We get into Compton Abbas about 1700.
The plan is to carry on down into Cornwall tonight to Lands End airfield where we’ll stay the night, ready for a 22 mile hop across the sea to the Scilly Isle. And this is where things start coming apart. It will be a good couple of hours from here to Lands End and as usual we ring our destination to check there is nothing unusual going on.
Oh, wait. They are going to close in 45 minutes although ‘The Book’ says sunset. That’s torn it.
There’s always Perranporth, also open until sunset. Same story. Then it dawns on us that we have all been reading this wrong since the beginning of time - ‘0800-1800 or SS’ is whichever is EARLIER, not later, to take into account the Winter darkness. Oops.
Newquay also closing. This isn’t looking great so far. We try all the private strips - lots of no-answers, some not after 2000 hours, some with crazy 200m strips, but eventually we find somebody at Sheepwash Farm who seems quite laid back. Sheepwash it is!
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