Distance miles 17.82 , cumulative 1,207.41 miles, time 8hrs 25mins, walking time 6hrs 35mins, pace 2.7 mph, camped Little Bodieve campsite.
Today was our warmest day yet with bright sunshine and an eerie sea mist which drifted in and out. The switchbacks between Tintagel and Port Isaac are brutal and just keep coming one after another. We both got rather warm and a little sweaty. The cool mist when it drifted in became a welcome respite.
As we approached Port Isaac a number of walkers coming the other way asked us if we were Steve and Lynn and one young lad greeted us by saying congratulations. One group were adventure racers from Saltash and one couple Fez and Angela stopped for a chat. They were running from Port Isaac to Tintagel and trying to complete it in under 3 hours. We saw little evidence of running – it was that kind of day, very hot. It turned out our friends Bob and Kath were in Port Gaverne and had been telling walkers on the path to keep an eye out for us. We reached Gaverne to find Bob and Kath outside the pub. We joined them for a coffee and a natter. It was great to see them. Bob had taken Steve up in his plane as a retirement treat. Steve had not been confident of getting the plane off the ground but, had he been allowed, he was very confident he could have got it back down.
We said goodbye to them and we headed into Port Isaac passing the visitors on the Doc Martin ‘locations trail’ to eat our lunch sat by the slipway in the glorious sunshine.
We headed inland towards Wadebridge following country lanes until we reached Chapel Amble where we enjoyed a long cool drink at the Maltsters. We crossed a few fields re-establishing a few unused footpaths and finished the day on a busy stretch of road to the campsite, where friends John and Sam were already waiting for us and we pitched beside their tent.
We spent a very convivial evening catching up with them and enjoying the last of the sunshine. It has been great to be joined by friends during our final week. John has been keeping an eye on our house. We dread to think what state it is in – he did mention that the Council had erected ‘Herres’ fencing around it and were insisting immediate work was undertaken to make it safe.
One of Steve’s boots has split today so the priority over the next few days is get them replaced to see us through to Land’s End before they completely fall apart.
One of the joys of writing the blog has been reading your comments. If you are looking at this blog then please click on ‘comments’ and leave a few words, even if only to say hello and leave a name and where you are from. As it is our final week it would be good to hear from you. To date we know we have had 572 different people view the log so do let us know if one of them is you. Your comments have helped to motivate us and added to the joy of this adventure.
steveandlynnwalkdotcom 
Hi Steve & Lynne, we’ve been watching your progress with great interest & amazement at the distances each day! Are you going to write a book?
Met you in Laggan over a continental breakfast – we were doing the GGW. Briefly wondered about seeing you on our patch near Oldbury but your next stop was Gordano when you did 30+ miles in the day – good grief! All our best wishes for completing – we almost feel we’ve been with you via your most entertaining reports – loving it – and will miss it when your done. Not thinking of turning round and doing LEJOG at the end I suppose?! If your ever in Bristol/Thornbury area we’d love to see you…
LikeLike
Lovely to hear from you. We would love to catch up. We hope your walk went well. Steve and Lynn
LikeLike
Well this post explains Jr’s reason for missing this mornings swim session, but it does nothing to explain all the others that he’s missed. Sounds like you guys have had a really positive day despite the hot weather. The sea breeze must have been very welcome indeed. Good luck on finding a new pair of boots, until then, gaffer tape?!? Keep a look out for seals on the beach, remember they are the mammal that looks most like Jr (with a moustache). This blog is fantastic not only for reading and sharing somewhat in your experiences but also serves as a useful outlet to poke fun at uncle Jr.
Well done on all the coastal path walking. It’s tough going with all those switchbacks and I don’t fancy it with your backpacks let alone in this heatwave. That said, you guys are in the best position ever to keep churning out the miles. Remember if you stop for a cream tea you’re now in Corwall so don’t get caught doing it the Devon way otherwise they’ll throw you out off the county and you won’t complete the JOGLE.
It might be a good idea when you’re home to settle in to home living by weening yourself off of tent duties by packing away each morning and putting up of an evening. Given the squatters won’t have made room for you yet either so maybe you’ll be in the tent anyway!
LikeLike
I’ve loved reading your blog and search for it at the end of every day. It is totally inspiring and it makes me want to do something like this (not sure about Richard!) – can’t wait to catch up with you both at David Lloyd soon xxx
LikeLike
Nearly there and you do seem to have proved that hills in Devon and Cornwall are pointless in that as soon as you get to the top it is time to go down again. We have enjoyed the blog so much and the story of your journey. A great achievement it must have been all of the planning that went into it! Looking forward to meeting up on your return.
LikeLike