SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

sunday, 25TH SEPTEMBER 2022

The weather forecast for today looks to be pretty good so it’s time to get cracking.

Falmouth high tide 05:53

Falmouth low tide 12:18

It’s a relatively late start for us as it’s a Sunday and the King Harry Ferry doesn’t start until 09:00. We catch the first ferry which is a relatively expensive £7 single and then head to the car park above Portscatho at Gerrans. I amble down through the village, passing the Plume of Feathers.

I head down to the beach and enjoy the early morning sun.

My grandfather used to love swimming in the sea here. One day he found a great big slab of wood on the beach here and took it back to my grandparents home in Offwell, Devon. We used to use the slab of wood as a cricket wicket whenever we visited so it became known as the Portscatho Wicket.

portscatho

I leave the beach and wander around Portscatho, passing the tiny harbour, and then say goodbye to the village. It’s been seven years since I was last here and who knows how long it will be until I’m next here.

I amble along the gentle cliffs, enjoying the late season wild flowers. It is surprisingly hot and a lot warmer than I was expecting.

I’m ambling along quietly and suddenly here a familiar call. Several choughs fly over me. I can’t make out their red beaks but their call is unmistakeable. I’ve never seen choughs this far west before so they must be doing very well.

choughs

I spot a wall brown butterfly and manage to take a bad photograph. There are also clouded yellow butterflies flying around but they are much more difficult to photograph.

I continue ambling and say hello to several dog walkers while enjoying the wildflowers.

I continue towards Towan Beach where I come across a raggedy speckled wood butterfly.

I reach Towan Beach where I enjoy the sandy beach along with several dog walkers.

towan beach

On leaving Towan Beach I come across the remains of a wreck post, erected by the coastguard service and used to simulate a ship's mast in training exercises. It was still complete the last time I was here but all that’s left now is a stump. I wonder what happened to it?

It is a pleasant surprise to see another group of choughs fly over me.

I round Killigerran Head and Porthmellin Head.

I continue along the path above Porthbeor Beach. I thought that Porthbeor Beach was supposed to be inaccessible but, tantalisingly, I think I can make out footprints in the sand.

porthbeor beach

The mystery is solved as further along the path I spot people leaving the beach and climbing aboard a boat.

I now have some lovely views over to Falmouth.

I’m now at St Anthony Head and walk through St Anthony Meadow where I come across Shetland ponies grazing on the vegetation.

I round Zone Point and pass the 19th century battery on St Anthony Head and then head down towards St Anthony's lighthouse, built in 1835.

19th century battery

I follow signs behind the lighthouse before getting an actual glimpse of the lighthouse further on.

After leaving the lighthouse I have magnificent views over to St Mawes and Falmouth in the distance.

I head through woods to reach some beehives where the bees are very active.

I pass through the churchyard of St Anthony's Church and then pass the rather modest Place House.

I’ve now reached the Place Ferry. I glance at my phone and it’s 12:14. There’s supposed to be a ferry at 12:15. I’m bang on low tide and there’s no sign of a ferry so maybe it’s not running for a while.

Suddenly people start to ascend Toddy's Steps in front of me. Once they are past I descend the steps and notice the ferry further along the beach. The ferry is just about to leave but the ferryman calls out to me so I slither along the slippery beach and board the ferry, just in time.

The ferry takes me over to St Mawes and it has moved with the times and I’m able to buy a combined ticket to St Mawes and then on to Falmouth for £13.50 using a contactless machine. It's a thoroughly pleasant 5 minute trip.

I leave the ferry and then wait for the connecting ferry to take me back to Falmouth.

st mawes

I catch the 12:45 ferry and it's now a pleasant 15 minutes or so journey to my destination for the day, Prince of Wales Pier in Falmouth.

approaching falmouth

It's now a short walk up through the busy streets of Falmouth to return to our cottage, Bussillion, for the week, overlooking Falmouth harbour.

My knees and ankles have been playing up all year, although they’ve been OK on the short walks this week, so it might be time to think about hanging up the walking boots. If so this is a fitting end as I started walking the south west coast path in Falmouth seventeen years ago. It has been a great few years.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

oystercatchers
red campion
mouse-ear hawkweed
common knapweed
blackberries
common toadflax
burdock
ragwort
CHOUGHS!
wild carrot
ribwort plantain
wall brown butterfly
speckled wood butterfly
clouded yellow butterflies
fleabane
great mullein
shetland ponies
bees

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 7.7 miles and, including the ferries, covered a distance of 10.2 miles, which amounts to 18174 steps. It has taken me three and a half hours.

Sun, sea, sand, choughs and ferries. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

saturday, 24TH SEPTEMBER 2022

The weather forecast for today seems to be pretty good considering that we are now well and truly into autumn territory. There’s a northerly wind blowing so it’s not going to be particularly warm but I shouldn’t get much in the way of rain.

Falmouth low tide 11:39

Falmouth high tide 17:29

I start the day at the car park high above Portloe and wander down the road, photographing the flowers as I go.

I reach the tiny beach and fishing harbour at the bottom of Portloe after passing the charming granite cottages on the way down and then the Lugger Hotel (@TheLuggerHotel).

I spend way too long enjoying the harbour before setting off on the gorse and bracken covered cliffs out of Portloe. I have fine views back across Portloe.

On leaving Portloe, I’m immediately greeted by the sound of singing chiffchaffs who have been silent all summer but for some reason strike up their song again in September. Robins are also singing away.

The wild flowers and berries, even this late in the season are looking lovely. At Broom Parc I come across hydrangeas, crocosmia going to seed and sloes.

I round Manare Point and reach the rocky shore at Parc Caragloose Cove. I enter some woodland and then climb a long, grassy slope before rounding Blouth Point.

I'm now above the bouldery Kiberick Cove and out to sea I can see Gull Rock.

I continue along the gorse covered slopes passing Horse Rock, Lemoria Rock and Haine's Rock to reach Nare Head.

A national trust sign warns me that the boardwalk in front of me is in a state of disrepair. It is indeed a bit of a mess but I take care and manage to cross it and survive.

I come across a beetle ambling along the south west coast path but I’m useless with beetles so I have no idea what type it is.

I come across my first sheep of the day. In the past this walk has been smothered in sheep.

On Nare Head I come across a World War II bunker which was used to protect the port of Falmouth. Special effects systems, scattered strategically across the headland, were controlled from this bunker by four Royal Navy crewmen.

These effects were designed by British film studios to simulate lights from docks, railway tracks and stations. As enemy bombers approached, the bunker crew switched on the lights. Flying at night, the enemy aircrew were fooled into thinking they had spotted Falmouth. As the bombs were dropped, the bunker crew triggered fires and explosions to give the impression of successful bomb strikes.

Next to the World War II bunker is an atomic early warning bunker, built in 1963. The bunker was designed as a survival unit in which three officers from the Royal Observer Corps could live for up to three weeks, following a nuclear attack, whilst monitoring radioactive fallout. Made of concrete it lies a metre below ground and measures five by three metres. It was closed in 1991 and has since been restored and equipped by the local Royal Observer Corps Association.

I now have magnificent views across Gerrans Bay towards Carne Beach and Pendower Beach.

For the first time since leaving Portloe, I come across a couple of people walking their dog near to the bridge at Tregagles Hole.

I pass Shannick Point, Malmanare Point and Pennarin Point and the views over Carne Beach and Pendower beach are lovely.

I drop down onto Carne Beach, a fine south facing sandy beach. It starts to rain quite heavily but I don’t think it will last long so I don’t dive into my bag for my waterproofs.

The tide is out so I amble along the beach and cross into Pendower Beach.

carne beach

pendower beach

I head off of the beach using a slipway and pass by what was once the Pendower Beach House Hotel but is now a sad looking wreck of a building. Several attempts have been made to redevelop this site but all seem to have failed.

At least there is now a beach hut here selling ice creams and hot and cold drinks.

I climb out of Pendower Beach via the road, where I come across a flattened toad, and have magnificent views back over the beaches.

The path takes me out on to Treluggan Cliff where there are Shetland ponies chomping on the vegetation.

One friendly pony is blocking the footpath and takes some persuading to let me pass.

shetland pony

I come across and manage to photograph a small copper butterfly. There are also clouded yellow butterflies flying around but they prove more difficult to photograph.

I continue along the coast path to reach Porthbean Beach and I climb down some steps to reach the beach. I amble along the sand pondering on the forces that were at play to create the near vertical sedimentary rock strata before leaving the beach via some wooden steps.

The path leads me past the National Coastwatch Station on Pednvadan Point and I now have magnificent views over towards the village of Portscatho.

I drop down to Porthcurnick Beach which is surprisingly busy.

porthcurnick

Here can be found the Hidden Hut (@thehiddenhut) beach cafe.

I cross the beach and climb up some steps where I have lovely views back across the beach.

It's now a short walk to head in to Portscatho, home of cricket.

I walk through Portscatho along North Parade and pass Tavola pizza and pasta bar before dropping down to explore the beach.

I head out of the village, passing the Plume of Feathers and head uphill towards Gerrans where my lift awaits in the car park. Portscatho is a lovely place but it seems to be overrun with cars nowadays.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

fuchsias
gorse
bracken
chiffchaffs
robins
hydrangeas
blackberries
crocosmia
red campion
holly
sloes
stonechats
skylarks
hemp agrimony
fleabane
beetle
yarrow
a flattened toad
cormorants
shetland ponies
small copper butterfly
clouded yellow butterflies
red valerian
amaryllis belladonna
agapanthus
buddleia
fig

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 8.9 miles which amounts to 21620 steps. It has taken me four hours. It has been seven years since I last walked this section of the coast path but it never fails to delight. Ten out of ten!

portscatho to falmouth

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

sunday, 25TH SEPTEMBER 2022

FLORA AND FAUNA

PODCAST

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

WALK DETAILS

MAP

portloe to portscatho

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

saturday, 24TH SEPTEMBER 2022

FLORA AND FAUNA

PODCAST

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

WALK DETAILS

MAP