22/6/15. Falmouth
Hi.
Well I've had 3 days off now from walking and unfortunately am not 'cured' .
My left foot and right knee are still causing pain and slowing my speed to a shuffling senior citizen.
I walked more than I should have Saturday in Helston trying to find the local church but had been given very inaccurate instructions and gave up, bought my dinner and retreated to my hotel room. Unfortunately my room backed onto the function room and there was a very noisy wedding reception then noisy cleaning up in the kitchen under me! Not a good review coming up for that very expensive room.
Then it was 2 buses here to Falmouth, a bit of a walk to a very nice guesthouse, well situated if here on a holiday. Again yesterday I walked too far looking at the Castle, the working docks, and the harbour. Today I did very little helped by cold showery weather.
I've looked at my itinerary to see where I can get buses this week, and how much I'll lose in deposits etc if I abandon the walk next week in Plymouth after another 6 days of walking.
I'll either be walking ok again or unable to continue.
Today is half way in my allotted time for the walk, and just over half the 1041 kms.
I certainly can't complete a 20 km day at the moment, planning on 12 tmw, will see what happens.
And of course my back complains the second I put the pack on.

23/6 to Portloe.
I actually was able to get the bus 15 Kms today so only walked 7 and that was hard work. It was a hot humid day too.
I'm in a nice guesthouse and had 3 cups of tea and a hot chocolate thru the PM until going to the pub for pie and chips. There's not one shop here so I've no fruit for tmw unless there's some at breakfast. Oh well, biscuits are a good substitute! Not.
Tomorrow is a 15 km walk before I can get a 5 km bus. Long day coming up!

24/6 Portloe to Mevagissey. 20kms. 5 hrs. Not hard. Day 32
Well I ended up walking the whole way, but not on the path!
I got spectacularly lost taking a 'shortcut' on a public pathway, marked in the guide book etc. But it wasn't the right one and I ended up on a road. I headed one way, then decided logically I should go the other way. Anyway I was no where near the path, and was advised to stay on the road to get to my destination. So I did. I probably walked as far as on the path, but it was so much quicker. So I came in 2 hrs earlier than the bus I'd hoped to maybe just get to, so I kept going. I was actually fairly ok re my back, and my feet.
But mentally I have decided I don't want to keep going.
So Courtney and I have commenced cancelling my bookings after Plymouth, and I'm going to crash in a friend's unit in Scarborough for the 3 weeks and try and get my foot and knee healed ready for Europe with Chelsea.
I am relieved that I've decided what to do finally. Maybe I'll regret it later but don't think so.
And I then had some drama on arrival at tonight's accommodation, when they said I didn't have a booking! It was for last night! 2 bookings for last night, and none for tonight! Major mistake!
So a charge for the 'no show' last night, and of course they didn't have a vacancy tonight.
So I am at a neighbours, nearly twice the price AND a shared bathroom ! Not happy but it's better than sleeping on a bench down at the harbour with the seagulls!

25/6, Mevagissey to Polkerris 22 kms.

I got the bus 8 kms as got sick of walking early on in a strenuous area! Then walked the easier bit! Actually was quite boring,skirting a lovely golf course then the dock area ( there is a big business here exporting clay for china making). Had lots of rests to relieve my back discomfort.I weighed the pack this AM and it's over 12 kgs. I'd had ideas of 7-8 so didn't do very well did I.
So I'm carrying 6+ 2 L milk bottles on my back. It hurts, trust me.

It wasn't too bad, I just don't want to walk, tho I ended up walking an extra 4 kms to the next beach after dropping my bag off. So much easier without the pack. But by the time I'd walked back the 4 kms then bought food, found the bus stop I was aching big time, so sat in a lovely hot bath for ages.
All but one of the cancellation confirmations have come back, quite a bit of fees, but too bad.
Tomorrow I am getting the bus 20 of the 32 kms, because I can! Trying to be careful now, and perhaps being lazy too!
It was another warmish day, and quite sunny when I was sitting at a nice beach. People were swimming! Crazy!
So only 3 days to go and as the last day is a Sunday with only 1 bus, I may go the whole way by bus just to get to Plymouth, then can walk back to the ferry if I choose.

26/6 to Fowey by bus, which seemed a nice place, tho hard to see the river as houses went from the Esplanade to the water. I got the first ferry over to Polruan, quite big tho the harbour was minute. It had a dock right beside the jetty and there were half a dozen guys working on a large sailing ship in dry dock. I looked at an old military blockhouse built to protect the harbour then stupidly walked away from the harbour bus stop up a steep hill to the 'official' stop.
I thought the bus wasn't coming so I got very stressed but it finally arrived. It was just a little one, not much more than a delivery van size. And off we went down miles of mostly one lane roads. And I can tell you there are some drivers who are hopeless at backing up to a passing area!
He must do the route regularly as he stopped outside a house and out came an elderly lady using a walker.
I got dropped off near Polperro yet another lovely touristy harbour town.
It started drizzling on and off from then on for 3 hrs.
The track was diverted twice due to cliff slips, once onto a lane way which was good!
I really struggled today, hated it, rested lots and trudged into West Looe, where the B&B had a note they'd be back later. So I left my pack and went and got dinner.
The people took my wet gear, gave me a cuppa and cake and were nice.

After food, shower, rest I got up some enthusiasm to go and look about as it was lovely and sunny !
I didn't walk to far.
When I'd arrived I'd decided to get the bus the whole way tomorrow, but am revived now and will start walking and there are 2 places I can get the bus. Only each 2 hrs so need to time it right.
It's supposed to be sunny again, well not raining anyway.
I'm in a one pub town tmw with nothing else.

27/6. 14 Kms to Portwrinkle.
Well I saw the bus, missed it by 5 mins, and wasn't waiting 2 hrs so I ended up walking the whole way. There were diversions again, which I hadn't realised and wondered why I couldn't work out where I was on the map.
I rested lots as it was a short day. It was hot and I sat at the beach at my destination for a while, but with the boots, knee brace and gaiters on decided my tan would be patchy so kept going the 1/2 mile UP the hill to the hotel.
I dropped off my pack, stripped all my leg adornments off, put sandals on and went back to the beach for a sit and rest.
Probably my nicest day after walking so far.
Now tomorrow -Sunday. Seems my online research re a one only Sunday bus ain't going to happen!
And I can't walk 26 Kms, double today. My feet may cope- maybe- but my back and shoulders wouldn't. But I've consulted the map and can cheat by staying on the road more.
So as long as I take the right roads it could be 20 Kms. I'll report in! Unfortunately rain is predicted.

28/6. It rained. Heavy wet rain. So I got the bus!
I have not taken advice given to me by locals several times and regretted it, so when told by the hotel staff that the bus stop was the one outside the hotel I didn't know what to do as the on- line stop was down the road on the main rd. I vacillated, then decided yet again not to listen and went to the online bus stop. Selfishly I had a quick prayer that the one and only bus for the day would come- and it did! Oh joy!
And it went no where near the hotel bus stop!!!
I dropped my pack off at the guesthouse and went back up to the main park area of Plymouth above the harbour where there was an Armed Services Day on, with Marching Bands, and then bands. It was showery and cold. I had a bit of a look at the Mayflower Steps are ( where the Founding Fathers and the ships left from).
However my foot was bothering me so I came back early and ate junk food. Lovely.
So - tomorrow I am getting the bus back to Portwrinkle - and walking the last 26 kms into Plymouth - with a pack of maybe 3 kgs!! won't know myself, but am expecting to be shattered. Luckily there's a chip shop 100m away so I won't be walking far .

29/6. Day 37. Day 30 of walking. Completed 700 kms of the 1041 walk. (134 by bus)
Well I did it, without to much difficulty or pain. Took. Bit over 5 hrs to do the 26 kms, as some of it was on the road, other bits on decent tracks.
The first part was of no interest, then it hit a nice headland with the remains of a 14C chapel to St Michael, then used as a guide for fisherman. Then the path went through 2 little villages then into a lovely county park which used to belong to a stately manor ( Edgecumbe) with beautiful gardens, follies, gates, monuments etc. I finally got to the ferry and crossed to Plymouth. I then took a wrong turn and walked 2-3 kms that needed to be back tracked to get around a big Naval Store. Oh bother!
So now I'be finished. Could maybe have done more if I didn't have the heavy pack, but my foot has not healed, and I was hobbling in my sandals to go 100m down the road to get dinner ( hamburger and chips)
I actually had a chat with a guy today - last day- while walking.

So now time to recover, hopefully get some sun, read some books and rest
Tomorrow I'll try and get on a tour of the Naval Citadel base and there is a stately house to walk to the next day.
I thought about going to the local theatre which currently has 'Dirty Dancing' on, but it's not bargain priced so won't bother.
The weather should be nice for the rest of the week hopefully.

Well hope these notes have been of interest even if you aren't jealous and signing up to come over and do the walk yourselves!!!
The 2 big things I've learnt are- the walk is not suitable for carrying your pack, organise luggage transfers so you can enjoy the walk not just endure it. And do it with a friend!!!