Day 6 Wet, wet, wet (and windy).

Today started off alright. I had a comfortable night in the tent and had it packed away just as the heavens opened. It stopped soon enough and I set off about nine, in the dry.

The weather soon deteriorated-a bit of rain and a lot of wind. I knew the forecast for later was pretty wet, and pretty windy so I took the road for a mile or so here and there and made good time into Portreath. I had a substantial sandwich at a spacious and not very full cafe then set off once more.

I’m not very good at setting off. It takes me a while. Today I had waterproofs on, phone put into waterproof case in pocket (unzip waterproof trousers, fiddle around with zip on pocket of trousers, take off gloves as can’t manage zip with gloves on) put gloves back on, put on waterproof overmitts, collect poles, wonder why my glasses are steamed up, realise I still have mask on, go through same pocket/zip procedure on other leg, set off. Notice strange feeling in leg with phone in pocket. Realise phone is not actually in pocket but sliding down leg. Stop, retrieve phone, start unzipping etc all over again

Once I had, at last, set off, I noticed that the rain had set in. I didn’t see much of the route to Porthtowan. I had my head down, concentrating on a) sticking to the path (dangerous cliffs and mine shafts said the sign) which was made more difficult by b) not being blown over by the wind and c) the water that was turning the path into a stream.

I haven’t been as wet as this -not when fully clothed- for a long time. I have a nasty feeling that my waterproof jacket might not be as waterproof as it was as my top half was pretty damp. My feet were wet, there was water sloshing about in my right shoe, and the front of my woolly hat, the part that kept slipping over my eyes, which was another reason I didn’t see much of the path, was also wet.

You’ll be glad to know that I’m now nice and dry, in a comfortable Airbnb, drinking a cup of herbal tea, and my wet clothes are drying over the radiator.

I only took two photos today. These roses were so beautiful, I couldn’t resist, (despite the whole zipping/unzipping thing). I had to look them up as I didn’t know what sort of rose they were -Rosa spinosissima, previously known as Rosa pimpinellifolia. Such great names. The weather forecast is better for tomorrow.