Jungle buddies reunited – Tintagel, Dartmoor, and a little bit of magic

A real highlight of my sojourn down in Devon and Cornwall was meeting up with my old ‘jungle buddy’ Simon. Although we’re both from the South West, we never met in the UK, but in the wilds in Peru, where Simon was working as a biking guide and I was splitting my time between writing guidebooks and working as a trekking & nature guide.

Jungle buddies, Fingle Bridge, Devon — **On the road again, Fingle Bridge**

Cuzco

Cuzco, the former Inca capital and access point to the legendary citadel of Machu Picchu, was the region’s natural tourist hub, and our base. We met through the South American Explorers club, a friendly club and organisation for explorers, wanderers, and any traveller or ex-pat with more than a passing interest in this spectacular corner of South America. SAE was a place to linger over a detailed map, to discover a little-known corner of the mountains, to listen to the advice of veteran travellers, and pick up friendly local advice.

Teign River, Dartmoor, Devon, UK — **The Teign River, cloaked by the forest…**

A home for wandering spirits

We formed a deep friendship there, along with many other wonderful residents and semi-residents who’d chosen Cuzco as their adopted home. It was a lifestyle of freedom and adventure, and many evenings were spent laughing over our latest escapades or partying into the night at one of Cuzco’s bars or clubs. Or Simon soothing my bruised ego at the latest girl that had broken my heart!

Simon and Nina, Fingle Bridge, Devon, UK — **Simon and Nina getting their feet wet**

A swim in the forest

I hadn’t seen Simon for four years, so meeting up was a treat. On the first day, we headed out to Dartmoor with his lovely girlfriend Nina. We spent a wonderful day enjoying a hike through the woods to Fingle Bridge. After some initially questionable route finding on Simon’s part e.g ‘I think it’s this way?’, ‘You sure?’ ‘Maybe…’, we ended up following the copper-coloured Teign river for a couple of hours through forests and meadows. I hadn’t had swimming in mind, but when we found a particularly lovely spot for lunch, it was impossible to resist a wade on a hot day. I also got a free epicure from the river’s small fish – an unexpected bonus and a very pleasant sensation. The water was cool but not cold, so a proper swim was a must, and fabulously refreshing. Great company, easy conversation and lush surroundings.

Fingle Bridge

The dry weather also brought sightings of deer, who crept cautiously down to the river for a drink before bounding away into the shadowy forest. Fingle Bridge itself is a handsome old stone span over a shallow section of the river. Right next to it is a friendly pub overlooking the water glittering in the afternoon sunlight. The perfect spot to while away some time with a pint! It was a perfect day, old friends, meeting Nina. It reminded me of how beautiful the English countryside can be. It’s not epic like the Himalayas or the Andes or the plains of East Africa, but gently enchanting.

Bude

A few days later Simon and Nina invited me up to Bude on Cornwall’s North Coast. Although there’s not much to Bude itself, it’s a lovely spot, with some great surfing beaches and a rugged, bare coastline. Classic North Cornwall. We ambled along the coast during the day and played charades over some drinks in the evening.

Plunging cliffs just East of Tintagel, Cornwall, UK — **Plunging cliffs just East of Tintagel**

A touch of Merlin’s magic

Next day we headed to the even more dramatic cliffs to the East of Tintagel. Black stone, vertical cliffs soaring from the Atlantic. We hiked the coast path to the supposed home of King Arthur and ‘Camelot’ – although to be fair, there’s little evidence to back up this claim, and now Tintagel itself is very touristy. But, tourists or not, there’s no denying the wild and dramatic beauty of the site: a narrow, easily defensible peninsula thrusting out into the churning Atlantic. And spotting a couple of cavorting seals out the tip of the peninsula beyond ‘Merlin’s Cave’ added a perfect touch of magic! Thanks, Merlin!

Grey seals, Tintagel, UK — **A couple of Grey Seals having a conversation (‘where did you say you saw the fish, Sam?!’) Tintagel**

Tintagel, Cornwall, UK — **The Tintagel Peninsula**

Hasta la proxima amigo!

Back for some Cornish Ice Cream and then sadly I had to go, back to Plymouth to get ready for my next job, but I left Cornwall with a renewed love for the place, the landscape, and some great memories shared with friends…What could be better?