Newquay to Perranporth – Back to Beautiful Beaches

Yesterday, I went to the launderette and cleaned my clothes and sleeping bag. I got the tarp, groundsheet and inflatable mattress out in my hotel room and dried and cleaned the lot with cheaply bought kitchen roll.

Inflatable mattress? I know, I know, I know. I’ve put in writing that mattresses when you’re camping are for soft, southern bedwetters. Well here goes, I’m eating jellied eels and my pyjama bottoms feel warm and wet. Happy now?

I packed last night, checked the tide tables and selected a route where you can still get across The Gannel at high tide, being the tidal estuary south of Newquay. I crossed three hours before high tide, all was good, and the weather was cool but sunny. Perfect for walking.

I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything so I headed down the estuary and cut up the coastal hillside to Crantock, where I found the Jam Jar cafe. You may have gathered that I am tone deaf to some of the more sensitive issues coveted by people who are born more recently. So when I see Brioche Bacon Bap I think, what a load of crap. Give me white, sliced bread and fatty bacon any day of the week. I couldn’t even see White Coffee on the menu so I had to order a Flat White. What a load of crap.

And it was great! The coffee was so good I had two! The Brioche Bacon Bun Bollocks was fantastic.

Walking along the ridge above the estuary Newquay looked great.

It isn’t all great. Sadly it’s blighted by the same problems as Scarborough, Brid, Blackpool and Bideford. Unemployment, holiday homes, penny arcades etc. etc.

Looking northwards the cliffs beyond Newquay, up as far as Padstow, were clear as a bell.

Walking round the many headlands the beaches in between were beautiful.

These beaches are close to tourist centres but are fairly empty this year, and probably it is the time of year too. The locals who live off tourism are worried that the Brits are abandoning staycation and returning to the Mediterranean. Probably not helped by the ruthless overcharging by UK holiday home owners during and since covid. Hey ho! Everybody does it, don’t they Tesco, Sky, Direct Line. Tesco! Families can’t feed their kids properly and Tesco are squirrelling record profits for shareholders.

What’s Trotsky up to nowadays? Has he got that ice axe out of his head yet? Oh yep, they pulled it out!

Can he now please use it on those who rob the poor to give to the rich. The boards of UK supermarkets like Tesco, petrol companies and scammers of any kind. Thank you Leon. I support your efforts.

I’m getting closer to Lands End with each step. I needed that day off yesterday. My feet hurt now, but yesterday they really hurt.

The cliffs were quite dodgy to walk along. One slip and you’re in difficulty on some of these stretches. I felt nervous. In normal life I’m usually ok with heights, risk, rock faces, open spaces, closed spaces, men following me. Don’t know what they’re going to do to me. Vomit on me Basil says.

What an extraordinary coastline. And the weather is holding good. Hooray!

I made it to Perranporth, bought some scran at the Co-op and hiked the last couple of miles to a nice hilltop campsite. Not much to do but get in my sleeping bag, with my jacket and walking boots still on, and eat my goodies. BBQ chicken drumsticks and rice salad. Then fall asleep.

Night night.