mevagissey to polmear

June 12, 2016 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

Saturday, 4TH june 2016

It looks like I'll have a lovely day of beautiful weather with sun forecast for all day long. Woop! The temperatures don't look very high particularly as there is very little in the way of wind but it should make for perfect walking weather.

Par Sands high tide 05:27

Par Sands low tide 11:56

I wake early. The birds are making a terrible racket out in the garden and I have a fine view of the sunrise over Lanlivery village.

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 (@sharksfin_meva), 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.

I pass by the coastguard lookout and the path heads behind houses on the outskirts of Mevagissey and the walk continues around Penare Point where the fields are full of cows. I now have lovely views over Pentewan Beach.

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' but I fail to find the said stream. 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 past All Saints Church. Rooks are making an awful racket in the trees here.

The path passes Polrudden Cove and reaches Hallane Mill. On a previous visit the paths here were full of stinging nettles so I got stung to buggery but someone has been overzealous with the strimmer and the path has been strimmed to within an inch of its life.

The wild flowers are looking at their finest.

I finally find some shade in woods where chaffinches are competing with each other. The house at Hallane is deserted and the statues which used to be in the garden here are gone. I just find a couple of lonely sculptures partially hidden in the long grass.

I drop down to Hallane Beach expecting to find it deserted but a group of canoeists have just arrived.

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”

The wild flowers continue to delight.

Rounding the memorial stone the path heads for some woodland and then climbs up along Ropehaven Cliffs to Trenarren House. I now have magnificent, if hazy, views over St Austell Bay.

I enter woods where I temporarily get lost before passing Gwendra Point, Silvermine Point and Phoebe's Point and then drop down to the village of Porthpean where there is a lovely, sandy beach. The beach is home to Porthpean Sailing Club and the Porthpean Beach Cafe can be found here.

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.

I wander along the beach to the far end but the exit gate is locked and so I have to retrace my steps along the beach.

I regain the coast path and it takes me behind back gardens where I pass the Crinnis Cliff Battery, constructed around 1793 to defend the entrance to the new harbour at Charlestown. I climb down 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 have a spot of lunch here looking out over the harbour before setting off again.

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

I regain the cliffs and pass in front of Porth Avallen Hotel where I come across more wild flowers but also a patch of the dreaded japanese knotweed.

The path continues in front of Carlyon Bay Hotel before I descend down a concrete ramp to Carlyon Bay.

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.

A series of poor planning decisions over a number of years has ruined Carlyon Bay and disgruntled the local residents, but the place looks like it is finally being redeveloped and there are plans to create a new beachside village with homes, restaurants, bars and cafes. Let's hope that the place finally gets back to the way it should be. There are still lines of steel shuttering, piles of ugly boulders and fences everywhere. Yuk!! But at least the beach is looking much more like a family beach again. You can keep up with developments at the Carlyon Bay Watch website.

There's even some pop up shops on the beach hinting at what may come including Ostraca Pop Up Oyster Bar and Sam's @ The Bay.

It's not clear to me whether there is an exit point at the far end of the beach so I head back up the concrete ramp 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. It 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. A lorry driver has suddenly decided that his lorry won't go under the 11 foot 9 inch railway bridge and is causing chaos by reversing back up the road.

The path continues past the Port of Par and then through the village of Par passing the Church of the Good Shepherd.

The coast path should lead down to Par Beach but on previous visits I haven't found any signs but I'm determined this time so I continue past the Welcome Home pub and finally find a sign pointing out the coast path. The signs dry up again but I follow a convoluted path which finally leads me to the beach at Par Sands.

I wander along the sandy beach and at the far end walk through the sand dunes to reach my lift at the car park.

My wide angle lens seems to be faulty so I might have to swap it for my cheap 18-55 lens for the rest of the holiday.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

chaffinches
chiffchaffs
red campion
foxgloves
speckled wood butterfiles
cows
sea thrift
house martins
rooks
bluebells
sheep
honeysuckle
swallows
skylarks
buzzards
elderflower
bird's-foot trefoil
kidney vetch
bladder campion
greater stitchwort

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 14.7 miles today which amounts to 34019 steps. After a misty start it turned into a lovely day with blue skies and it was properly hot. Nine out of ten!

My total ascent today has been 708.60 metres or 2324 feet.

Video

mevagissey to polmear from Mark Seymour on Vimeo.

map

a walk around abbotsbury

May 30, 2016 by Mark Seymour

WALKS NEAR THE X53 BUS ROUTE

saturday, 28TH MAY 2016

The folks over at Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site were after some volunteers to test some walks along the route of the X53 bus in Dorset. This is my second attempt to walk this walk as I failed miserably to complete it on my first attempt. These are the instructions (with some of my modifications) for the walk around Abbotsbury.

If alighting from the X53 bus at the Swan Inn pub, head west down the main road, round the right hand bend and continue up to the Ilchester Arms Hotel.

From outside the Ilchester Arms Hotel X53 bus stop, head west for 50 metres and take the path to the left by the village shop.

Continue along this path to a barn, gate and path junction. Go right and stay on this lane until a gate and path junction next to the Abbotsbury Recreation Ground is reached.

Ignore the path to the right, which just takes you back to the main road through Abbotsbury. Instead take the path to the left and follow it slowly downhill, passing a thatched cottage, before going through a gate to reach a road.

Turn right up the road and go through a gate by a farm, continuing up to the main road.

Cross the road to the pavement and head out of the village for 50 metres until the pavement runs out.

Cross the road again and and walk along the road for 100 or so metres, to reach a minor road on the left marked for Chesil Beach and the Sub Tropical Gardens.

Go down this road passing the Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens on the left, to the beach.

At the beach there is a car park, cafe and toilets.

There is a walkway up onto the top of Chesil Beach and some storyboards about the beach and environment.

Join the South West Coast Path which runs next to the storyboards and continue south east on the shingle path and then footpath to reach a stile and path on the right marked 'Swannery 3/4'.

Take this path and walk over fields until you reach a marker stone. Take the right hand path marked for the Swannery and go over a couple of stiles, a footbridge and on to a gravel road.

The Swannery and car park is a short way to the right. Go left though up the gravel road, passing some cottages and Mill House.

Continue up the road to a road junction, bear left, up past the ancient Tithe Barn and Children's Farm.

Immediately after the pond follow a footpath to the right marked for the village car park and walk past the ruined Abbotsbury Abbey and behind St Nicholas Church to reach the car park. Go through the car park to the main road.

From here return to either of the two village X53 bus stops. The Swan Inn bus stop is just to your right and the Ilchester Arms Hotel can be reached by following the main road to your left.

portesham to abbotsbury

May 30, 2016 by Mark Seymour

WALKS NEAR THE X53 BUS ROUTE

saturday, 28TH MAY 2016

The folks over at Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site were after some volunteers to test some walks along the route of the X53 bus in Dorset. This is my second attempt to walk this walk as the weather on the first occasion was filthy. These are the instructions (with some of my modifications) for the walk from Portesham to Abbotsbury.

Alight from the X53 bus at either the Village Hall or Kings Arms bus stops in Portesham.

Walk on the pavement by the main road towards the minor road junction by the Kings Arms.

Go up the road past the pub, a green telephone box, the old school house and St Peter's Church to the right hand bend in the road by the duck pond.

Go left along Back Street for 100m and take the signposted footpath for Portesham Withy Beds to the right and along behind the houses.

Continue to a gate onto a farm road, turn left along the road, then at the junction go straight on, through a gate and along a field path with the hedge to the left, to another gate.

Go through the gate and take the path which bears right and down through some trees, with a muddy patch, to a gate into a field.

Take the field path to the right for 100m to 2 large stones then do a hard right turn up the hill to a gate and fingerpost marked for Abbotsbury.

Ignore the gate. Instead, turn left uphill with the fence on the right, then across the field to a path through the bushes.

Ignore the stile on the right. Carry on this path to a path junction with a marker stone.

Go straight on, up to a minor road and gate. Turn left along the road for 50m to a gate on the right and a farm track which is the South Dorset Ridgeway.

Go along the track to a gate on the left with a fingerpost to Abbotsbury.

Take this path leaving the South Dorset Ridgeway down over the fields. There is no discernible path through the fields and the sign is pointing too far to the right but head to the left of St Catherine's Chapel and towards the Fleet and you'll find a small ridge of grass which leads to a gate marked 'Abbotsbury Round Walk, Old Railway Walk'.

Go through the gate and head along a path downhill to a sign for Abbotsbury half a mile away. You will now have good views of the village of Abbotsbury

Turn right down the road to Abbotsbury.

At the road junction, take Rosemary Lane to the Swan Inn bus stop (turn left at the main road through Abbotsbury to reach the Swan Inn) or Back Street to the Ilchester Arms Hotel bus stop.

dawn chorus in sidbury

May 23, 2016 by Mark Seymour

We stayed in Sidbury for the week a couple of weeks back when I was walking the coast path in Devon and Dorset. Every morning I would get woken by birdsong so I popped my recorder outside one morning to record the dawn chorus. Blimey! What a racket!!

portesham to abbotsbury

May 19, 2016 by Mark Seymour

walks near the X53 bus route

thursday, 12th may 2016

The folks over at Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site were after some volunteers to test some walks along the route of the X53 bus in Dorset. Since I was down in Devon and Dorset I thought I'd give a couple of the walks a try. These are the instructions (with some of my modifications) for the walk from Portesham to Abbotsbury.

It was a filthy day for walking so the photographs are rubbish!

Alight from the X53 bus at either the Village Hall or Kings Arms bus stops in Portesham.

Walk on the pavement by the main road towards the minor road junction by the Kings Arms.

Go up the road past the pub, the old schoolhouse and St Peter's Church to the right hand bend in the road by the duck pond.

Go left along the road for 100m and take the signposted footpath to the right and along behind the houses.

Continue to a gate onto a farm road, turn left along the road, then at the junction go straight on, through a gate and along a field path with the hedge to the left, to another gate.

Go through the gate and take the path which bears right and down through some trees, with a muddy patch - it was very muddy when I walked it - , to a gate into a field.

Take the field path to the right for 100m to 2 large stones then do a hard right turn up the hill to a gate and fingerpost marked for Abbotsbury.

Ignore the gate. Instead, turn left uphill with the fence on the right, then across the field to a path through the bushes.

Ignore the stile on the right. Carry on this path to a path junction with a marker stone.

Go straight on, up to a minor road and gate. Turn left along the road for 50m to a gate on the right and farm track which is the South Dorset Ridgeway.

Go along the track to a gate on the left with a fingerpost to Abbotsbury. There are good views of the village. It was foggy when I walked it so I didn't have any views.

~~Take this path leaving the South Dorset Ridgeway down over the fields to arrive at a minor road.~~

Take this path leaving the South Dorset Ridgeway down over the fields. There was no discernible path through the fields when I walked it and the sign is pointing too far to the right but head to the left of St Catherine's Chapel and towards the Fleet and you'll find a small ridge of grass which leads to a gate marked 'Abbotsbury round walk, old railway walk'.

Go through the gate and head along a path downhill to a sign for Abbotsbury half a mile away.

Continue down hill to a gate and a minor road.

Turn right down the road to Abbotsbury. At the road junction, take Rosemary Lane to the Swan Inn bus stop (turn left at the main road through Abbotsbury to reach the Swan Inn) or Back Street to the Ilchester Arms Hotel bus stop.