Bude to Boscastle

We left the hostel after breakfast, out into a brisk clear morning, and walked the short distance into the town centre to regain the path. We walked along the canal, and across the lock which connected the canal to the sea. From here we followed rolling grasslands along the coast until the beach at Widemouth Sand.

By this point the sun had come out, and the day had warmed up. After crossing the beach we climbed up and traversed along rural farmland, between the fields and the cliffs.

At some point we passed a bench with distance markers set into the legs. Poole was now only 500 miles away!

Along this section there were many valleys, with steep descent followed by the inevitable ascent. This day has one of the highest amounts of ascent on the Coast path, mainly due to the number and depth of these valleys that are crossed.

We stopped on the beach for some lunch at Crackington Haven, and watched the surfers. We then continued onto Boscastle, which was more of the same accompanied by a wonderful autumnal light, with the low sun bouncing off the sea and clouds.

We arrived at the youth hostel, and the lovely lady at reception upgraded us from separate dormitories to a private room. We went to the pub for the evening, for a hearty meal and Cornish ale. It was quite lively for a Sunday, as a wedding party provided some rousing songs for everyone’s entertainment.