some intermediate-grade stream leaping thrown in.
Sound good so far? Persevere: at 1,378 feet it is just one-20th of the height of Everest, and from the summit
you will (weather permitting) gasp at the austere beauty of central Cornwall, the embroidery of the
shoreline and the dazzle of the Atlantic.
The roof of England’s southwesternmost county is the ideal place to begin a series of seven adventures in
seven days: taking on one challenge a day in the four nations of the UK. And all without a car.
The first mission: find the top of Cornwall and, nearby, the source of the River Fowey – or, as some prefer,
the Fowey river. Then follow the waterway as closely as possible for 26 miles before it emerges into the
English Channel.
Journey’s end: Fowey harbour in southern
Cornwall (Simon Calder)Summit-to-source-to-sea starts with an exercise in elementary orienteering. Looking to the northeast,
identify the valley that divides High Moor from West Moor (disconcertingly to the east), and try to avoid
Crowdy Marsh and Scribble Downs. Got it? Then journey to the source of the Fowey. The modest origin
turns out to be a pool the size of a bathtub, with gin-clear water that tastes faintly of tea. Within a few
hundreds yards it is already a recognisable waterway, threading through the gorse bushes that dab splashes
of colour onto an otherwise leaden palette.
Stay high, though, to avoid some of the boggiest terrain this side of the Amazon Basin. And perhaps hope
for a shower: a perfect rainbow decorated the moorland for me.
“Amazonian” is not a description for the young Fowey, but it wisps delicately beneath the A30’s monstrous
flyover. For nutrition, though, aim uphill to Jamaica Inn – which is an excellent place to leave a bike on
which to pick up the trail.
Your breakfast will not slow you down, since the next six glorious miles adhere to the river. It isn’t flowing
uphill.
Glide down the pretty lane beside the water – whose serenity is punctuated by cheerful gurgles. But
suddenly it takes on torrential credentials. Welcome to Golitha Falls.
Now, this is eight miles from the source of the River Fowey, not hundreds of miles along the mighty
Zambezi, so manage your expectations: the Victoria Falls need not feel threatened. Yet the cataracts are
mesmerising, and the opportunity for some wild swimming tempting. Go with the flow and drift
downstream as windows in the forest canopy dapple you with sunshine.