Day 10 - Portreath

Beer drunk: 2 pints, Distance walked: 20km, Time taken: 6h 16m (5h 20m walking)

On the plus side, the weather wasn't as dire as had been predicted.  There were a few rain showers in the morning but barely enough to make it worthwhile to break out the waterproofs.  The promised thunderstorms were a no-show.  However, the gale force winds came right on cue.  Fortunately, they had swung around from the south-east yesterday to the south-west today so I wasn't in any risk of being blown off the path, just into the cliff on my landward side.  More than a few times it wasn't possible to move forward.  I had to use all my strength just to stay put when a particularly strong gust hit.

Initially, as I was toiling up one slope with the gale blowing and the rain coming down I started to wonder when this moved from being simply unpleasant to being dangerous.  I was then passed by some lunatic jogger out for his daily exercise.  Note, we were both going up hill.  I realised I was just being a wimp and pressed on.  Perhaps that is why I made such good time today, in spite of the conditions.

Part of the walk yesterday went through Ministry of Defence land.  There were dire signs warning to keep on the path and not to touch anything as it might explode and kill you.  However, there were also a small herd of Dartmoor ponies grazing so either they were lying about the risk of unexploded ordnance or else they are remarkably calm about the possibility of exploding ponies.  The path went through more MOD land today, but there were no ponies.  Still, I kept to the path both times.

I got a packed lunch from last night's hotel.  It turned out to contain 2 cheese and chutney sandwiches made with home baked bread, 1 banana, 1 pear, 2 mandarines and 2 chocolate bars.  I wonder if they were expecting me to get stranded somewhere overnight or some such.

My B&B tonight is called Cliff House but is fortunately at sea level.  My room is also on the ground level.  My only complaint about yesterday's hotel is that they put me in one of the attic rooms.  The dormer window was cute, but the stairs!  This place has a glassed in front verandah which has been turned into the breakfast room.  My room is at the front of the building with french doors out into the front verandah.  Very pleasant when it was a house, but means I have to have the curtains drawn at all times which makes my room a bit gloomy.

I had dinner tonight at the Bassett Arms which came highly recommended.  Unfortunately, I didn't realise there was a separate restaurant section until I was ordering my dinner in the public bar.   I was disappointed but I've just checked their website and I think the menu was the same in both rooms so I got local colour with my meal.  I had the steak and ale pie (tasty - I suspect it was suet crust pastry), with chips (crisp!) and peas (with flavour).  Not classy perhaps but pleasant and filling.

Tomorrow my options for dinner are the pub or the pub as it will be for several other stops on my route.  When I get to St Ives I think I will try non-pub food for a change.  I haven't tried genuine English Indian food but I might save that for my last night in London.