Day 2: St Austell to Plymouth

Heavy rain is no problem with decent waterproofs, which will keep you dry all day. Unfortunately I only have half-decent waterproofs, so I was only dry for the first half of today. It bucketed down with rain incessantly, so by one o'clock I was soaking wet.


Still, I got the authentic Cornish experience - fishing-village scenery, cream tea, trenchfoot - and had scenic experiences in Fowey, Polperro (picture) and Looe.

And a great many near-invisible experiences, my glasses spending most of the day in that irritating mix of steamed up but also spattered with rain.

I spent two hours in coffee shops in the early afternoon, waiting in vain for the rain to ease up. The first time in my life I've had time off in Looe.


The ferry from Torpoint (Cornwall) to Plymouth (Devon, picture) is on chains, a floating-bridge affair a bit like the Woolwich Ferry. It's free for pedestrians and cyclists; other users pay a small toll, but only eastwards, ie only to escape Cornwall.

Not nearly as many miles as I'd hoped, but given the awful weather, I was reasonably happy. Not so the Dutchman staying in my hostel tonight, who is distraught that the TV is on the blink: he had set his heart on watching the Eurovision Song Contest semifinal.

Miles today: 45
Miles since Land's End: 105