8/6/12 - (No More) Living in a Box

Distance - 5.1 Miles
Geocaches - 3 Found, 3 Not so Found
Walk from - Country Walking Magazine

Yesterday
Regular blogfans will know my wheel related dramas on this holiday.  Having lost one front tyre on Sunday, I asked Kwik Fit to check out the other one.  400 miles on it they said.  I had a look on Tuesday and ran my hand on the inside of the tyre and felt the whole tread coming away in my hand.  New tyres were ordered for Thursday, so I literally just make it over the line in St Austell after my Mevagissey walk when this one goes - limping into Kwik Fit with one dead tyre and a punctured spare.

The news ones are due at 11am. At 4:30 pm, I have had them fitted.  If you ever want to study humanity close up - spend the best part of 5 hours in Kwik Fit.  I had the pleasure of the Golightly family for 2 hours, who went from all out family rows to taking the pee out of the harassed Kwik Fit man in the wink of an eye. 

I have also worked out what is wrong with Kwik Fits model.  They need a receptionist.  One bloke spent all day running to answer the phone and then back to his job.  Not surprising mistakes are made.

5 Hours in St Austell is not an experience I want to recreate to be honest.

Get home for the Storm.  Its bad enough for the Readings to head on home.  Its bad enough for the Onions to batten down the hatches and lock themselevs in with a DVD.

We have to make our own entertainment in our shaky shack.  Reteach Sonia Crib.  How do we start she says?  We have to get 31, I reply.  She stares at her cards for 10 minutes and then says that she doesn't have a 31.

Its going to be a long, long night.  But at least I have Stella and Wine.  We then take turns to pick our favourite tunes.  I start with the Black Keys.  Sonia's go.  She knocks it up two to Blur.

Its going to be a long, long night.  After a bit of TV, we go to bed.  Mainly to listen to the gales.  There is a cup by the side of my bed and its shakes like an approaching dinosaur from Jurassic Park is coming.

It was a long, long night. 

The Walk

Pentewan - Black Head

This is a cracking walk.  We park up at Ropehaven Nature reserve and make the choice to do the inland based park first.  Head downhill to the few house at Trenarren and instantly get into a discussion with the land owner about rights of way.  He said "there has been some discussion about them" and tells us that the path past his house is not a ROW.  He is wrong, as I have GPS and OS maps and its clearly marked.  Still, he points out the alternative.  On paper, its great but at GZ, its leaves Sonia less than impressed.

Where's the Sythe?

The posse from Trevithick wade through the undergrowth and get to the farm called Trevissick.  Again, we are met with a wall of nettles, so take the farm track to meet the Pentewan Road.  1st Cache of the day is a familar one to us.

At Pentewan, we meet the coast back and then have a superb rollercoaster of a route.  Pick up cache two down by the rockface overlooking the sea.

Gonna miss the SWC Path next week

Highlight of the walk is at Hallane Mill, which is right on the beach.  After a discussion about how they get their shopping delivered, we aim for a cache but are thwarted by high tide.  Never, mind, we continue on to Black Head. 

Tide is High, record a DNF

This is a fine headland, two caches here.  First, I am convinced has gone.  It hasn't been found for a while and surely somewhere as popular as this would have many fines.  Next one is right out at the end of the headland.  I go with the dog and get closer and closer to the sea.  With the wind and a dog that will follow me anywhere, I decide to call off the hunt and return to Sonia, who has been crouching low to avoid being blown off.

Monumnet to a DNF near GZ.

Then its a quick return through Ropehaven Nature Reserve.  Ask Sonia if she has enjoyed it.  She described it as Challenging.  To keep the numbers even, there is a drive by cache 200 yards from where we parked. 

The Final Afternoon
Weather forecast has been spot on.  Around 10am, we had blue skies.  Knocked on the Onions Storm Shelter and told them it was safe to come out.  Their field is strangely empty.  We decide on Fowey for a walk around, pub lunch, ice creams and the like.  Final look at the sea on Par Beach.

That just leaves the left overs to demolish before our return home tomorrow.