Morning Has Broken

LETJOG – Day 1: Tuesday 18 May – LAND’S END to HAYLE (21 miles)

First, another thank you to Philip and Carenza, my hosts of last night. I thought that my suggestion of an early start today might cause havoc in the Wilton household, but after emerging into their kitchen at 7 am, my guilt soon dissipated as Carenza returned from her daily sea swim. Craziness in the outdoors comes in many guises!

Well, I can’t quite believe that this day has come. There’s a certain irony, perhaps, in the fact that it has taken all these times of huge restrictions on everyday life for me to train and to plan for LETJOG, and so to seek fulfilment of this personal ambition, as I can safely say that I wouldn’t be doing this walk if things had carried on ‘as normal’.

But Cornwall, at least the landscape, doesn’t change, and thankfully so. What a wonderful part of the country to start out, on what will hopefully be an epic hike! And the weather smiled upon us – the forecast rain didn’t arrive until mid-afternoon, and then only for an hour – allowing us all the necessary photos at the Land’s End signpost, with just the endless sea and sky as a backdrop. We hailed St Piran and headed north east through beautiful Sennen Cove.

Around 21 miles saw Philip and I, via the welcoming folk at the Cornish Crown Brewery in Badgers Cross, arriving in Hayle, and so to our overnight at the aptly-named Mad Hatter B&B. Dinner at the nearby Cornubia pub and an early night. We are on our way!