D141: BOSCASTLE to BUDE
Sunday 15th September 2024
Today miles: 17.2 Total miles: 2314.4
During my last night at Dolphin Backpackers I had company in my room. The solo female also had a large backpack and I would have liked to have chatted with her about her walking exploits. She seemed a little bit wary (or possibly shy) so I decided to leave her to her own thoughts. The first Sunday bus left Tintagel around 9am and it was closer to 10am by the time I arrived in Boscastle. After arriving I immediately crossed the bridge over Valency River and then climbed the ninety nine metres up onto Pennally Hill. I managed to catch a view of the village harbour, at low tide, before crossing the smooth grassy hill top. It’s a cruisy two mile walk before another steep ascent up onto the appropriately named High Cliff, at over two hundred and twenty metres high. A short time later I spotted several dark spots on the side of the next hill, close to the path and I wondered what the patches were. Twenty minutes later I found myself walking through a large herd of around thirty wild goats. They didn’t seem particularly bothered by my presence and they just sat there as I walked by.
I arrived at Crackington Haven around lunchtime so took the opportunity to grab some lunch from the small local store. After Crackington Haven there’s a huge climb to deal with, one of the steepest and longest I’d experienced so far on the South West coastal path. It’s around five miles to Widemouth Bay and I could see the town, far away in the distance. There’s a trig point at Dizzard Point and I enjoy another quick break. As I sat down looking skywards I could see that dark clouds were gathering and rain is likely in the next few hours. On arrival near Widemouth I decided not to visit the town but instead walked the half mile along Widemouth Beach.
There’s a small ‘Tumulus’ half a mile North of Widemouth Sand. I’ve seen these ‘Tumulus’ marked on British maps several times. The word signifies that there’s an ancient burial mound located in the area. The ‘Tumulus’ is a mound of earth and stone constructed over a grave site. The mound which I walked over wasn’t huge and it didn’t stand out particularly in the hilly landscape. Thousands of people have probably walk over this mound without even realising what it is and what is lying beneath the ground. For the next three miles towards Bude I would switch between walking along the minor road and the cliff top. The light rain started about a mile from my destination and would continue to fall all the way to Bude. By the time I reached my hotel it was properly chucking it down.
I’ve been walking for nine days without a break and I’m looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. I’ve booked into the Bude Premier Inn for two days and the hotel is thankfully located right on the path.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 