93 – St Ives to Reskajeage

/ sebastiansswagger

Distance: 13km

Steps: 13,634


“Certifiably bonkers” Duncan would say.

I sit here updating my blog, snug in my basha in the woods east of Coombe. It’s pouring heavens hard with rain and whilst a lot of my kit did get drenched, my sleeping bag, bivi and clean clothes all stayed dry in their roll-top sacks.

My biggest enemy is going to be boredom. It’s 5:00pm now. Once my blog is up to date, what’s to keep me occupied until 6:00am tomorrow? I don’t really see me sleeping for 12 hours. Should have brought my knitting 😜

I stayed last night in the Cohort Hostel in St Ives, a really cool place run by really nice people.


Here also l met Ben, my walking buddy for today. Yesterday was his birthday.

Ben and l got the 10:25am service from St Ives,  changing at St Erth on our 15 minute journey to Hayle. Thereby saving a 5km detour to cross the River Hayle estuary. It can allegedly be waded at low tide but nobody knew exactly where and l didn’t see any locals paddling.

The path follows along a dismantled railway for 400 metres then crosses some water via a never-to-work-again swing bridge. We walked up a sandy road between buildings to reach The Towans, a nicely presented community of chalets and bungalows. Reaching the end of these we have in prospect 5km of dunes with signage relevant to the fencing contractor, not helpful to walkers. We navigated mainly using the electricity pylons as a handrail.

The weather was beginning to look a bit murky so Ben and I said our farewells. Ben returned to Hayle via the footpath beside the Beachside Leisure Park. I set off back into the dunes. I lost the trail and emerged at Loggans from where I headed to Gwithian, as directed by friendly tractor driver.

I feasted on peanuts and crisps at the Red River Inn (kitchen closed) then swiftly moved on. The storm broke, so in lashing wind and rain I reached Hell’s Mouth Cove.


The cafe was open and I sheltered there a while, telling my tale to the owner Steve Morris, formerly of St Albans (AVNM).


For a few minutes the wind dropped so I pressed on. But the weather returned with a vengeance and by Deadman’s Cove I’d had enough so I turned inland to seek shelter.