The last 25 miles of the Tamar Way from Bridgerule to Morwenstow were done over two days and although we walked alongside, or fairly close to, the Bude canal up to Kilkhampton there were only very occasional glimpses of the sea. We came along to the lovely little village of Launcells near Stratton, yet another place I had heard of yet never visited. The church, above, is nestled in a shady place down a steep lane with a stream running by the holy well and in front of a beautiful Georgian manor house. The church itself is well worth a visit to see the interesting pew ends and the uncovered medieval wall paintings which still have good colour despite their age. When I drop into a church on my walks, apart from looking at the old headstones, I do like to read the visitors book and I noticed that earlier in the year Launcells church had had a group of bellringers from Lanivet.
Leaving the church behind we climbed up a steep track to come out into open country where we had no option other than to walk on tarmac. After a few miles Eddie was getting quite footsore but with no bus route anywhere near and no phone signal the pace slowed down until we picked up another canalside path. Miraculously, when I let the boy off his lead he galloped off sniffing and investigating so I stopped worrying about how or whether we would finish the day.
On that particular day we walked another 17 miles and, until we approached the Upper Tamar lakes, saw only two other walkers.
On the last day we started from the lakes and set off across grass fields but in the second field there was some lush clover and it was a heavy dew that morning. I really dislike having to walk with wet boots and socks, also the field was divided by an electric fence, the other side of which was a large bunch of dairy yearlings exactly where I needed to walk. With a little thought and averting disaster, I turned and retraced my way back to the car park and went around by road to rejoin the path near a farm lane which took me through two farms and along a badly overgrown track with deep channels washed out by the winter rain. It was quite challenging but we came out the other end with only a few bramble scratches but several horse fly bites. In that sort of terrain there’s a lot to be said for having short legs and a dense fur coat!
Unfortunately that morning I didn’t remember to reduce my insulin and I started to struggle quite badly, I was having a bad hypo and again nobody was around. I sat in a dry gateway and ate a packet of glucose tablets, I should have sat there longer but when I run out of sugar my brain doesn’t function well and I can’t think straight so I was walking again with my attendant Dr Dog at my side. I had failed to spot a marker sign and went quite a way along the wrong road before realising my mistake which was very frustrating. Back on track we eventually came to the large granite stone that denotes the start of the Tamar, a small spring that rises about six miles from the North Cornwall coast that then runs 90 miles to meet the sea at Plymouth. This piece of moor is known as Wooley Moor and I wondered if it was given this name due to all the cotton grass growing here that looks like bits of wool caught on vegetation. Curiously, a few yards away another spring rises on the other side of the watershed and runs northeast to eventually become the River Torridge.
After crossing the A39 and leaving tarmac roads the walking became really tough, with some very steep downhills and equally steep uphills. I struggled for breath and my chest ached, dear little Eddie was seeming quite concerned as he would go ahead but soon turn and run back to check that I was okay. How I love that dog!
After tackling the tough clifftop ups and downs eventually the tower of Morwenstow church came into view, what a relief. As usual, to celebrate the end of a day’s walking and completing the Tamar Way I went and had a very welcome pot of tea and a slice of fruit cake and I thoroughly recommend the Rectory Farm tearooms to anyone.
Erica
