south west coast path

tuesday, 5th september 2023

Start location: Charlestown (SX 03779 51676)

End point: Par Sands (SX 08682 53048)

Map: Explorer 107

It looks like I'll be in for another day of beautiful weather with sun forecast for all day long. The temperatures look they are going to be on the high side with not much in the way of wind so walking could be a bit on the sweaty side.

Par Sands high tide 10:00

Par Sands low tide 16:13

I haven’t been able to put any weight on my right foot for a couple of days after injuring it on the walk on Saturday so walking today is going to be a bit tentative so I’ve changed my plans and I’m going to be walking much shorter walks for the rest of the week.

I start the day back in Charlestown where the sand and pebble beach here sits just outside the harbour and where I enjoy the the early morning sun before setting off.

I pass by the Pier House Hotel and Restaurant before rounding the harbour. The Charlestown Shipwreck and Heritage Centre is found at the head of the harbour.

I drop down and enjoy the grey beach next to the harbour before regaining the coast path.

I regain the cliffs and pass in front of Porth Avallen Hotel, photographing the flowers as I amble along.

I pass above Charlestown National Coastwatch Station.

The path continues in front of Carlyon Bay Hotel and I come across loads of red admiral butterflies. I continue to photograph the flowers around here.

I descend down 80 or so concrete steps to reach Carlyon Bay Beach.

Carlyon Bay consists of three beaches, Crinnis, Polgaver and Shorthorn, and once upon a time it was lovely around here but on my previous visits had turned into an eyesore with the Cornwall Coliseum at the top of Crinnis Beach gradually falling into disrepair. The Coliseum was finally demolished in the Spring of 2015.

There are still mixed opinions about this beach but despite there still being some remnants of the coliseum and a pretty odd security presence, I rather like it around here especially this early in the morning when there’s hardly anyone about.

The sandy beach is around two miles long. Actually, it’s not sand, it’s made up of something called ‘Stent’ which is a waste material from the china clay and tin mining activities.

There's a number of pop up shops - although they look more permanent nowadays - on the beach which are quiet this early but I expect will be heaving later.

I don’t think there is an exit point at the far end of the beach so I head back up the concrete steps to rejoin the coast path where it continues alongside the Carlyon Bay Golf Course and towards a disused china clay works at Spit Point.

I find a beach which is normally deserted just before reaching the china clay works but it's actually quite busy today and there are quite a few people swimming in the sea. There is a dead dolphin on the beach. The beach is unmarked on my Ordnance Survey map but must be Spit Point Beach.

I enjoy the beach here before walking through the deserted and dusty china clay works to reach the hideously busy A3082.

My foot is starting to feel quite painful now and I’m hobbling along propped up by my walking pole. The path continues past the Port of Par and then through the stinky village of Par passing the Church of the Good Shepherd.

I continue past the Welcome Home Inn and find a sign pointing out to the coast path.

I follow a convoluted path which eventually leads me to a wildflower meadow at Par Beach Local Nature Reserve.

I pass a bee hive, part of a ‘rewilding our honey bees’ project. The hive was installed by Just Bee Eco Hives.

The path finally leads me to the beach at Par Sands where I wander along the sandy beach and at the far end walk through the sand dunes to reach the car park where my lift awaits.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

red admiral butterflies
speckled wood butterflies
small tortoiseshell butterfly
japanese anemones
red valerian
ribwort plantain
hydrangea
buddleia
blackberries
herb robert
crocosmia
fuchsias
hawthorn
scabious
wild carrot
bird’s-foot trefoil
toadflax
roses
red campion
tansy
ragwort

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked a pathetic 5.5 miles which amounts to 13376 steps. It has taken me two hours 40 minutes. The weather has been magnificent but way too hot and it has been painful trying to walk on my injured foot. Eight out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

south west coast path

saturDAY, 2nd september 2023

Start location: Mevagissey (SX 01485 44790)

End point: Charlestown (SX 03779 51676)

Map: Explorer 105

The weather forecast for the whole week looks to be fantastic although it’ll be way too hot for walking. It looks like today I'll have a lovely day of beautiful weather with sun forecast for all day long and barely a breath of wind.

Mevagissey high tide 08:02

Mevagissey low tide 14:22

Today's walk starts at the car park above Mevagissey. I descend down to the harbour. It's early and the harbour hasn't really got going yet.

I do a bit of exploration and pass the Wheelhouse Inn, the Harbour Tavern, The Sharks Fin, The Fountain Inn, The Ship Inn and the Cellar Bar before heading around the harbour towards Mevagissey Museum.

I climb up out of Mevagissey where I have lovely views back over the harbour.

The path heads behind houses on the outskirts of Mevagissey and the walk continues around Penare Point where the fields are full of docile cows.

I amble along taking photographs of the wild and cultivated flowers.

I now have lovely views over Pentewan Beach. It’s looking pretty busy down there despite the fact that the kids should be back at school.

I descend to Pentewan Beach and the Pentewan Sands Holiday Park. The official coast path route skirts around Pentewan Beach, presumably because the beach is privately owned. I head for the beach anyway and, technically, do a bit of trespassing.

At the end of the beach a path takes me back to the official coast path at Pentewan village.

Pentewan apparently means 'foot of the radiant stream'. I cross a stream but I can’t say that it’s particularly radiant. The village and harbour here date back to medieval times and although the harbour was once important for shipping china clay it is now entirely cut off from the sea.

I take a footbridge over the harbour entrance and then round the harbour to reach the The Ship Inn.

The path leaves the square in Pentewan village and then climbs steeply up Pentewan Hill and passes All Saints Church.

pentewan village

I amble along the path out of Pentewan, photographing the various flowers.

I have a final view down towards Pentewan beach.

The path passes Polrudden Cove and I have lovely views across to the beacon on Gribbin Head.

I continue ambling along the coast path where a sign warns me that the cliffs are dangerous and that the owners are not responsible for trespassers injuries. I also pass a lone cormorant out on a rock.

At a stream at East Vans I come across a puzzled couple who are examining a fallen down signpost and have no idea which direction to go. I will continue to meet them throughout the day, mostly the three of us going in the wrong direction.

We head off towards Hallane Mill which used to be surrounded by sculptures but these are long gone and the mill now seems to be a holiday let for Classic Cottages.

The path continues towards Black Head and passes a big granite block in memory of the Cornish poet A L Rowse.

“A L ROWSE CH
1903-1997
POET AND HISTORIAN

LEF A GERNOW
VOICE OF CORNWALL

THIS WAS THE LAND
OF MY CONTENT”

I should double back round on myself at the memorial but there aren’t any signs indicating this so I head off in the wrong direction where I meet the couple for a second time at a dead end on Black Head.

I’m starting to feel pain in my right foot, which has never happened before, and this injury will continue to cause me problems for the rest of the week.

We retrace our steps and round the memorial stone where the path heads for some woodland and then climbs up along Ropehaven Cliffs.

I enter woods and, at a bench, follow the wrong path (no signs again) and get temporarily lost. The couple follow me down the wrong path before we realize that we’ve gone wrong again and retrace our steps up to the bench to follow the correct path.

I pass Gwendra Point, Silvermine Point and Phoebe's Point where I have magnificent views over St Austell Bay.

I drop down to the village of Porthpean where there is a lovely, sandy beach. It is much busier than I was expecting. The beach is home to Porthpean Sailing Club and the Porthpean Beach Cafe can be found here.

There aren’t any signs so I go wrong again but eventually see my fellow walkers one last time walking along the sea wall where, at the far end, I find a set of steps which takes me back onto the cliffs.

A short walk over Carrickowel Point takes me to Du Porth Beach which means 'two coves' in Cornish. The beach is privately owned but accessible to the public and it's much quieter than Porthpean Beach.

My foot is causing me some serious grief now so I take a quick photograph before retracing my steps back on to the cliffs.

I regain the coast path and it takes me behind back gardens where I have a final view back over Du Porth.

I pass the Crinnis Cliff Battery, constructed around 1793 to defend the entrance to the new harbour at Charlestown.

I hobble down the path to reach Charlestown, an unspoilt example of a late Georgian working port, originally used to export copper and import coal but subsequently used to export china clay.

Nowadays it is much more recognized as a television and film location and has been used for The Onedin Line (Blimey! that was a long time ago!!), The Eagle has Landed, Longitude, Apocalypto and Doctor Who amongst others.

The sand and pebble beach here sits just outside the harbour.

I hobble painfully up through Charlestown to the car park where my lift awaits.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

californian poppy
yarrow
echium
blackberry
roses
hydrangea
red admiral butterflies
speckled wood butterflies
fuchsia
herb robert
red campion
buddleia
ribwort plantain
purple loosestrife
crocosmia
cyclamen
cat’s-ear
wild carrot
cormorant

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 9.8 miles which amounts to 24724 steps. It has taken me four and three quarter hours. The weather has been magnificent but the latter half of the walk has been painful trying to walk on my injured foot. Eight out of ten!