After bidding farewell to our new friend Geoff the cat, we set off on our third day of hiking. We walked back through the town and out to the coast with our first stop of the day at Cape Cornwall headland. Whilst snacking we spotted a red-billed Cornish chough. The natural return of these birds to Cornwall in 2001 was a big deal for the locals!

We continued on at what we described as a ‘pasty pace’. This is the speed you go at when you know you’re going to having pasties for lunch. The terrain was relatively flat meaning we could cover a bit more ground, but still get very sweaty on the exposed track.

We reached Sennen Cove for lunch and we were very pleased to find not only delicious pasties, but cold drinks and ice creams! The pasties were such a hit that we all bought an extra one to carry and have for dinner that night.

After lunch had settled, we found a great spot to swim in the harbour where you could get out of the water without ever having to get covered in sand. Chris’ dream! It was also at that point where we spotted just how dusty we were getting based on the sock line on Harriette’s legs.

After a long lunch break we headed off to Land’s End at a leisurely pace. After being on the quiet coastline it was a bit of a shock to hit such a touristy spot. Land’s End was packed with people eager to get photos of the cliffs, and later the sunset. So we hurried on to find peace again!

After watching the most incredible sunset on the cliffs south of Land’s End (while eating our second round of pasties for the day), we decided this might be a good opportunity to sleep under the stars. Although Harriette’s anxiety did mean that she convinced herself she might sleepwalk off the cliff, despite never sleepwalking at any other time…

We spent the night ‘cowboy camping’ with just our tent footprint on the ground, our sleeping mats, and our sleeping bags. Luckily it was a warm, dry night, and the view of the stars was incredible. We saw so many shooting stars and satellites tracking across the sky.

Up bright and early for day four of hiking, we packed and made our way down to a stream where we could get water for breakfast. It wasn’t long after that we reached the not-so-secret Nanjizal Beach

We had arrived while the tide was still on its way out so what else to do but to have a second round of coffees and filter some fresh water (with a delicious green tint).

Once the tide had retreated sufficiently we were able to swim at this amazing secluded spot between the rocks. There was also a great cave for exploring!

After a refreshing morning dip we continued on our way. Harriette wasn’t feeling great (possibly heatstroke or a serious lack of sleep for fear of sleepwalking) so we were aiming for a shorter walk to Treen Campsite as we had heard they kept spots aside for hikers.

Lunch was conveniently another round of pasties at Porthgwarra Beach. From there we carried on toward the Minack Theatre. Unfortunately we weren’t able to visit the theatre as they had shows on that day. Instead we joyfully had to walk down the most ridiculous steep steps to Porthcurno Beach. Not our favourite part of the day, that’s for certain.

After walking down to Porthcurno we walked straight back up the hill to Treen Campsite, arriving about 3pm. We were delighted to find that not only did they have room for us, they also had cold beers in the fridge for sale, and a pizza truck coming later that evening! As we’d arrived so early it meant Harriette could have a quick kip while the rest of the team scrambled back down to the beach for another swim.

We had a lovely evening at Treen Campsite and would highly recommend it to anyone hiking in that part of the world!

Then it was day five, our final day on the trail! Another early start as today would be our longest day of hiking and we wanted to enjoy the spots along the way. After coffee and peppermint tea, and a breakfast of the last of our lunch food as we ran out of oats (wraps with peanut butter, tomato paste, and pretzels – don’t judge us it tastes better than it sounds) we were on the way by 8.

It was much nicer walking in the slightly cooler morning, particularly as the start of our hike included one awful long steep climb that would’ve been much less fun in the full heat of the sun. It didn’t take long to heat up however, so we stopped for the first swim of the day at Lamorna Cove Beach.

After the swim a new goal was set of reaching Mousehole for another dip, then to get to S. Jelberts for ice cream before they closed! This certainly buoyed us on! That and finding the first section of green trees and shade that we’d had on the trail. It was like reaching an oasis alongside a stream.

It wasn’t long after that we reached the end of the track and hit the pavements. It was sad to say farewell to the peace and quiet but a treat to get some fresh fruit and veggies when we arrived in Mousehole.

There was a little festival happening in Mousehole when we arrived, with a sandcastle competition (someone had made a pasty sandcastle), treasure hunt, and all sorts of other fun and games. It was the perfect spot to stop for lunch and another dip.

After lunch we hit the pavements and made our way to S.Jelberts for what is hands down some of the best ice cream we’ve ever had. They only have the one flavour (a delicious malty vanilla) and the option is whether or you not you want to add clotted cream. We highly recommend that you do!

After a slightly painful walk through to Penzance we finally made it to Ponsandane Campsite which was only open for summer. It was essentially a paddock next to the motorway but they were friendly, and it was also next to Tesco so the boys went on a mission to get dinner.

The next day we packed up our tents one final time. The team at the campsite kindly offered to watch our bags so that we could go exploring for the day before catching an evening train. Not long after, Harry realised our train had been cancelled and so we adjusted our plans to ensure we’d be back in time.

We started with a delicious brunch at 45 Queen Street cafe with friends of Harry and V, then visited St Michael’s Mount (taking the open air bus there no less) before returning to the campsite to pick up our bags via Tesco to get some train snacks.

Unfortunately when we reached the train station we discovered the new train had been cancelled and we were stuck taking a seven hour journey back to Londom via Bristol. Fortunately we managed to get a table on every leg of the journey so played a million rounds of 500 and Monopoly Deal.

It was an amazing trip even with the scorching heat. And such a fun experience to share with Chris’ family! We’re looking forward to a slight change of temperature when we take on the West Highland Way in Scotland during the next leg of our journey.