Sensibly Although A Little Reluctantly
Sometimes the best things are not planned.
They just happen.
Like when an afternoon out in a north Cornwall town turns into a spectacular walk along the cliff tops on the South West Coast Path.
Not a long walk, I should add. Not like the old days, when my body was able to work well without too much thought and effort.
No, this was probably no more than about 5 or 6 miles in length.
And no more than a few hours of relatively relaxed walking, with plenty of stops to admire the views and to climb down to visit some of the hidden little beaches.
And climb back up again, of course.
But a wonderful way to spend a sunny May weekday afternoon when we had nothing really planned.
Starting from Bude and finding the path along to Summerleaze beach and the rather empty Sea Pool, we walked over the gentle hills and down to Crooklets Beach. Up again, this time into National Trust property, Maer Cliffs, we took a beautiful grass path along the cliff tops with stunning views out over Bude Bay and looked down on the rather wonderfully named Vinegar Cove and some incredible beaches. We headed back down, this time into Northcott Mouth, with a quiet beach and a lovely little tea room (well, converted horse box) in the middle of nowhere.
Feeling the urge to keep walking, we then started to tackle the serious climbs (marked in red on the official website and labelled as “challenging walks”, not that we knew it at the time) which really took me back to some of our old adventures. Past Menachurch Point, with one of the few benches on this walk (no thought given for those that need to rest, apparently) and then over some beautiful grassy hills. We walked through a wild and rather appealing camp site and then through fields full of sheep, many of which were rather precariously hanging on to the top of the cliffs, seemingly oblivious to what lay a few steps behind them. Another steep decline took us down to an isolated pub and then a further challenging, rocky path down to Sandymouth Bay beach. Which proved to be an anomaly of sorts as there was no sand that I could see, but it was stunning and quiet and very warm.
Positively Mediterranean in many ways.
We took a break here and, sensibly although a little reluctantly, decided to turn around and head back.
I didn't want to push things too much. I was reminded that only a few months before I was using a walking stick and could barely get out of the house. Things have improved massively and to be able to walk up and down cliffs on such a spectacular coastal path was something I had feared was in the past.
So that was to be celebrated.
As was the joy of spontanaity. something I have written about here before. Just doing things that feel right at the time.
And pushing yourself to go and do just a little more than you think you can.
