Day 86: Camelford to St Breock Downs (Wadebridge)
📏 Distance: 17.6 miles (28.32 km)
🌤️ Weather: Warm, overcast, humid – with teasing drizzle in the morning
⏰ Start: 09:10 | Finish: 16:00
This morning couldn’t quite make up its mind – to drizzle or not to drizzle. Eventually, I gambled on the sky clearing and peeled off the waterproofs. A good decision. Walking without the clammy layers was far more comfortable, and I was able to make decent progress.
Setting off from the campsite, the route was easy walking on country lanes until I found myself confronted by a busy main road – not ideal. My only alternative was the footpath, which, as is often the case, presented its own unique set of challenges.
First up: a towering stile hidden beneath a hedge with barely any headroom. Getting over that took some manoeuvring, but the real test came next – a stone wall stile topped with thick hedge growth. The stone steps were there, but I had to crawl on hands and knees to squeeze through the low gap above. It felt more like an obstacle course than a walking path! Fortunately after that the path improved – and a conveniently open gate saved me from tackling another stile entirely.
This led me into the charming village of St Tudy, where I stopped for my coffee break. As I sat quietly, a couple of locals approached, checking if I was alright – a kind gesture but I was happy to report all was well.
From there, it was onward to Wadebridge, where the town market was bustling with life. After a wander through town it was time for a steady climb up to St Breock Downs, where Adam was meeting me. We visited an impressive Monolith Stone, believed to date back to between 2500 and 1500 BC, then arrived at the campsite, to be greeted warmly by Kirsty and Chris.
Tomorrow: onward to Victoria, not far from St Austell.
