Looe

Another memorable coastal walk today from Polperro to Looe. These villages are both impossibly pretty. I started in Polperro where it was still early enough for steam to be rising off one of the fast-flowing streams that travels from the hills through the village. Fuelled by a pasty I traversed the coastal route to Looe. The photo is at Talland Bay.

It was so muddy and slippery. It was like that feeling of walking in flip flops with wet feet when your heel slides off the sole with every step. I only fell on my arse once, when over-ambitiously climbing a rock to take in a view. And the views were excellent. I particularly enjoyed two older men navigating the mud on trail bikes. All please continue to hail South West England.

I have been to Looe once before, when I was about 9 and we needed to spend some hours between my cousin Allison’s wedding service and the reception. Needless to say I can’t remember anything about that visit. Down by the harbour at the age of 38, I saw a sign reading ‘do not feed the seagulls. They are vicious.’ By that point I was too busy sheltering from hail and then warming my fingers to be trying to feed gulls. Some brave swimmers were in the water off Looe Beach.

The evening consisted of watching TV and eating snacks, which was glorious. Who needs to get paralytic down Vodka Revs when there are big bags of crisps, somewhere comfortable to sit and the mental images of a day spent on the coastal path. Actually these things aren’t mutually exclusive; I would be happy sinking 8 Stellas in Revolution as well.