46. Leg 11  - SW Coastal Path 46: Towan Beach to Pendower Beach and back  

19 April April 2024

1. The route

2. From Trewince campsite

3. Towan beach

4. Approaching Portscatho

5. Towan Beach Julian and Kizzy

6. Portscatho Harbour Julian and Kizzy

7. Porthcurnick

8. Portscatho Lookout Station

9. Porthbean

10. Porthbeach Julian and Kizzy

11. Porthbean Beach

12. Treluggan Cliff

13. Early Purple Orchid

14. Red Campion

15. Carne Beach Julian

16. Pendower Beach Kizzy

17. Portscatho

18. Alexanders Smyrnium osusatrum

19. Cuckoo Pint Arum italicum

20. Portscatho Julian Kizzy icecream

 45. Leg 11 - SW Coastal Path 45: From Menehay Campsite around St Anthony Head circular

18 April 2024

We headed round to Trewince Farm Touring Campsite on the Roseland Peninsula which is another of Cornwall’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  This walk took us around the southern tip of the Roseland Peninsula to Towan beach. The plan had been to continue the next day but a flat van battery put the kibosh on that plan and instead we did a short walk at Charlestown near St Austell where we managed to find a battery.

1.       The route

2.       Emma’s Wood

3.       we walked to meet the path along the Percuil River and Place where the Ferry links the path from Falmouth.

4.       Walking towards St Anthony looking over to St Mawes Castle.built in 1538 and now owned by English Heritage, the castle was another of Henry VIII’s defences against a possible invasion from the combined forces of the Pope, Spain and France. Built in the form of a clover leaf, the castle retains much of its Tudor design.

5.       St Anthony Head

6.       FromSt Anthony’s Lighthouse: built in 1835, the lighthouse once had the largest bell in Cornwall until it was replaced by a foghorn in 1954.

7.       Porthbeor

8.       Bohortha. Both Kizzy and I were keen for a swim and this would be the best day weatherwise but the cliffs were steep and the beautiful bays below were inaccessible.

9.       Killigerran views to Nare Head and the Dodman from Zone Point.

10.   Towan Beach and an opportunity for Sally and Kizzy to swim. A worrying moment when I realised I’d packed my cycling shorts instead of my swimming costume so an improvised outfit was called for!

11.   Another icecream then back to the van.

 44. Leg 11 - SW Coastal Path 44: Falmouth circular via Maenporth

17 April 2024 

We started off with a walk from the campsite through Falmouth. It would have been nice to spend a bit of time here browsing the arty shops and wandering through the alleyways but we had walking to do! We did manage to get our pasty fix, however, and ice creams before heading back to the campsite.

• 1. The route

• 2.  A view to St Mawes and St Anthony Head from the harbour which is reputed to be the third-largest natural harbour in the world and the second busiest port of the British Empire.

• 3 Pendennis Castle .Built in the early 1540s, the castle was one of a number of new defences along the south coast protecting against a possible attack from the combined forces of Spain, France and the Pope in response to Henry VIII’s rather controversial actions.

• 4. Falmouth Bay

• 5. Three cornered leek – trying to get to know our wild flowers!

• 6. Maenporth beach and some really delicious ice creams.

 43. Leg 11  - SW Coastal Path 43: Durgan circular via Maenporth

16 April 2024

Returning to the path this time in our new campervan. We hadn’t intended to walk on the first day but we made good time so we headed down to Bosveal car park and walked down to the quiet hamlet of Durgan where we finished last time.  For the first 2 days we stayed and Menehay Farm Touring Campsite, Budock Water on the outskirts of Falmouth.

1.       The Route

2.       Bosloe

3.       Walking along the Helford River looking back to Helford from Grebe Beach

4.       Carwinion

5         & 6 Porth Saxon Beach where Kizzy got her first water fix of the trip.

7         8 9 Skirting the hamlet of Mawnan through woodland with lichen covered trees determined to stay upright despite the steep slopes down to the river.

10 View to Roseland peninsular from Mawnan

11 12 13 14 Bream Cove Gunnera, view to beach and Kizzy in bluebells. 

15 16 17 Maenporth and another swim for Kizzy

18 Back to the car park via Mawnan Smith and a field of cows.  Previous dicey moments have made us wary of cow herds but we came through unscathed!

 42. Leg 10 - SW Coastal Path 42:  Helford  Passage to Durgan

 28 October 2022

To complete this leg of the route we missed out the ferry trip and started at Helford Passage for a short stretch before heading home.  There has been a ferry crossing the river from Helford Village to Helford Passage since medieval times and the river (actually a Ria, a flooded river valley) was once a favoured spot for pirates and smugglers. 

1. The Route

2. Setting off from Helford Passage, Julian and Kizzy

3. Durgan Beach, Julian and Kizzy

4. View back to Helford Passage Beach

5. View from pub at Helford Passage. A last cuppa before the journey home, complete with jams on the M5!

 41. Leg 10 - SW Coastal Path 41: Gweek St Anthony in Meneage Helford circular

27 October 2022

We parked up the road from Gweek and walked along the coast towards the hamlet of St Anthony in Meneage, around St Dennis Head, through Helford where we stopped for lunch and back to the starting point.

1. The route

2. Julian and Kizzy admiring the boats at Carne.

3. Gillan Creek

4. St Anthony in Meneage beach play.

5. It was pretty muddy walking around St Dennis Head! Dennis from the Cornish ‘Dinas’ meaning castle, this is the site of prehistoric earthworks, an early celtic fortress and a Royalist fortification.

6. St Anthony in Meneage marker.

7. Julian and Kizzy at Boshahan Cove. The river supports many types of fish, sea anemones and shellfish, and a thriving birdlife, such as ducks, egrets, herons, ospreys, kingfishers and fulmers, to name just a few.

8. Helford looking over to Helford Passage.

9. The Ford at Helford.

10. Having walked to the ferry point and chatted to a fellow SW Coast walker who was waiting for the ferry, we turned around and found a pasty lunch at The Shipwright's Arms. This was our view!

 40. Leg 10  - SW Coastal Path 40:  Menifters, Flushing, Porthallow circular

26 October 2022