Day 88: Victoria to Coxhill
📏 Distance: 14.88 miles (23.95 km)
☀️ Weather: Warm with a cooling breeze
⏰ Start Time: 10:00 AM | Finish Time: 3:36 PM
More videos will be uploaded as soon as internet connection allows!
Last night at the campsite was one of those evenings that leaves you quietly grateful. We met two lovely couples who generously donated to Alzheimer’s Research UK—a gesture that means more than I can properly express. Huge thanks as well to the wonderful owners at Gnome World Campsite, who kindly waived the camping fee. The kindness and support I’ve encountered throughout this journey continue to humble me.
Today’s walk began from the service station where I ended yesterday. The first stretch was straightforward but ran alongside the busy A30, so the traffic noise was constant. I reached a newly constructed underpass, which allowed me to cross safely. Then I had to cross the A39—another busy road, but made it across safely
The path soon opened into quieter, sun-dappled country lanes, offering a much more peaceful and scenic change.. Around lunchtime, I stumbled upon the Callestick Dairy, and to my delight, their café offered gluten-free cream teas and even gluten-free ice cream cones! A rather unexpected, but thoroughly enjoyable lunch.
Refreshed, I carried on uphill and soon passed a local cider farm—though sadly, I had to resist temptation and keep moving toward Coxhill. Just before reaching the campsite, I discovered Wheal Busy, a small historical mining community that operated from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. Notably, this was where Thomas Newcomen trialed his first steam engine in 1725.
After the mine's closure in 1924, much of the site was repurposed during WWII for use by US troops in preparation for the D-Day landings.
But the biggest surprise of the day was still waiting.
As I arrived at the campsite, I was absolutely stunned to find my eldest son, Christopher, waiting there for me. He had made an incredibly early start from Zürich, flown into Heathrow, then taken a train to Taunton where my younger son, Jonathan, picked him up and brought him to Cornwall.
What I didn’t know was that Jonathan was here too, and along with Adam, the three of them had been secretly planning something special. They’ve booked us all a holiday cottage for Friday and Saturday night, and they’ll be walking with me tomorrow on the route to Crowntown—a 16.75-mile trek.
To say I was moved would be an understatement. Their thoughtfulness and effort to be here for the final stretch of this journey is something I’ll never forget. A huge thank you to all three of them.
This evening we had a fabulous supper in a restaurant over looking the harbour of Porthleven. Tomorrow, we all walk together.
