Pentewan to Rame: April 2014

Pentewan to Rame
April 2014

For this section we stayed with friends, who are also walking the South West Coast Path.  We were sharing a luxurious four bedroom holiday house with them: close to the village Lanlivery and about a mile-and-a-half to the west of Lostwithiel. 

Although we were all walking the Path, we did not do so together, as we had already covered the section from Place (where our friends were commencing their walk) to Pentewan.  In addition, they were planning on walking rather greater distances than we were planning!

We completed the section with a series of six linear walks, using a combination of car and bus to get to the beginning and from the end of the walks.  With careful planning it was possible to arrange a series of bus walks for this section.

Pentewan to Par

Sunday 06 April 2014

We started the day by driving to the car park by the Costcutter supermaket near Hambley's Corner, Par.

From there we caught the 10:24 Western Greyhound service 524 bus to the Pentewan Turn.

On a damp and grey day with heavy rain at times, we set out from Pentewan at about 11:00am.  We paused briefly to visit Pentewan's parish church and then headed out towards Black Head, following the diversion across the fields from above Hallane to Black Head.

The Path north from Black Head to Higher Porthpean is fairly strenuous with some steep ascents and descents.

At Charlestown, the way became easy, entering Par through the industrial china clay works, with some road walking - not very pretty!

We ended the day with mud-splattered boots and over-trousers - and rather tired!

South West Coast Path distance approximately 13.9 km (8.6 miles).  Walk total: 14.2 km (8.8 miles).

Cumulative distance from Minehead: 598 km (372 miles).

Par to Fowey

Monday 07 April 2014

A dismal, dull, grey morning with some heavy rain at times -improving during the course of the day with some sun later.  A great deal of mud, though!

We started out by driving to Fowey, parking in Park Road.  We then caught the Western Greyhound bus to Par Green, starting our walk about 10:30.

For the first part, along Par Beach and then on the cliff path above the low cliffs to Polkerris the rain fell, so it seemed, continuously: by the time we reached Polkerris we felt rather like drowned rats!  We were glad that the staff of Sam's on the Beach did not turn us away - perhaps they took pity on us!  There we enjoyed a delicious coffee and chocolate brownie.

After our coffee break we continued on to Gribbin Head with its day mark, pausing at Polridmouth for a picnic lunch.  On the approach to Polridmouth the board-walk path suffered severe storm damage and was very uneven in places.

Approaching Polridmouth .... storm damage (to the decking!)

On the way through Fowey we paused to enjoy the peace and quiet of The Quiet Garden, overlooking the harbour and Polruan.

Gribbin Head with Dodman Point in the distance

The South West Coast Path distance walked was approximately 11.8 km (7.3 miles) and the total walked was about 12.2 km (7.5 miles).
Cumulative distance from Minehead: 609 km (379 miles).

Polruan to Polperro

Tuesday 08 April 2014

A strenuous linear bus walk of about seven miles.  Firstly we drove to Polperro and parked the car near to the school at Bretwartha Brent where we caught the Travel Cornwall bus to Polruan.

Fowey from Polruan

Before setting out on the Coast Path we called at the Crumpets Tea Room for a very welcome coffee and bacon sandwich.

Lantic Bay and Pencarrow Head

Wild flowers along the way included primroses, violets, red campion, bladder campion and sea pinks.

Polperro

Birds spotted included swallows, shags, cormorants, buzzards and goldfinches.

The South West Coast Path distance was approximately 11.9 km (7.4 miles) and the total walked was about 12.5 km (7.75 miles).
Cumulative distance from Minehead: 621 km (386 miles).

Polperro to Looe

Wednesday 09 April 2014

Another bus walk.  This time we took the car to West Looe, where we parked away from the town on Marine Drive.  We then caught the Western Greyhound service 572 bus from opposite the Fire Station to Crumplehorn, above Polperro.

On the way down to the Coast Path by the harbour we had, a short rest.  This was becoming something of a pleasant habit! This time we called in at The Plantation Tea Rooms for a coffee and a pork and stuffing bap with apple sauce: delicious!

Fortified, we set off down to the harbour to commence the day's Coast Path walk: not much more than five miles to Looe to be completed this day.

Polperro Harbour

At Polperro

Polperro

There was a short, clearly marked, diversion from Downend Point to Porthallow and Talland Bay; the Path then continuing past Hove Stone, Bridge Rocks and St George's Island to Hannafore, to the southern end of West Looe.

 

Coast Path Diversion at Downend Point .... follow the arrow!

Looe from Marine Drive

South West Coast Path distance for the day's walk was approximately 7.6 km (4.7 miles) and the total walked was about 8.6 km (5.3 miles).
The Cumulative distance from Minehead: approximately 629 km (391 miles).

Looe to Portwrinkle

Thursday 10 April 2014

Looe Bay and St George's Island

A lovely Spring day!  Cloudy with sunny spells - and no rain!

Both Looe and Portwrinkle are linked to Liskeard by regular bus services.  The service between Liskeard and Looe is roughly hourly; that between Portwrinkle and Liskeard rather infrequent.  With this in mind we parked the car at Liskeard and caught the Western Greyhound 753 bus to Looe.

Arriving at Looe, we went without our pre-walk coffee, and after a little by way of some window shopping by Elizabeth, we went on our way.  While Elizabeth was window shopping, though, Vaughan had continued through the town, expecting Elizabeth to be following - which she wasn't!  Eventually, however, we met up again and continued on the way.

 

Looe

We made time for an excellent coffee right on the beach at The Black Rock Cafe at Millendreath.  Shortly after we left Millendreath we followed the major inland diversion to avoid serious landslips and storm damage, passing the Monkey Sanctuary on the way down to Seaton, where we paused for a quick picnic lunch.

Diversion notice... at the Western end.

At the Eastern end of the diversion.

Seaton, Cornwall

We kept our lunch break short, hoping to be able to catch the 15:45 A Line Travel 80B bus from Portwinkle to Liskeard.  The next bus would mean a long wait, as it was due to leave at 18:27.  So we 'quick marched' - and managed to catch the bus, with not many minutes to spare!  This was one of those occasions when using a limited frequency bus service at the end of the day's walk puts one under a certain amount of pressure: pressure best avoided if possible!

The South West Coast Path distance for the day's walk was approximately 13.6 km (8.4 miles) and the total day's walk was about 15.0 km (9.3 miles).
The Cumulative distance from Minehead: approximately 641 km (398 miles).

 

Portwrinkle to Rame (Wiggle Cliff)

Friday 11 April 2014

 

Whitsand Bay and Rame Head

A linear bus walk, using the hourly First service 81 from Kingsand, Rame Village to Crafthole.  Firstly, we drove to the tiny village of Rame, parking near the church and walking from there to the bus stop at the road junction with the lane to the village, where we caught the bus.  From Crafthole, where we alighted, we took the short walk down the lane to Portwrinkle, where we enjoyed a pre-walk coffee at The Gook Beach Cafe, above Portwinkle Beach. 

 

The Tregantle Firing Ranges were open to walkers on the day of our walk, so we were able to follow the permissive path through them, skirting immediately on the seaward side of Tregantle Fort.  Leaving the Fort behind, the path continues through Freathy and Whitsand Bay passing by the unique 'village' of countless individual and distinctive chalets, many of them with carefully tended gardens.

 

We left the Coast Path at the Polhawn Car Park, above Wiggle Cliff, and returned to Rame Church along the lanes, instead of rounding Rame Head, which we would save for the next section of our walk.

 

The South West Coast Path distance for the day's walk was approximately 8.0 km (5 miles) and the total day's walk was about 12.0 km (7.5 miles).
The Cumulative distance from Minehead: approximately 649 km (403 miles).