Crackington Haven to Tintagel - Sunday 22nd April 2012
Path Facts - Length: 11 miles, Ascent: 4045 feet
Above was the view from the window just before breakfast. We breakfasted at 8.15 am in order to catch the 9.30 am bus to Crackington Haven. Missing this would have entailed waiting another 3 hours. It was pretty cold but not quite as wet as anticipated once we got going.
Arrived at CH just before 10 am, and after a few adjustments started off up towards the aptly named High Cliff at 735 feet.
Today was going to be the second highest cumulative ascent of the whole path so far at 4045 feet, so a bit of a shock to the system for day one! Soon, the distinctive shape of Tintagel Island and the square outline of Camelot Hotel came to feature on the horizon - see far right in distance in the first photo below.
There was some dramatic coastal scenery on approaching Boscastle. Some of the views today were possibly better suited for rain clouds, conjuring up images of Dark Age battles and the like.
Pentargon waterfall was impressive though views were only really available from above without approach by sea or long detour. The wind was pretty strong here and being in the vicinity of the waterfall gave a hefty amount of spray when approaching for a closer look.
We stopped for something to eat at the National Trust shop which was very good. Boscastle was just over half way point for today's walk.
Boscastle probably marks the Northern most point of places I used to visit with my family on holiday many years ago. Here is a similar view to the above from before the flood with my dad and sister (quite a bit before the flood!).
Leaving Boscastle, the fantastic rugged scenery continued.
Then we passed through the little known gem of Rocky Valley, a real surprise as we didn't know this existed.
We arrived at Tintagel about 5.30pm I think, and stopped at the imposing Camelot Castle Hotel which was near our B&B. Very plush interior for tea with oil paintings adorning the walls. The "literature" was a little strange with references to "internationally renowned artists" we hadn't heard of and some very dodgy poetry by the owner. We later found out that the hotel is owned and run by Scientologists. I think we managed to escape intact. As you can see, Andy looks normal in the photo below ;-)
Sound the trumpets!!!
A path milestone needs mentioning. According to SWCP Association, the cumulative height gain to Tintagel for the whole path up to now is... drum roll... dancing girls... big it up some more... !!!... 31,434 feet. At this point we had climbed more than Everest from sea level... and there are three more Everests to go.
Info:
Accommodation – Bosayne Guest House
Location ****
Room ***
Facilities ***
Noise ****
Food ****
Ambience ***
Price **** £60 for the room
http://www.bosayne.co.uk/
Food - The Cornishman Inn
Quality *** passable veg chillie
Price *** £8-ish
Beer
Tribute ****
Bonus Pic - The 600 Year Old "Old Post Office" (Old UK Photos)
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