Daymer Bay

Daymer Bay appears as a landmark along the coastal route, at the western end of a long beach running toward Rock beside the River Camel. The account places it within a landscape that is both open and traversed: the beach, river and ferry crossing shape the walkers’ immediate choices as they continue their journey.

Setting and Coastal Route

The walkers reach the area after passing through New and Old Polzeath, where building work seems to occupy the settlement from end to end. Ahead, the beach stretches from Daymer Bay toward the small ferry at Rock. At low tide, the River Camel narrows into what the narrator likens to a two-lane highway for boats and jet-skis. The account establishes Daymer Bay through this wider coastal panorama rather than describing a separate visit or stay there.

The Ferry and the Cost of Moving On

The crossing at Rock presents an immediate financial problem. The walkers do not know the ferry fare, and the narrator fears that the few coins in hand will not cover it. The alternative is a long inland detour to the bridge at Wadebridge, so the choice between crossing and walking around is also a choice between scarce money and additional distance. Moth drops his rucksack and sits on the sand; he says he feels lightheaded and asks when they will have more money. The narrator is unsure, but thinks they can manage if they keep drinking.

Narrative Significance

Daymer Bay’s brief appearance anchors the route in specific geography while showing how poverty alters the experience of moving through it. A beach and river crossing are not merely scenery: the ferry has an unknown price, the alternative route is long, and even continuing depends on managing hunger, thirst and limited cash. The account therefore presents this stretch of coast as both a striking landscape and a sequence of practical decisions.