beaminster to thorncombe

October 03, 2021 by Mark Seymour in wessex ridgeway

wessex ridgeway

sunday, 26th september 2021

It looks like I’m in for some pretty decent weather today despite being very late in the walking season. I should have sun all day long with warm temperatures and not much in the way of wind.

We’re staying in a cottage near to Bridport for the week so it’s a short drive to Beaminster where I can join up with the Wessex Ridgeway. It’s a chilly start to the day with the temperature outside only 7^oC.

Beaminster and its surrounding countryside have long been the subject of poetry and stories. William Barnes, the county’s great 19th century rural poet wrote :-

“Sweet Be’mi’ster, that was bist a-bound
By green and woody hills all round,
Wi’ hedges, reachen up between
A thousand vields o’ zummer green.”

— william barnes - poems of rural life in the dorset dialect

‘vields o’ zummer’! Blimey!!

The town also features as ‘Emminster’ in Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

I walk through the centre of Beaminster, passing the Red Lion Inn and the Greyhound Inn. I then pass Little Toller Books which looks like a lovely bookshop so I’ll have to return here later on in the week.

I leave Beaminster in a westerly direction where I pass the church of St Mary, the town’s oldest surviving building.

There are a complete lack of Wessex Ridgeway signs so I’m going to have to rely heavily on my Ordnance Survey app on my phone today which is fortunately working for a change.

I finally come across a sign but my app is telling me that it is pointing in completely the wrong direction and it turns out that it is. I walk through a very wet field of corn (or maize if you prefer).

I climb up onto the Wessex Ridgeway where I enter Pucketts Wood, owned and managed by the Woodland Trust. The wood is dominated by native broadleaves such as oak and ash and seems to have been planted up between 1992 and 1995 but there are also some newly planted trees.

At the bottom of Gerrard’s Hill I come across some donkeys munching on grass.

It is a steep climb up Gerrard’s Hill and I have lovely views back to Beaminster where the church clock is chiming and I then head north of Waddon Hill.

Waddon Hill was the site of a Roman fort and dates to the invasion of 43AD.

The lumps and bumps on this hill form part of a Roman fort, which is thought to have been a base for the Roman advance of the Second Legion. A Roman sword scabbard and coins were found here during quarrying between 1876 and 1878. Other artefacts found here include a bronze brooch now in Poole Museum, legionary equipment and 115 shards of glass, pottery, animal and fish bones.

To the south of Broadwindsor I round Lewesdon Hill, which at 915 feet (279 metres) is the highest point in Dorset and is owned by the National Trust.

It is thought that there was some kind of settlement on Lewesdon Hill in the Iron Age, possibly a place of refuge for people in times of threat. The site was protected from invaders by the steep natural slope on one side, and a man made ditch and rampart on the flatter side of the hill.

I walk along what my Ordnance Survey map tells me is Lewesdon Hill Lane which is little more than a track but seems to criss cross over the banks and ditches. I walk underneath ancient beech and oak trees. I haven’t seen a soul since leaving Beaminster and come across my first dog walker.

The path joins the B3164 at Cockpit Hill and the ridgeway turns right at Courtwood Farm down along Sheepwash Lane. I’m buggered if I can find any signs or any sign of a footpath at the bottom of the lane. All I find is fields surrounded by electric fences so I retrace my steps up Sheepwash Lane to rejoin the road.

I’ll have to re-route so I continue heading along Cockpit Hill and then turn right along a road heading towards Higher Newnham Farm where I rejoin the Wessex Ridgeway.

I climb up Pilsdon Pen which is covered in Himalayan Balsam. Even following this path up the hill it keeps veering off of the route shown on my Ordnance Survey app and I can’t for the life of me find any discernable correct paths.

Pilsdon Pen has a long history of occupation. Flint tools, over 10,000 years old and two Bronze Age burial mounds confirm that the site was used long before the hillfort was built. From 1964 to 1971, Peter Gelling of Birmingham University and a team of volunteers excavated here each summer. They uncovered and recorded the remains of 14 roundhouses near the centre of the hillfort.

Pilsdon Pen at 909 feet (277 metres) is Dorset’s second highest point and has panoramic views extending for many miles. From the top there are magnificent views of the Marshwood Vale, Golden Cap and the sea to the south, Hardy’s Monument to the east, Exmoor and the Quantocks to the west and Polden and Mendip Hills to the north. You can also see several other hillforts including Lewesdon Hill, Lambert’s Castle and Coney’s Castle.

It was bequeathed to the National Trust by the Pinney family in 1982. For many years it was thought to be Dorset's highest hill, until modern survey methods revealed that nearby Lewesdon Hill was 2 metres higher.

During 1803 Pilsdon Pen was listed as a Beacon site designed to provide advance warning of the arrival of Napoleon’s fleet.

I climb up through a field of sheep and then clamber over one of the worst stiles I’ve ever seen which is leaning over at a sharp angle and falling to pieces.

I briefly join the B3165 at Cole’s Cross where I now need to follow paths into Thorncombe.

On the outskirts of Thorncombe I head along Saddle Street before walking through this pleasant village where I pass Bonfield Block-Printers. What an odd thing to find in this out of the way village. I continue through the village to the church where my lift awaits. I come across a load of cyclamens in the churchyard where I have reached my destination for the day.

My camera has let me down badly today (or maybe it was just the person using the camera) and the photographs have been rubbish. The walk has either been gloomy making the photos underexposed or I have been walking into a low sun making the photographs way overexposed. Hey ho!

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

pheasants
rooks
donkeys
red campion
foxgloves
ferns
beech
oak
holly
bracket fungus
herb robert
himalayan balsam
yarrow
rosebay willowherb
speckled wood butterflies
red admiral butterflies
comma butterfly
chiffchaffs
cyclamen

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 9.7 miles which amounts to 21756 steps. It has taken me four and a half hours. I’ve had pleasant sun and I’ve been going up and down hills all day long so I’m extremely sweaty. Despite being far from the sea it has been a lovely walk today but the signposting has left a lot to be desired. Eight out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

Well bugger me! All of my tracking apps have worked for me again. The elevation maps below actually vaguely resemble each other.

MAP

falmouth to helford passage and back to mawnan

September 19, 2021 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

wednesday, 15th september 2021

It looks like I'm in for another day of beautiful weather.

Falmouth high tide 12:44

Falmouth low tide 06:23 and 19:12

I start the day at our holiday cottage in the heart of Falmouth. It is early morning and the sun is very low in the sky.

I descend down some steps and a path to reach Killigrew Street and then amble my way through Falmouth which seems to have made its way through a global pandemic largely unscathed.

I make my way to Discovery Quay next door to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall (@TheNMMC).

“Falmouth - From the Tudor period to the end of last century, Falmouth saw more shipping than any port in the country except London. In 1815, about 350 ships were counted in Carrick Roads on one day. In 1872, 3945 ships entered Falmouth bound to or from foreign ports, and as many again handled coastal trade.
Boat trips, river cruises, shark fishing, sea-angling trips from harbour, lifeboat, two theatres, cinema, summer shows in Pavilion, water galas, water-polo matches in summer, bowls, golf, cricket, tennis, pitch-and-putt, sailing regattas (Aug), fishing festival (July), sailing clubs, power-boat racing, go-karts, maritime museum, art gallery, air-bottle recharging, sailing school, concert hall, ballroom dancing. P.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

I walk through Maritime Square and head out towards the coast path. I climb out of Falmouth and head down Gyllyngvase Terrace and then Gyllyngvase Hill and then walk briefly along Cliff Road to reach the delightful Gyllyngvase Beach on the outskirts of Falmouth. There are plenty of people out for their morning swim.

“Gyllngvase Beach - Gently sloping beach of clean white sand between reefs of rock pools, with safe swimming. Falmouth’s busiest beach as it is near the town. Bathing huts, chalets, floats, deck-chairs, wind-breaks for hire, trampolines, paddling-pool, miniature railway, rescue boat. P.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

gyllyngvase beach

I amble along the sandy beach passing the Gylly Beach Cafe (@GyllyBeachCafe) before rejoining the coast path for the short walk to Swanpool Beach (@SwanpoolBeach) where I catch my first red admiral butterfly of the day.

“Swanpool Beach - Wide, sandy beach with safe swimming from white sand between rocky reefs studded with pools. Boating on a reed-rimmed pond behind the beach. Chalets, floats, deck-chairs, wind-breaks and boats for hire, trampolines, minature railway, rescue boat. P.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

swanpool beach

The beach is covered in seaweed and, again, there are a lot of people out for their morning swim. I slither my way across the vegetation and then leave Swanpool Beach next to the Hooked on the Rocks restaurant.

It's now a pleasant couple of miles walk to the third beach of the day, Maenporth Beach, on the way passing a memorial to the Home Guard.

Even this late in the season the wildflowers are looking lovely and I come across more red admirals which will prove to be a regular occurrence today.

A large container ship is out at sea slowly trying to turn around 180 degrees.

I drop down to the beach passing by Life's a Beach, the beach cafe here and walk out on to the sandy beach where there are more people taking a morning swim and quite a few people out in canoes.

“Maenporth - Popular sandy cove, sheltered from all but direct east winds with safe swimming. Half the beach is privately owned. Boats for hire on the natural lagoon behind the beach. Floats, deck-chairs, wind-breaks for hire; life-saving club. P.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

maenporth

I continue along the coast path and walk below the sub tropical gardens of Meudon Hotel (@MeudonHotel) where gardeners are out mowing the lawns. I briefly drop down to the beach here.

I head out across Rosemullion Head and then enter woods below the village of Mawnan Smith at Mawnan Glebe.

“Mawnan - Clifftop hamlet, sheltered by high woods, with a 13th-century church set in ancient earthworks. Close to the lychgate on the left of the path leading to the north door is a small, ancient headstone with a faintly discernible skull and cross-bones, perhaps the grave of a pirate who met with a grisly death. From the south door there are memorable views, with glimpses of the blue water of the river amid the lush green and gold of the surrounding woods and farmland.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

I leave the woods and suddenly I have magnificent views out over the Helford River.

I walk down a grassy slope to reach the beach at Porthallack where the weather is so calm that the water is just gently whispering.

porthallack

It is a short walk to Porth Saxon beach where I enjoy the views down the river. If anything, the sea/river is even quieter than the previous beach. The beach is relatively packed with eleven people on it including myself as well as five dogs. I usually have this beach to myself.

porth saxon

I walk under a group of scots pines and then head below Bosloe House along a path through Bosloe Hay Meadows. I usually pass this way around about June time when the meadows look fantastic. They are a lot more subdued at this time of year after they have been cut.

bosloe

The coast path joins a road which leads down into the village of Durgan where I pass the Old School House. I enjoy what little is left of the beach below Durgan before heading out through the village.

“Durgan - Hamlet of white cottages around a shingle beach; no parking. At the top of the lane are Glendurgan Gardens, owned by the National Trust, with a maze; open Mon and Wed, Apr to Sept, plus Fri in Apr and May.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

durgan

The coast path seems to have been re-routed behind Durgan and heads up a shady path inland before seeming to cross the grounds of Trebah before dumping me out on a road which leads down to Helford Passage. This can’t be right. The ferry has just arrived from over the river with a surprising number of people aboard.

helford passage

“Helford Passage - Sand-and-shingle beach, suitable for swimming and boating at all states of the tide, overlooked by an inn and holiday flats. The ferry to Helford, which runs during the summer, has been in operation since the mid-16th century. Boat trips on the river. Ideal spot for making a trip in a self-drive boat to secluded Frenchman’s Creek, which is surrounded by woods. Sailing/rowing/motorboats for hire. P.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

Should you wish, you can catch the ferry from here over to the village of Helford, which I've used on previous walks but not today. I walk below the Ferryboat Inn before following a more familiar coast path sign which ambles along the river before entering woods.

It turns out that on the way to Helford Passage I missed a great big coast path sign pointing back out to the river. Even so, it’s not my familiar route and I don’t know why the coast path has been diverted.

I head back below Trebah Garden and pass behind the private beach here.

I walk back through Durgan and head above Grebe Beach. The beach is not signposted from the coast path so it’s usually quiet here.

I pass back through Bosloe Hay Meadow and then Porth Saxon and Porthallack.

From here I follow a path that heads uphill towards Mawnan Old Church where my lift has, with magnificent timing, just arrived.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

speckle wood butterflies
red admiral butterflies
buddleia
small tortoiseshell butterfly
small copper butterflies
wrens
robins
chaffinches
chiffchaffs
common knapweed
red campion
honeysuckle
sloes
fleabane
hemp agrimony
scots pines
clover
ribwort plantain
yarrow

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 10.8 miles which amounts to 25398 steps. It has taken me four and three quarter hours. I’ve had glorious weather all day long and the temperature has been a lot higher than forecast so I’m extremely sweaty again. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

Well bugger me! All of my tracking apps have worked for me again today for a second day running. The elevation maps below actually vaguely resemble each other.

MAP

coverack to helford

September 19, 2021 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

south west coast path

saturday, 11th september 2021

Today's weather forecast looks great with sunny spells all day long and very little in the way of wind so it might be a bit on the warm side.

Helford river entance high tide 08:58

Helford river entrance low tide 15:22

I start the day back at the harbour in Coverack where I left the South West Coast Path back in June.

“Coverack - Fishing village on the shore of a rocky bay which has a sandy bottom and looks as translucent as a swimming pool. Stone pier and lifeboat station at the southern end of the village. Boats run fishing trips for visitors.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

I pass the small harbour full of fishing boats and continue through the village of Coverack.

coverack

Coverack is looking lovely on this late summer's day. I visit St Peter's, Coverack’s parish church where signs warn about leaving wilting flowers in the churchyard and the consequences of doing so!

I must be almost bang on high tide as there is only the tiniest slither of beach.

I climb a tarmac road to leave Coverack and then enter a muddy area using granite stepping stones to keep relatively dry and mud free. It is hard work making any progress. It always seems to be muddy here!

I continue on the path towards Lowland Point passing a herd of cows who briefly block the coast path but pass by looking at me with curiosity.

I enter the long abandoned Dean Quarry where there is a lone person fishing from the rocks below me and cormorants (I guess they could be shags but I don’t know how to tell the difference) perched on a rock out to sea.

I pass through the quarry with its signs still warning of explosions and blasting.

dean quarry

I come across plenty of red admiral butterflies feeding on the buddleia bushes around here.

I continue towards Godrevy Cove where I can see a couple of people walking along the beach. It is usually completely empty and I have the beach to myself. It's not really surprising since it's in the middle of nowhere!

I reach Godrevy Cove and it is positively heaving. Not only are the couple of people I saw earlier still on the beach but another couple of people are walking towards me. There is also a fellow coast path walker at the top of the beach who I will see again in Porthoustock, Porthallow and finally munching on some food looking out over Gillan Creek close to Helford.

I amble along the grey, sandy beach, collecting shells and then head inland on a path where I come across another couple of people and then a massive gunnera.

The path from here to Porthallow would test the Trade Descriptions Act as a ‘coast path’ as, for much of the time, it's far from the coast. Hopefully, one day this stretch of coast path will be improved.

The path crosses farmland to where I come across swallows perched on the telephone wires around here. I reach the village of Porthoustock with its shingle beach housing small fishing boats and its still active quarry, silent today as presumably it doesn’t get worked on a Saturday.

porthoustock

“Porthoustock - Cliffs sculpted into giant terraces by extensive quarry workings. Red flags are hoisted and sirens sounded during blasting operations.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

I follow the road to leave Porthoustock and then keep my eyes open for the signs that point to a vague path over fields. I walk through one field containing borage, cornflowers and the odd sunflower. A very strange combination but rather nice.

I briefly re-join the road before the path nips down a track behind the road where I pass the Fat Apples Cafe and then re-joins the road again for the short trek into Porthallow.

“Porthallow - Forty years ago this sheltered cove had a pleasant sandy beach; now it is covered with grey stones thrown back by the sea from quarries further south. Cars can be parked overlooking the beach.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

I pass the Five Pilchards Inn, which is finally sporting a full collection of name letters and proves to be difficult to photograph as the low sun is just above the pub. I wander on the pebbly beach here.

porthallow

Porthallow marks the halfway point on the South West Coast Path. There are 315 miles to Minehead in one direction and 315 miles to South Haven Point, Poole in the other direction.

I walk along the back of the beach and then climb some concrete steps before battling with the jungle like vegetation.

The flowers around here are amazing, even this late in the season, and there are bees and butterflies fluttering around everywhere. I enjoy the views back to Porthallow.

A cliff top walk leads me to Nare Head where I can now see the Helford estuary which will be my companion for the rest of the day. The Nare Point National Coastwatch Station can be found here.

I walk along Trewarnevas Cliff but the views are mostly obscured by trees and the paths are fiddly and overgrown. There are surprisingly popular beaches here and I enjoy Men-aver beach with a few other people before dropping down to the shore of Gillan Creek at Gillan Harbour.

“Gillan Harbour - The inlet, where a small creek runs into the sea between wooded banks, has silted up since it was a medieval port. On the south side is Flushing, a group of houses amongst oak and pine woods looking down on the harbour. Opposite Flushing is St Anthony, a peaceful hamlet with a 15th-century church which has 128 candles hanging in small brass chandeliers. The church tower is built of a fine-grained granite found only in Normandy, which lends weight to the story that it was built in thanksgiving by shipwrecked Normans who after being washed ashore at this spot, returned with the materials. The emblem of St Anthony is a pig, which is why people born in the parish are jocularly called St Anthony pigs, and the annual parish celebration, held in December is the Piggy Feast. East of the village are the ruins of a fort on Dennis Head built by Henry VIII to protect the flank of Pendennis Castle, Falmouth. Swimming is safe.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

A signpost gives me two options. I can either take the shorter route over stepping stones in Gillan Creek or the longer route around Gillan Creek. Last time I was here the stepping stones were out of order due to bank erosion but it appears that they are in use again. They can only be used at low tide though so I have to take the longer route.

I climb up a road and then follow a road towards Flushing Cove where I can finally see the creek with plenty of swans on it. A sign here tells me that a male swan was killed by a labrador here but that the female swan managed to rear her four remaining cygnets by herself.

The coast path continues along the banks of Gillan Creek towards St Anthony. I look down towards the set of stepping stones but they are still covered in water.

I drop down to the shoreline of Gillan Creek at the other side of the stepping stones and the shoreline leads me to the tiny village of St Anthony-in-Meneage where I explore the grounds of the parish church of St Anthony.

I walk along the road past the church and then through a gate and then up through fields. At the top of the field I take a headland detour which rounds the headland and then takes me back to where I started.

I turn direction and walk along the Helford River with fine views across to the other side.

I then enter woods where the views are more fleeting before joining a road which leads into Helford where I pass the Holy Mackerel Cafe.

I walk down to the ford and footbridge and pass the post office shop and the thatched Shipwrights Arms (@ShipwrightsArms) which is looking lovely.

“Helford - Attractive, sleepy village at the head of a small inlet off the Helford River. A stream runs between houses and can be crossed by footbridge or ford. Like those of other villages, snug in well-wooded sheltered valleys near by, the cottage gardens are very pretty; palms grow outdoors. Swans often glide on the water near the foreshore and can sometimes be fed by hand. During the summer, non-residents’ cars are not allowed in the village but there is an adequate car park in a field on the hillside. Boats for hire, sailing school.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

I walk along a path and climb down some steps to reach the ferry stop but I’ve taken so long that I've hit the river close to low tide so the ferry won't be running for another hour and a quarter. A couple join me who were told that the ferry would be running until 3 ‘o’ clock. It’s a quarter to three so they’re in for a long wait back at the pub.

helford river

I make a phone call and then retrace my steps back to the public car park above Helford and then wait for my lift to arrive to take us back to our holiday cottage in Falmouth.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

seagulls
jackdaw
agapanthus
japanese anenome
red campion
fleabane
devil’s-bit scabious
betony
salad burnet
common knapweed
gorse
sea thrift
hydrangea
buddleia
speckled wood butterflies
stonechat
sea thrift
red admirals (loads of them)
cows
cormorants
cat’s ear
blackberries
crocosmia
gunnera
swallows
borage
cornflowers
sunflowers
ribwort plantain
fuchsias
echiums
apples
perforate st john’s-wort
swans

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 15.7 miles which amounts to 36924 steps. It has taken me six and three quarter hours. Despite the lack of coast path between Godrevy and Porthallow and then taking so long that I missed the ferry, I’ve had glorious weather all day long and the flora and fauna has been magnificent. Properly sweaty! Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

Well bugger me! All of my tracking apps worked for me today. I’ve also got a new Garmin eTrex 10 which should prove to be more reliable than my apps although its operating system is utter garbage and the software that goes with it is utterly baffling at the moment. The elevation maps below actually vaguely resemble each other.

MAP

the lizard to coverack

June 14, 2021 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

tuesday, 8th june 2021

Today's weather forecast looks great with sun all day long so it might be a bit on the warm side.

Lizard Point low tide 10:53

Lizard Point high tide 16:55

I return to the car park in the Lizard village first thing in the morning and wander down the footpath again towards Lizard Point, but instead of getting the dreaded 'No Signal' on my phone, I have a full on 4G signal.

I pass in front of the polbrean youth hostel where I can look down and see the familiar sight of masses of seagulls on Lizard Point.

I continue along the coast path in front of the lighthouse.

I pass the Housel Bay Hotel. It's a pleasant morning so I continue ambling around to the Lizard Marconi Wireless Station, the oldest surviving Marconi wireless station, but it seems to be closed at the moment.

I pass the Bass Point National Coastwatch Station. A plaque here tells me that on the 15th of January 2004, the Breton trawler ‘Bugaled Breizh’ sank off Lizard Point with five sailors losing their lives.

I head towards the Lizard Lifeboat Station at Kilcobben Cove, which, although it was only opened in May 2012, is surrounded in scaffolding. Every time I pass this place it seems to be undergoing repairs!

A stone memorial here tells me that on the night of the 29th December 1962 ‘The Ardgarry’ and her crew of twelve were lost in a storm off of this coast.

I reach a small habitation at Church Cove and head towards Cadgwith.

I leave Church Cove and come across a big clump of giant gunneras. From an unseen house I can hear someone tuning and then playing their guitar.

I come across a small copper butterfly feeding on scabious.

I head on towards Cadgwith, passing the Devil's Frying Pan, where the collapse of a sea cave has led to the creation of a 100 metre deep hole.

On the outskirts of Cadgwith I come across a Jensen car which appears to be in immaculate condition. I think it must be a Jensen CV-8.

I reach flowery Cadgwith and enjoy the roses and poppies here before wandering down to the beach trying to avoid all of the fishing equipment left clumsily lying around! I amble around the beach. Leaving the beach, I pass the Cadgwith Cove Inn (@CadgwithCoveInn) before climbing out of the village in front of a row of cottages overlooking the harbour.

cadgwith

I continue to Poltesco Cove where a footbridge crosses a wooded river.

Here can be found the ruins of a serpentine works, once a thriving Victorian factory making mantlpieces, gravestones, shop fronts and polished ornaments made from the local serpentine stone quarried locally.

On leaving Poltesco I come across more pearl-bordered fritillaries. They prove to be hard to photograph but I do get one shot.

I continue on towards Kennack Sands, enjoying the views back over Poltesco. I reach Kennack Sands, pass the cafe here and wander down on to the beach to waste a bit of time. It can get popular here and is a lot busier than I’ve ever seen it before. There’s even a lifeguard service.

kennack sands

I walk across the beach and climb back up on to the cliffs, enjoying all of the wildflowers and wildlife on the low cliffs. I'm on my own now until I reach Coverack! I walk along easy paths over Eastern Cliff through gorse and heather passing Spernic Cove, Lankidden Cove, Butter Cove and Downas Cove to reach Beagles Point. It turns out I’m not alone as I do come across quite a few people.

There have been butterflies fluttering around everywhere since leaving Kennack Sands, mostly speckled woods and pearl-bordered fritillaries but I did also see a couple of red admirals.

I pass a memorial to the crew of Sea King XV702 who perished close to here on the night of the 21st March 1974.

On Beagles Point I admire the view back to Lizard Point which will soon disappear from view.

I climb over the cliffs to reach the old coastguard lookout at Black Head. I turn in a northerly direction and enjoy the flora and fauna here. I come across one solitary orchid and not a particularly good specimen. I’m sure there used to be more orchids around here.

Easy walking takes me on towards Coverack but before reaching the small fishing village, I have an awkward descent down to Porthbeer Cove which twists and turns all over the place and is strewn with rocks.

I leave the delightful Porthbeer Cove which I don’t think I’ve come across before and another awkward path takes me into Coverack where I pass the Lifeboat House Restaurant and the Paris Hotel and enter the village, passing the small harbour full of fishing boats.

Coverack is looking lovely on this summer's day. I pass St Peter's, the parish church here, and I would have dropped down to the beach, but it is much busier than I would have liked.

coverack

The last time I was here, Coverack had taken a battering in the winter storms but everything is fully repaired now.

I head to the car park where my lift awaits.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

speckled wood butterflies
pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies
rabbits
house martins
red campion
rape
cow parsley
foxgloves
navelwort
ox eye daisies
bluebells
sea thrift
bladder campion
devils-bit scabious
common mallow
birds-foot trefoil
kidney vetch
wild carrot
borage
flag iris
english stonecrop
honeysuckle
wild garlic
gunnera
small copper butterfly
clover
hawthorn
pale flax
scarlet pimpernel
wood spurge
dropwort
red admiral butterfly
elderflower
poppies
roses
echiums
gladioli
agapanthus

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 12.6 miles which amounts to 30841 steps. It has taken me six hours. I’ve had glorious weather all day long and the flora and fauna has been magnificent. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

A familiar story now and two of my tracking apps failed me today, including my normally extremely reliable backup myTracks app. However my Ordnance Survey app actually worked.

MAP

the lizard to poldhu cove

June 14, 2021 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

monday, 7th june 2021

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday dear me
Happy birthday to me!

The weather forecast for today looks to be great with sun all day long and it might actually be quite warm.

Porthleven low tide 10:10

Porthleven high tide 16:01

I start the day at the car park in the Lizard village next to the Top House Inn. I'm walking this walk to Poldhu Cove in the wrong direction so that when I reach Kynance Cove it should still be pretty quiet.

I wander down the footpath towards Lizard Point, the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain noticing that for the first time ever, I don’t have the dreaded 'no signal' on my phone, but instead have a 4G signal. I wander down to Lizard Point where masses of seagulls have congregated by the cafe.

There’s also a chough wandering around but I can’t get my camera out quick enough to photograph it and I’d have had the wrong lens on anyway. I amble down to the old lifeboat station (I'll pass the latest lifeboat station tomorrow) and then climb back up and head off along the cliffs. Masses of seagulls are flying around here.

Choughs(@cornishchoughs) have taken up residence here. They became extinct in Cornwall in 1973 but returned in 2001. I don’t seem to be able to find any up to date and reliable breeding numbers but they seem to be doing ok. I see a few of them flying around but they are difficult to photograph.

I continue along the cliffs towards Kynance Cove enjoying the magnificent views and the lovely wildflowers.

I disturb a couple more choughs and they fly off before I have a chance to whip out my camera and I then come across a herd of cows together with their calves.

Before reaching Kynance Cove, Pentreath Beach can be found which is a little difficult to reach, involving scrambling down what appears to be little more than a goat track. It definitely looks worth the diversion but it's too adventurous for me with my heavy backpack.

I amble along to reach Kynance Cove where I come across some of the native bloody cranesbills.

The car park is looking quite busy even though it is still very early but there aren’t many people about so I descend steeply down to the cove.

kynance cove

For a change I’ve got quite a bit of beach so I waste quite a bit of time here. There are only a couple of people here. I strap back on my bag and climb back out of the cove, passing the Kynance Cove Cafe on the way up.

kynance cove

As I climb out of Kynance Cove I pass more of the native bloody cranesbills. The views back overlooking Kynance Cove are magnificent.

After ambling for far too long I head off along the Lizard cliffs where I encounter the first orchids of the day, including loads of heath spotted orchids so I waste more time, taking photographs.

An old schoolfriend of mine took her own life eight years ago yesterday. I last spoke to her the day before she died on the phone at this exact spot.

I amble along the top of the cliffs, enjoying the wildflowers.

I continue along the cliffs, enjoying the views to reach Predannack. Predannack airfield is nearby and there is usually a constant stream of helicopters flying overhead but it's quiet today. Maybe they don't fly on a Monday? The wild flowers around here are amazing and there's sea thrift everywhere. I come across ragged robin which I rarely see at home and a small patch of what looks like southern marsh orchids.

Mullion Cove comes into view and I have some kayaks racing past me down below.

I take the steep descent down to the harbour. The last time I was here, Mullion Cove had taken a battering in winter storms and the harbour was badly damaged. It has now been fully repaired.

mullion cove

I ascend the other side of Mullion Cove and pass the Mullion Cove Hotel (@mullioncove).

I head along the cliffs enjoying more of the wild flowers and pass Carrag-Luz or ‘Love Rock’.

Above Polurrian Cove I come across an unfamiliar moth which, I think turns out to be a barred yellow moth.

I reach sandy Polurrian Cove. I waste more time pottering along the sandy beach before climbing back out of Polurrian Cove and heading along the cliffs.

I stop briefly at a bench which has magnificent views to let some dog walkers pass me.

“If ever our souls part to say goodbye
meet me there, where the sea meets the sky;
lost, but finally free.”

I pass the Marconi monument, a granite monument commemorating the first transatlantic radio transmission on the 12th of December 1901. I think that Marconi probably had a better signal 100-odd years ago than I've had today although, to be fair, I think I’ve got a 3G signal here but the sun is too bright for me to be able to see my phone screen properly. I continue along the cliffs enjoying the masses of pink sea thrifts.

As I descend to Poldhu Cove a chough flies across my horizon, calling as it goes. What a lovely end to the day.

I reach Poldhu Cove where the Poldhu Beach Cafe (@poldhu) can be found and waste more time on the sandy beach. It's quite a bit busier here than I'm used to but not too bad for a sunny summer’s day.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

seagulls
choughs
ribwort plantain
mesembryanthemum
foxgloves
bluebells
red and white campion
wild carrot
bladder campion
cows
sea thrift
kidney vetch
dropwort
birds-foot trefoil
bloody cranesbill
heath spotted orchid
common dog-violet
scarlet pimpernel
devils-bit scabious
ragged robin
southern marsh orchid
flag iris
rape
barred yellow moth

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 10.75 miles which amounts to 25616 steps. It has taken me five and a quarter hours. I’ve had glorious weather all day long and the flora and fauna has been magnificent. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

For a change two out of three of my tracking apps have actually worked today so I have some walk details. They don’t entirely match up but there you go.