Friday 05 July to Tuesday 09 July 2013
It was a beautiful, hot summer week-end. Maybe just a bit too hot to be perfect for long-distance walking and it was tempting to join the other holidaymakers relaxing on the beaches. The mile upon mile of stunning golden sandy beaches will be one of the lasting memories of this stretch of the Coast Path.
Despite the heat we decided to walk as planned and fortunately, for most of the time, there was enough of a gentle coastal breeze to cool the air to make things bearable - even enjoyable! We did make sure, though, that we used plenty of sun block and that we had lots of water with us!
Harlyn Bay to Treyarnon Bay
We had driven from home with the intention of doing a circular walk from Treyarnon Bay to Harlyn Bay via the Constantine Bay Golf Course, around Trevose Head and then back to Treyarnon Bay.
We arrived at Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel about noon and wondered about whether to walk or just take things quietly. After a bite of lunch we made our decision: head out for Harlyn Bay - despite the heat of the day - and were rewarded with some fantastic scenery and interesting geological features, among them the Round Hole on Trevose Head, a collapsed inland sea cave.
Despite the heat we decided to walk as planned and fortunately, for most of the time, there was enough of a gentle coastal breeze to cool the air to make things bearable - even enjoyable! We did make sure, though, that we used plenty of sun block and that we had lots of water with us!
Harlyn Bay to Treyarnon Bay
We had driven from home with the intention of doing a circular walk from Treyarnon Bay to Harlyn Bay via the Constantine Bay Golf Course, around Trevose Head and then back to Treyarnon Bay.
We arrived at Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel about noon and wondered about whether to walk or just take things quietly. After a bite of lunch we made our decision: head out for Harlyn Bay - despite the heat of the day - and were rewarded with some fantastic scenery and interesting geological features, among them the Round Hole on Trevose Head, a collapsed inland sea cave.
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| Harlyn Bay, complete with Kelly's Cornish Ice Cream van! |
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| At Trevose Head |
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| Harlyn Bay Youth Hostel. Oops! with a house apparently on the roof! |
Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel proved to be an ideal place for us to commence this section: just a few yards from the beach with a large field for campers. The hostel has a cafe and bar and meals are available both to hostelers and the general public.
There is plenty of car parking at the hostel, and there is a good bus service about a mile away at Constantine Bay, with buses to Padstow and Newquay. This makes bus walks easy to arrange.
Treyarnon Bay to Whitesand Bay
Treyarnon Bay to Whitesand Bay
Our next day's walk was from the Treyarnon Bay to Watergate Bay, pausing briefly at Porthcothan for drinks before setting out again along the Path with its awe-inspiring coastal scenery of Bedruthan Steps and the beaches of Mawgan Porth and Whitesand Bay.
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| Bedruthan Steps |
At one point we watched a kestrel being 'seen off' - apparently successfully - by a solitary swallow. Rather 'David and Goliath'!
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| Mawgan Porth |
We had originally planned to walk only as far as Morgan Porth, but we decided to carry on the extra couple of miles or so to Whitesand Bay and catch the bus from there back to Constantine Bay instead.
Stopping on the way to catch our breath, admire the scenery, attempt to identify flowers and birds and chat to fellow hikers, we knew that we were getting too late to catch the 4:16pm Western Greyhound service 556 bus from Watergate Bay back to Constantine Bay. We were in luck, though! Just as we reached the bus stop, the bus turned up - almost fifteen minutes late. We were very grateful for that late-running bus and didn't mind the rather bumpy ride back to Constantine Bay as the driver tried to catch up a bit of time.
The driver dropped us off at the Surf Shop and we then made our way down the lane to the beach car park before returning to the youth hostel along the Coast Path. We had walked just over ten miles in the day; not bad, we thought, bearing in mind the unremitting heat.
Whitesand Bay to Newquay and The Gannel
Whitesand Bay to Newquay and The Gannel
The next day (Sunday) we took the car to Newquay and then caught the (service 556) bus to the start of our day's walk at Whitesand Bay.
We set out from Watergate Bay at about 11:30am, the Path taking us to Porth and then on to Newquay.
In Newquay, failing to pay proper attention to the South West Coast Path handbook, we missed the way on the tramway path at the bridge, instead we continued on into the town, where we gave in to temptation and bought pasties for lunch from The Pasty Parlour in The Crescent. We enjoyed our purchases sitting on a bench on the Killacourt, listening to live music from the stage across the way.
Setting out after our lunch break we continued on the Path, passing the harbour, the Huer's Hut and Towan Head before reaching the National Surfing Centre at Fistral Beach.
Above the southern end of Fistral Beach we followed the 'alternative' route, heading in a westerly direction around Pentire and then following the Coast Path as far as the main A392 road before leaving it at the footpath (SW812608), winding its way through the housing of the Trenance part of Newquay and back to the car.
The Gannel to Perranporth
We started the day by checking out of Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel and setting out for the National Trust Crantock Beach car park. The parking attendant helpfully gave us precise instructions as to where would be a good place for us to park the car to avoid getting blocked in.
Initially we set out in the 'reverse' direction for a few yards towards the Gannel Ferry crossing to recommence the Coast Path walk from there. As the tide was out, we returned to the car park along the beach before continuing on our way to Holywell Bay and Perranporth.
Holywell Bay is a good stopping-off spot with its facilities (some of them seasonal). There is also a regular bus service, making it convenient for bus walks.
After some discussion as to whether we might catch the bus from Holywell Bay back to Crantock and complete the section from there to Perranporth on the following day (Tuesday), we decided, nevertheless, to carry on - and to have Tuesday as a somewhat more leisurely day with it's drive home. We completed the stretch to Perranporth with time enough for a coffee before catching the 6:20pm Western Greyhound Service 592 bus back to Crantock, with just a short walk to the National Trust car park.
We then drove back to Perranporth for the night in the youth hostel.
Perranporth Youth Hostel is a small, simple hostel in a stunning position right on the Coast Path on top of the cliffs above Perranporth.
The distance we walked on the South West Coast Path for this trip was 51km (31.7 miles) giving a cumulative total from Minehead of 325km (202 miles). The total distance walked on this trip (including getting to and from the ends of the walks) was approximately 59.8 km (37 miles).
This had been another lovely trip!
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| Whitesand Bay |
We set out from Watergate Bay at about 11:30am, the Path taking us to Porth and then on to Newquay.
In Newquay, failing to pay proper attention to the South West Coast Path handbook, we missed the way on the tramway path at the bridge, instead we continued on into the town, where we gave in to temptation and bought pasties for lunch from The Pasty Parlour in The Crescent. We enjoyed our purchases sitting on a bench on the Killacourt, listening to live music from the stage across the way.
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| Newquay Harbour |
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| Huer's Hut |
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| Fistral Beach with Towan Head in the distance |
The Gannel to Perranporth
We started the day by checking out of Treyarnon Bay Youth Hostel and setting out for the National Trust Crantock Beach car park. The parking attendant helpfully gave us precise instructions as to where would be a good place for us to park the car to avoid getting blocked in.
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| The Gannel |
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| Holywell Bay and Gull Rocks off Penhale Point |
After some discussion as to whether we might catch the bus from Holywell Bay back to Crantock and complete the section from there to Perranporth on the following day (Tuesday), we decided, nevertheless, to carry on - and to have Tuesday as a somewhat more leisurely day with it's drive home. We completed the stretch to Perranporth with time enough for a coffee before catching the 6:20pm Western Greyhound Service 592 bus back to Crantock, with just a short walk to the National Trust car park.
We then drove back to Perranporth for the night in the youth hostel.
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| The Youth Hostel, Perranporth (Courtesy YHA) |
The distance we walked on the South West Coast Path for this trip was 51km (31.7 miles) giving a cumulative total from Minehead of 325km (202 miles). The total distance walked on this trip (including getting to and from the ends of the walks) was approximately 59.8 km (37 miles).
This had been another lovely trip!
200 miles done! Great photos which brought back memories of Lizzie learning to surf at Harlyn Bay and a holiday in Newquay with Jo when she was about 3! Looking forward to the next instalment... Richard
ReplyDeleteHi Richard,
DeleteMany thanks for your kind comments! It really is a wonderful part of the world.
Vaughan