South West Coastal Path 2015 Day 24

Thursday 17^th September 2015

After a broken sleep caused by another hosteler's snoring, I was up and away before 8.

I made great progress in the morning, passing by the half-way point of the walk and its monument at Porthallow.

I was at Gillan harbour by 11, but I had to wait for 2 hours for the tide to get low enough for me to wade across.
 

I then got the ferry to Helford Passage and walked to the bus stop to arrive at 2:25; the timetable there informed me that the buses were meant to arrive at 2:15 and then 3:15.  A local said I could start walking down the road, as this was a dead end and the bus had to come up, turn around and go back, so if I passed it going the other way all I would have to do is stop and wait at the next stop for it to come back.  The problem was that there was a side road that the bus route was on, and I was unaware of this.  I carried on past that side road for several kilometres into the countryside, never seeing a bus going in the opposite direction, so I realised I had done something wrong.  I retracted my steps to Mawnan Smith, having missed the 4:25 bus.  Finally, I caught one at 5:20 into Falmouth.  With all that extra walking I ended up doing, I should have just stayed on the coastal path and be done with it.  Out for a cider and squash pie for dinner.

Day 25