a British flair. There were many tea shops, fish and chip take-away restaurants, tattoo parlors, and trinket and bead stores. The seagulls are nesting and they coo and squawk constantly. From our room we look down on rooftops covered in bird poo and see the gulls feeding their young.