Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thursday, May 14 - Tintagel

Left Boscastle yesterday morning, by taxi, back to Crackington Haven for the start of our day's walk.

Ann and Adrian, our hosts at The Lower Meadows B+B is Boscastle, had left the rat race in Portsmouth and bought their B+B in Boscastle. 18 months later, Boscastle had a freak flash devastating flood that wiped out many of the foundations to many of the town's buildings, historic and otherwise. They had to close for 8 months of repairs. Rough start. (They replaced all floors with slate, in case it ever floods again.)

Once again, we started our walk inland across fields and farms and along narrow country roads and lanes. Another day of Moms and Babies - cows and sheep. We joined the coast near Highcliffs (aptly named.)

Yesterday's walk was challenging, to say the least. 6-8 good ups and downs - 2500 feet total climbing. Screaming knees. Felt like 20 miles.
(A bit of whining the last couple of miles - Hiker Ladies, you know what I mean.)

Wild ponies on our path were not in the least bit fazed by our passing them.

Big payoff at walk's end - Tintagel and the supposed legendary castle of King Arthur. Quite spectacular ruins which we plan to walk around this morning. Creepy cave below the ruins that was the home of Merlin. Atmospheric and wonderful.

Our B+B last night - The Avalon - is a standout. Best bed, by far. Best food, by far (delish French Toast, organic everything, soy milk and soy butter for me, creamy porridge for R, views to the ocean, and, best of all, we can hitch a ride with our luggage transfer taxi on to Port Isaac as knees still screaming so will forgo the 9 miles of coast path ups and downs today and do a couple of circular walks when we get to Port Isaac - we are there for 2 days.)

Dinner last night in a good little (8 tables) Italian restaurant right next door to our B+B. R had DoomBar beer - a local beer named for a particularly treacherous sandbar nearby where there have been countless shipwrecks.

Gotta go - pack up and out into this beautiful day.

New pics to come tonight (hopefully).

1 comment:

  1. Can you believe I'm just getting a chance to look at your blog? Too busy - but enjoying catching up all at once on your travels - sounds divine, even w/the creaky knees.

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