SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

Sunday, 6TH JUNE 2021

After yesterday’s manky weather it looks like today will be lovely, with sun all day long and nothing in the way of wind. Perfect for walking. Woop!

Porthleven low tide 09:26

Porthleven high tide 15:20

I start the day at the car park at Praa Sands where I climb steps down to the beach. I head down the beach to the sea and then start to amble along the beach. Some of the murkiness from yesterday still remains but I don’t think it will last very long.

Part way across the beach I climb back on to the low cliffs, passing a memorial honouring the crew of a Sunderland Flying Boat which crash landed on Praa Sands on the 2nd of June 1943.

I head through the holiday park here passing massive echiums and I enjoy the wild as well as the cultivated flowers. They are all extremely damp after yesterday’s rain and much more advanced than they would be at home.

I leave the holiday homes behind and climb onto Lesceave Cliffs where I continue to enjoy the wild flowers.

Lesceave Cliffs were given to the National Trust by the family of William Arthur Quintrell Treloar in his memory. I have some final views back over Praa Sands and the weather is already picking up.

I continue climbing to reach Rinsey Head where I come across Wheal Prosper tin mine, a rubbish mine which was only open for six years. A sign tells me that Wheal Prosper featured in a BBC TV series, Poldark, in 1995 but I can find no trace of this programme.

I head onto Trewavas Cliff where the sea thrift is looking magnificent.

The path then starts to ramble aimlessly along the cliffs, although the paths seem to be much better than they used to be. I come across Wheal Trewavas which started work in 1834, at its peak employing 200 miners but the mine closed suddenly in 1846.

I enjoy more of the wild flowers on the cliffs before finally entering Porthleven.

I follow the coast path down to the harbour at Porthleven and head around the harbour where I come across the Harbour Inn.

I amble along the road out of Porthleven where I walk past ancient fishing winches and canons protecting the harbour, enjoying the views back to Porthleven.

I walk along the path above Porthleven Sands.

I then descend to Loe Bar and crunch along the pebbly beach.

I regain the cliffs and amble along the top where I continue to enjoy the wildflowers.

I come across masses of five-spot burnets feeding on the sea thrift as well as what must be wall brown butterflies but they are so flighty that I don’t get to see their upper wings to be certain.

As I approach Gunwalloe Fishing Cove I come across a raptor enjoying the sunshine. I’m rubbish when it comes to raptors but is it possibly a common buzzard? Are they even a seaside bird?

I come across a hairy caterpillar shuffling across the path. When I said I was rubbish at identifying raptors I’m even worse when it comes to caterpillars. Is this a ruby tiger moth caterpillar? I have no idea.

I come across a common blue butterfly. It’s becoming quite a day for butterflies.

I drop down to Gunwalloe Fishing Cove and enjoy the sandy and pebbly beach. The Halzephron Inn (@InnHalzephron) can be found 100 yards inland here.

I climb up onto Halzephron Cliff and, oh my word, is that a small pearl-bordered fritillary? I’ve never seen one of these before.

After this first one I see several more but they prove to be too flighty to photograph.

I continue along Halzephron Cliff enjoying the beautiful wildflowers and I have a final view back to Porthleven Sands. Halzephron Cove can be found here but the climb down is a little adventurous even for me.

Creation or evolution? Judging by all the flora and fauna I’ve seen today it can only be evolution.

I continue along the cliff before descending down to Dollar Cove. The cove is named after the great wreck in 1780 when 2 tonnes of silver coins were lost overboard.

dollar cove

It is now a short hop and a skip to Church Cove at the church of St Winwaloe, set into the hillside beside the beach. I waste yet more time on the sandy beach here before heading along the beach and then climbing back onto the cliffs.

church cove

It is another short hop and a skip to reach Poldhu Cove where the Poldhu Beach Cafe (@poldhu) can be found and I waste more time on the sandy beach. It's quite a bit busier here than I'm used to although not too bad for a sunny Sunday.

I amble back along the beach to reach the car park where my lift awaits.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

rabbits
chiffchaffs
chaffinches
skylarks
stonechat
small pearl-bordered fritillary
red and white valerian
bluebells
wild carrot
red campion
echiums
aqualegia
arum lily
bottlebrush
iris
roses
sea thrift
foxgloves
birds-foot trefoil
ribwort plantain
bladder campion
devils-bit scabious
kidney vetch
english stonecrop
five-spot burnet
wall brown butterfly
buzzard
ruby tiger moth caterpillar
navelwort
common blue butterfly
wild garlic
gladioli
mint
hawthorn
scarlet pimpernel

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 11.3 miles which amounts to 26520 steps. It has taken me four and three quarter hours. After a murky start I’ve had glorious weather 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.

praa sands to poldhu cove