Com Head is a coastal headland on the walkers’ route where the fading light, a kestrel’s brief presence and the search for a place to camp shape a quiet transition into evening. The scene turns on a small choice: rather than risk their groundsheet on a stubbly field, Ray and Moth keep going and reach The Rumps at dusk.

Evening on the headland

As Ray and Moth descend from Com Head, the sun paints the tiny islands of the Mouls in low September light. A kestrel that has hovered in the sky for a long time settles on a fence ahead, its back lit russet by the early-evening sun. The walkers hesitate, reluctant to disturb it; the bird lifts off, circles, then lands on a rock behind them. They continue, leaving the encounter brief and undisturbed.

A campsite considered and refused

At the edge of an arable field, they see a possible place to camp. The stubble might damage their groundsheet, so they decide not to stop. That practical concern extends the day’s walk: at dusk, they find themselves at The Rumps instead.

Narrative significance

Com Head marks a passage from the attentive pause around the kestrel to the material demands of travelling without a settled place to sleep. The scene holds together two kinds of calculation: giving the bird room, then weighing a field against the risk to their shelter. The lowering September light makes the decision consequential; continuing means searching on as evening closes in.