south west coast path

tuesday, 10th september 2019

After a filthy day yesterday of squally showers the weather forecast for today looks much better and I should have sun all day long with a light northerly wind.

Padstow low tide 10:16

Padstow high tide 16:13

I start the day in the car park at Harlyn but quickly descend to the beach which is quiet with just a few dog walkers. It is a lovely morning and long may the good weather continue.

I amble along the beach enjoying the early morning sun and say ‘hello’ to all of the friendly dogs and to some of the, orginally, not so friendly dogs!

As you walk along the beach it doesn't look obvious that there's an exit off the beach at the far end, but there is one near to a stone house. There is also another exit a bit further along using a slipway but this one is eaten up by the tide today.

I head in behind some rocks and climb out of Harlyn Bay. I take one last look back over the beach and then climb gently up onto Cataclews Point.

I amble along the gentle cliffs enjoying the late season wild flowers.

The coast path continues along the cliffs around Mother Ivey's Bay and I have a lovely views across to the lifeboat station, clinging to the bottom of the cliffs.

I climb down onto the fine, sandy beach using a steep beach access road. It's surprisingly quiet so I do some exploration before climbing back onto the cliffs.

The path heads inland before reaching the access road to the lifeboat station. The coast path continues through fields towards Trevose Head where I have one last view over Mother Ivey’s Bay. I continue to enjoy the late flowering wild flowers.

I come across another hummingbird hawk-moth but it proves to be very flighty and rather difficult to photograph. All I get is a ghostly image of this day flying moth.

I then come across a painted lady feeding on the valerian.

I round Trevose head, passing behind the lighthouse here.

I complete the traversal of Trevose Head by passing the tumulus on Dinas Head.

Somebody has succumbed to their ancestral instincts here and has laid out stones in patterns. One of them reads :-

“Happy 70th Anda”

I’ve no idea who Anda is and the last ‘a’ looks more like an ‘a’ than a ‘y’. It can’t be the South Korean pop singer who debuted in 2012 as she is only 28!

I now have magnificent views across Constantine Bay, one of my favourite places on the coast path.

I pass a group of people filming but there’s not much indication of what they are filming except that one person has got ‘chaperone’ emblazoned across their back so it must be something to do with children.

I amble down the slopes to reach Booby's Bay (snigger!!). I’ve hit the beaches here at just after low tide so there’s plenty of sand on display today. A short walk along the path takes me down on to Constantine Bay, one of the best surfing beaches in Cornwall. There aren’t many surfers out on the waves today (it’s probably too early) but should you wish to join them, you can get supplies from the Constantine Bay Surf Store (@Constantinesurf) in the village behind the beach.

I drop down onto the sand at Constantine Bay and then retrace my steps onto Booby’s Bay. It is now a beautiful day and surprising warm.

I continue my walk along this beautiful, sandy beach before reluctantly coming ashore at a slipway.

I take one last, admiring glance back over Constantine Bay and then follow a narrow road and track towards Treyarnon Point. I round Treyarnon Point and descend down to Treyarnon Bay, yet another sandy beach, passing the youth hostel and cafe.

I wander down the sandy beach to the sea before retracing my steps and climb out of the bay. There used to be a pink ice cream caravan, home to Rosie's Ice Cream, but it seems to have been forced to close. It has been replaced by Melt.

A grassy path rounds several headlands and coves and, dare I say it, the path almost takes on a rugged nature. Out at sea can be found the Minnows Islands.

The coast path suddenly reveals Porthcothan Bay and I climb down the scrubby slopes and head out onto the sandy beach.

Porthcothan is a fine, sandy beach and another of my favourite places. I amble slowly down to the sea and then retrace my steps.

I head through the dune system and pass the Porthcothan Bay Stores, a small store with a big heart!

I take the path between houses and the low cliff edge and admire the wild flowers clinging to the cliffs.

I have some last views over Porthcothan before it is time to make my way to Mawgan Porth.

I pass by Porthcothan Golden which, because of the low tide, is actually joined to Porthcothan today.

I come across a small copper butterfly and manage to take some photographs before wandering round the headland and admire the views out over the stacks that make up Trescore Islands.

I come across Porth Mear, a shingly and stoney beach in stark contrast to the usual golden, sandy beaches around here and it's full of rockpools waiting to be explored.

At Porth Mear I cross a footbridge and head out onto Park Head and then pass a series of crumbling headlands and coves. I now have my first views over Bedruthan Steps.

I amble along the cliffs admiring the rugged granite outcrops from above. First up is Diggory's Island, then Queen Bess Rock, Samaritan Island, Redcove Island, Pendarves Island and Carnewas Island. The stacks were put here by a giant called Bedruthan and used as stepping stones. What a load of old nonsense! They could just have been formed by natural wave erosion!!

Somebody has carved ‘FACIST’ into the beach below! It won’t last long now with the tide rapidly coming in.

I begin the long descent down to Bedruthan Steps Beach, not a descent for the faint hearted. There are an awful lot of steep steps down - a sign tells me there are 120 but I count over 130 - to the beach here and the tide is coming in so there’s not much beach left. At least I managed to get here for the first time in a while. I can now admire the sea stacks from up close.

I climb wearily back up the concrete steps and then climb more steps up the cliff where a National Trust information centre and cafe at Carnewas can be found. I have some final views back over Bedruthan Steps.

It is properly warm now so I head to the National Trust cafe and grab a blackcurrent and apple pop-up ice lolly and suck on it greedily as I head back to the coast path.

Carnewas was a hive of industrial activity in the 19th century although not much is known of the mining that took place there. It is supposed that miners tunnelled into the cliffs from the beach in search of iron, copper and lead. Mining stopped many years ago, but the buildings are a reminder of this industry. The National Trust shop was once the count house or mine office and the café was also converted from mine buildings.

Carnewas at Bedruthan has been recognised as a Dark Skies Discovery Site and has gained a Milky Way Plus Events class, meaning that the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye.

I head off around Trenance Point where I have magnificent views over Mawgan Porth.

I drop down to the beach at Mawgan Porth, which, once again, is golden and sandy. I walk along the beach before heading back towards the village and the car park where my lift awaits.

Besides the beach here can be found the Merrymoor Inn (@Merrymoor), which once again has fantastic views for thirsty walkers.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

mussels
sea thrift
wild carrot
sea bindweed
ragwort
robins
dunnocks
wall brown butterflies
small copper butterflies
jackdaws
wheatears
oystercatchers
blue tits
small tortoiseshell butterflies
mesembryanthemum
yarrow
red valerian
common toadflax
common mallow
ribwort plantain
daisy
hummingbird hawk-moth
bugloss
blackberries
painted lady
creeping broomrape
heather
bladder campion
crocosmia
sea aster
larged-flowered evening-primrose
herb robert
red campion
hedge woundwort
fleabane
knapweed
watermint
purple loosestrife
hemp agrimony
peregrine (could have been a hobby - I have no idea)

PODCAST

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

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 14.5 miles today which amounts to 30938 steps and is a bit further than I was expecting. The walking has been magnificent today and the weather surprisingly good. Much warmer than my weather app is telling me it would be but also much more blustery. Ten out of ten!

The total ascent today has been 303 feet or 92 metres.

map

south west coast path

sunday, 8th september 2019

It looks like it’s going to be a lovely day today. Not particularly warm but I should get a lot of sun and there’s barely any wind.

Padstow low tide 07:38

Padstow high tide 13:44

I start the day at our holiday cottage on a golf course and amble down the golf course towards Polzeath. It is a beautiful morning. I admire the late wild flowers as I approach Polzeath.

As I approach Polzeath I pass the Whitewater Gallery, Cone Zone, Ann’s Cottage Surf Shops Cornwall, Paradise Pizza, The Sandbar, Waterfront Bar and Grill and Beach Box Cafe.

I head out onto Polzeath Beach. It’s still early so the beach is pretty quiet but surfers are making their way out to the waves.

I head along the path above Broadagogue Cove and Greenaway Beach and gently descend towards Daymer Bay.

I head out onto the beach at Fishing Cove Field, inhabited by dog walkers, and amble slowly along the sand. St Enodoc Church can be found just inland here but I continue along the beach. Normally I’d be able to walk straight across to Daymer Bay but the tide is too far in so I take to the grassy slopes of Brea Hill and head through the dune system.

I amble through the dunes until I find a safe exit point onto the beach and then it is a pleasant stroll along the sand of Daymer Bay heading towards Rock.

I reach the ferry slipway at Rock and wait for the ferry to cross over from Padstow.

I catch the ferry across to Padstow which costs me £4 for a return ticket.

The ferry pulls into the harbour in Padstow and I alight the ferry and amble into Padstow for a bit of exploring

It’s still early so Padstow is fairly quiet but I expect it will be heaving later.

I wander around the harbour passing the The Shipwrights (@theshipwrights), The Harbour Inn and The Old Custom House (@ochpadstow)

I retrace my steps and then climb steadily out of Padstow, walk through a gate and then follow grassy slopes up to the granite war memorial overlooking Daymer Bay and the Camel estuary. The clouds are gathering quite ominously but I don’t they’ll threaten me today.

The war memorial always signals the end of any crowds (not that there were any) and I should just have dog walkers, runners and surfers for company for the rest of today.

There’s a plaque next to the war memorial which I haven’t seen before to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War.

“They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.”

— For the Fallen, Laurence Binyon

I amble along the coast path and fall into conversation with an Australian who is walking the south west coast path in its entirety. He is on day 11 of his walk and is hoping to complete the walk in 38 days.

I reach Harbour Cove and the coast path meanders behind the beach but the sand is far too enticing so I head out across the beach instead. I have the whole beach to myself except for a few dog walkers. Out at the mouth of the estuary can usually be seen The Doom Bar, named after a rather tasty beer from Sharp's Brewery! It's covered in water today. The ominous clouds are still behind me but ahead are blue skies.

At Hawker's Cove I come across a small group of buildings and head along a road before passing between two rows of cottages. The Padstow lifeboat was stationed here until 1967, before being relocated to Mother Ivey's Bay due to river silting. I spot someone fishing from the lifeboat station slipway.

I continue to amble along the coast path enjoying the wild flowers.

I head towards Stepper Point and walk below the coastguard station here and then pass a daymark, which served as a navigation beacon for seafarers during daylight hours.

I amble along the cliffs and pass Pepper Hole and Butter Hole and head along the grassy slopes to Gunver Head, passing Fox Hole. A sign tells me that the fields around here are full of corn buntings and skylarks but I don't see any. It's very unusual to go on a coastal walk without hearing skylarks but it's the wrong time of year.

I pass a blow-hole, Round Hole, at Roundhole Point, an 80 feet deep hole in the cliffs formed from a collapsed cave. Somehow, a man managed to fall down it recently. I now have lovely views over Trevone Bay.

I walk down towards the beach car park and then head out on to the beach and enjoy the fine sand. I retrace my steps and head out of Trevone Bay.

The path continues above a rocky beach towards Harlyn Bay. I come across sea bindweed, sea thrift, common toadflax, secret beaches and some nutters who are throwing themselves into the sea.

At Harlyn Bay I climb down steps to reach the fine, sandy beach. I amble along the beach for a while before retracing my steps to head towards the car park where my lift awaits.