Cornwall Weekend – May 1998
The first day of May saw sixteen Explorers gather at the Union all looking forward to a long weekend away in north Cornwall. We were surprised that the minibus with Sam (official club faffer) at the helm arrived just 50 minutes late, this being "on time" by his standards. Once out of Bristol the low cloud lifted to provide a glorious clear evening, a taste of things to come.
By the time we reached Tintagel campsite it was dark, but the group in the other minibus had already pitched their tents. They had done so in the least sheltered part of the campsite, clearly determined to fly in the face of common sense. Unimpressed with the look of my sleeping accommodation, a force II tent, Ben and I set about the important business of locating the nearest Public House. Although the landlord had no intention of closing at 11:30, we somewhat reluctantly headed back to the campsite. The first night proved to be extremely cold and windy, with the less-than-ideal tent threatening to take off repeatedly. I would not advise anybody to sleep in a Force II tent by choice.
An odd formation called the `Cheesewring' which we found on
Bodmin Moor.
Following breakfast on Saturday, one group headed off to do some coastal walking despite the strong winds. The rest of us went inland to Bodmin Moor, where we proceeded to walk round in circles under Dave's expert leadership. After driving to the village of Minions we found the right path. Our route took in three stone circles known as the hurlers, a geological oddity called the Cheesewring and an abandoned tin mine engine house. We didn't see the elusive beast of Bodmin Moor but the weather had been great, a good excuse to sample some Cornish ice cream. The mad rush for the showers when we got back was followed by preparations for the slop which went down very well with everybody.
Cornish pasties and a well earned break at Boscastle.
Next day we split into two groups again: one drove to Boscastle and walked back to Tintagel whilst the walked to Tintagel and drove back. I joined the latter group and headed towards the remains of Tintagel Castle, the legendary home of King Arthur. There were great views from the coastal path all the way to the harbour at Boscastle, from sandy bays to sheer cliff faces. We passed the other group en route, exchanged keys as planned. After Cornish pasties all round we drove to the beach at Trebarwith and soaked up the sun. The hardier (or more foolish?) members of the group went for a swim in the decidedly chilly waters, later claiming that it was a pleasant dip; their Goosebumps and chattering teeth told a rather different story!
A group of hardened Explorers decide to spend the afternoon
on a quiet boat trip around the harbour!
I woke up fresh and invigorated on Monday morning, the wind having died down enough to let me sleep. Andy Fletcher prepared the porridge which tasted unusually good. This was the last time that Sam's nutorious uncontrollable gas was released (a reference to the camp equipment of course), a relief to all those within a two mile radius of the campsite. We then drove down to Looe on the south coast, where I joined Kate's group going on a coastal walk to the picturesque village of Polperro. We arrived in time for a boat trip around the harbour area followed by a cream tea - really pushing ourselves to the limit again! We joined the less energetic Explorers who had spent the day eating pasties and chips, back in Looe, and so another enjoyable trip drew to a close. The weekend had something for everybody: sun, the sea, plenty of local fayre, and, yes, even walking.
This web page was created by Emily Foulkes from a HikUp writeup by Simon Field.
All photos by Dan Towner.