I’d popped to the beach in
Porth and while not deliberately scouting for run routes, I’d spotted the
coastal path while lazing around on the beach. It seemed a shame to come to
Cornwall and not take advantage of the opportunity for a bit of off-road
running. Besides, there might be an opportunity for some Cornish ice cream at
some point along the route …
I’d meant to start early but
that didn't happen as there was an unexpected chance for a holiday lie-in.
Lie-ins are few and far between for me so I pulled the duvet over my head and
finally got my trainers and kit on about 10am after drinking a lot of water, a
coffee and a big bowl of cornflakes. The day was going to be a hot one and I
didn’t really want to have to carry water with me.
I started from the car park
by the beach and ran up the hill on the pavement for about 200 metres – almost
the only part of my route that was on a paved path. I crossed in front of a
refreshments hut and onto a sandy path bordered by smooth rabbit-nibbled turf.
It was beautiful and the
views were straight from a holiday brochure. I ran too fast for the first part
but it was so much fun and knowing that I didn't have a time limit for my run
made it all the better. Usually I have to fit my runs into a lunch hour at work
or before everyone’s tea or bedtimes. It was bliss knowing I could run for as
long - or as short! – as I wanted to.
There was an iron-age fort
on the point so I ran over the bridge and up to the top of the island and down
to the end. I couldn’t help it. I stopped and looked at the views and the sea
crashing around the rocks. It was beautiful.
I followed the path up the
hill past the hotels and following the line of the coast. A lot of walkers were
out and all were pretty friendly and most greeted me and got out of the way
when they saw a runner coming by stepping off of the path or moving to one
side. In most places the path was only wide enough for one person – and at some
points hardly that so it was most appreciated!
There were some gorgeous
views. It was such a warm day, but clear with no mist over the hills or hiding
the views. I took a few photos but not as many as I would have liked. The sea
was a perfect bluey-green and with the sandy beaches and craggy cliffs, it
hardly looked real.
The coastal path was really
steep as the path followed the coastline and ran over the cliffs. The trail was
hard going and very damaged in places. I had to watch my step and the path was
often very deep and rutted. Other places the path was paved or maintained
gravel. It differed very much over the double 9 miles. Even with the heat,
there were still muddy patches. The hardest parts were the natural stone steps
going up and down the cliff sides but there was no chance for getting bored of
the path or scenery at any point.
Coming in towards Watergate
Bay the path disappeared and I had run down the main road for about 100 metres.
The path wasn’t clearly marked and there wasn’t a pavement which wasn’t great
as there were a fair amount of cars coming down the road on both sides. It was
difficult to re-find the coastal path even though I’d checked the satellite
maps previously and knew the markers to look out for (Car park on right, villas
on left). I went up the road too far and had to re-trace my steps.
I found a nice beach in
Trenance after about 5.5 miles and spotted an ice cream shop. It seemed silly
to pass up such a good opportunity so I stopped. I decided on a scoop of the
apple crumble flavoured ice cream and a scoop of the orange fudge with chocolate
bits in. It was delicious and I made a mental note to return at some point for
more ice cream. Had a chat to an elderly couple who were staying down here for
a month from Manchester. Had to stifle my jealousy. Just think how many miles I
could do in this gorgeous area if I had a month’s worth of running!
I had to run across the
sandy beach and up Bedruthan Steps to rejoin the path. It felt strange to be
out in the middle of the day dashing across the beach past all of these people
in swimming trunks and bikinis! I’d rather be running than lying on the beach.
My knee started playing up
at about mile 6. It hurt when I walked or after I stopped for any reason but
when I ran on it, it seemed to improve and didn't hurt at all. Obviously not
something I could maintain indefinitely though and it became a pain when I had
to let people pass on the path or go through a gate.
Ran on and decided would
make run up to 18 miles - the long run I'd had to miss because of my cold last
week. I went past an estuary at Craigmorrick at mile 8.5 and decided I would
turn around at the top of the opposite hill to have a nice downhill as my
return run.
My knee really starting to
play up and every time I had to pause – to tie my shoelaces, to take a photo or
go up steps it started really throbbing and felt weak and wobbly. After about
10 steps of running, the pain eased but it was very sore when I started running
or walked.
I spotted an ice cream van
on top of one of the cliffs and stopped for a coke and just sat and enjoyed the
view. I just couldn’t get over how gorgeous it was. I wasn’t even finished yet,
but already it was one of my favourite runs ever.
I was meeting everyone else
at the beach and got a call when I was about 2 miles from my finish point to
say I'd passed them all at the last bay! Whoops! Would have waved if I’d known!
I had meant to run back around the iron age fort but decided that I shouldn't
really aggravate the knee any more than necessary so I ran straight back to the
starting point and had a well deserved cold drink.
Got back and realised I
hadn’t been quite as careful with the sun cream as I’d meant to be. I was
burned in all places open to the sunshine today from the run. The weather had
felt hot but not burning hot but it obviously was as I now looked as though I
still had my running gear on. White, outlined in red! Not a good look.
Stats
Distance: 17.35
mi
Time: 3:21:26
Avg Pace: 11:37
min/mi
Elevation Gain: 2,390 ft
Calories: 1,666
C
Timing
Time: 3:21:26
Moving Time: 3:13:50
Elapsed Time: 4:06:12
Avg Pace: 11:37
min/mi
Avg Moving Pace: 11:10 min/mi
Best Pace: 4:05
min/mi
Elevation
Elevation Gain: 2,390 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,375 ft
Min Elevation: 6 ft
Max
Elevation: 278 ft
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