Important Info

Planned kilometres: 24 (cummulative 146)

Kilometres walked: 25 (cummulative 151)

% Completed (based on 1800km trip): 8.4%

Weather: Overcast, drizzle and sun

Pubs visited: The Old Inn, The Masons Arms

Pints: 7 (cummulative 22)

Kms per pint: 6.9

Blisters: 0 (cummulative 2)

 

Bodmin to Camelford

 

The first thing I did today was go through my pack and try and reduce its weight. After 1 week of walking I now have a better idea of what I need, so a couple of kilos of clothes (jeans, belt, shirt, pair of shorts) and maps got binned. I went through the next weeks maps and plotted my route and then ripped off any areas of the map not required. This was just getting prepared for the hilly areas that I am going to walk through this week.

 

The start of todays walk was on a bridleway called the Camel Trail. The Camel Trail follows old railway lines (tracks are gone), so the path was flat and well maintained so made an easy walk for the first couple of hours. As I started walking the trail a group of 8 horse riders were going past me and as they did a couple of dirt bikes roared along a higher trail and spooked all the horses and after days on the road, my first incident was nearly getting run over by a horse. Every rider was so apologetic, and I got an apology from every rider as I think it was a shock to them also.

The trail went past a massive abandoned China Clay Dry that is now being reclaimed by nature. This massive building was a surprising site in the middle of the forest.

Once the Camel trail finished it was into the hills and my lunch stop at The Old Inn in St Breward. Someone in town has an interesting garden ornament collection and obviously they have another problem that a couple of signs are trying to resolve.

I also came across my first ford today and from a distance wondered how I was going to get across without getting to wet. When I got closer I was relieved to find a nice little bridge on the side.

Photos shows the state of some of the gates on the path. The first has had multiple temporary rope repairs and the second one is falling apart and is in the middle of the path, however you can just walk around both sides.

When I got to the Silvermoon B&B in Camelford, the owner Jenny suggested The Mason Arms for dinner, so I went back into town for a quick dinner and a pint. That quick pint turned into seven and I had a great time with some of the locals (Hooper & Dave) and the owners (Kate & Alan). Hooper is the biggest dog I have ever seen in a pub and was a shock when you walk through the door and have to step over this massive living rug. Hooper is a Newfoundland and Dave said last time he was weighed he was 75kgs but has put on a couple of kilos since then.

Kate and Allan only took over the pub in February and I’m sure they will make a great success of it, as the hospitality they showed me was amazing. I asked Alan about buying a pint glass as a souvenir to post back to London. Alan then proceeded to get 6 different pint glasses (different Cornish beers) and 4 bar runners and then him and Kate proceeded to bubble wrap then and put them into a box for me to ship. They also made me a packed lunch for my trip today. They have made my stay in Camelford a very memorable one that I will remember when drinking out of the pint glasses when back home.

This morning at the Silvermoon B&B, the owner Jenny has said she will pay for posting the box back to London for me as I paid a lot for the room (no single person price).

The people of Cornwall have been incredibly welcoming and friendly, and this has helped make the trip very enjoyable.