Easy Dilemmas: Polruan - Millendreath beach (east of Looe)

What to do? Do we carry food or eat out? And then do we cook food or just eat cold stuff? So many dilemmas when you have to carry everything on your back. Even after fourteen days of this we are still undecided. We will buy food in the shop only to throw it away later because it is too heavy to carry. So far we have discarded a can of soup, donated an unopened bag of oatmeal and my dried black beans to the backpacker hostel and left a wonderful pot jam at the B&B. Only to want all these items again very soon after. We never seem to have the right combination of foods at the same time. If we have bread we don't have anything to put on it and when we have jam we don't have anything to put it on. It is definitely easier to eat out but obviously more expensive (although perhaps not if we continue to chuck stuff away) and less flexible, as you can only eat when there is an establishment in which to do so. Whether to keep the stove and billies is also in question. We are trying to limit the amount of water we are carrying, so we frequently don't have enough to make tea once at camp and don't want to cook anything because we can't clean up. I decided last time it wasn't worth carrying a stove and I think I'm coming to the same conclusion. These are the kind of tough decisions I am making out here on the trail - isn't this great?!!

Actually finding a place to camp is a little like the food dilemma. If you see a flat spot you have to take it because if you don't there won't be another for miles and if you do there is invariably an absolutely perfect spot around the corner. That's the way it was tonight. We are camped on a beach just outside the seaside town of Looe and it's unusually unpicturesque. Behind us is the concrete remains of some kind of beach cafe and up on the cliffs are some gross holiday beach chalets. But it's flat and sandy soft, tucked away and we were desperate to stop - so here we are.

Today's stretch of the path was exceptionally beautiful, especially so because the weather was perfect. Very strenuous though, with steep descents and almost immediate ascents rising vertically up like a step ladder - continuing to irk curt. FYI - guide book says that once you have completed the SWCP you will have climbed the equivalent of Everest four times from sea level - so this path is definitely not easy. At least we don't need any oxygen.


Our path visited Polperro today (14 May) and think these pictures will show you how beautiful this little fishing village is.







Mr building inspector Curt Allen would not approve these 16th century sticks holding up this building:






I love being in this tent. I find it amazing that such a thin piece of material can feel so secure. It is such a lovely feeling to crawl in and lie down out of the wind and weather, knowing that I don't have to move again for at least the next eight hours. Only wish the sleeping bag wasn't so slippery as I spend most nights trying not to slip down to the bottom of the tent. My next invention will be a light weight sleeping bag made of non slippery material and a thermarest with one of those anti slip rug pads attached.


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