29. Leg 8  - SW Coastal Path 29: St. Ives to Botallack via Pendeen

26 August 2019

We were staying at Trevaylor campsite in Botallack. The bus went from just outside the campsite to St.Ives and was a very scenic and entertaining route. The route was described as 'Challenging - Severe. This is one of the toughest sections of the entire Path, due to the rocky and sometimes boggy ground, and so progress is slower than you may anticipate - but the views make up for it.' ... it wasn't wrong and we had an extra 3 miles to get back to the campsite!

1. The route

2. The bus route to St.Ives!

3. Arriving at St.Ives

4. A fairly gentle walk out of St Ives to Clodgy Point soon becomes a strenuous journey of roller coaster climbs as the Coast Path plunges down towering cliffs into beautiful coves and back up again. Despite the nature of the walk, the section from St.Ives to Zennor was one of the busiest we've experienced so far on the path!

Clodgy Point.

5. Pen Enys Point

6. Trevega Cliff

7. We had a plentiful supply of blackberries the whole way around on this trip. The honeysuckle was also prolific.

8. Carn Naun point

9. Julian at Towednack with Carn Naun Point behind.

10. Bridge over stream leading to River Cove at Towednack.

11. A lot of walkers on our route were just doing St.Ives to Zennor. We'd have another 10 miles to go after Zennor!

12. Julian checking the map at Treveal with a view to The Carrocks

14. We were advised by the guide notes to look out for seals at Mussel Point but none were to be seen!

15. Tregerthen and the giant fingers of granite at Wicca Pool.

16. Lunch stop at Zennor Head with a view to Gurnard's Head.

17. View to Pendour Cove.

This cove is also known as Mermaid’s Cove and legend has it that if you sit above the cove at twilight on a summer’s evening you may hear the singing of a man who fell in love with a mermaid and followed her out to sea.

The field systems in this area date from the Bronze Age and are still farmed sensitively so as to enhance wildlife and protect historic features.

18. Cow Carnelloe Cliff

19. View to Gurnard’s Head. There are remains of an ancient settlement and cliff castle here.

20. Around from Carnelloe Long Rock is Porthglaze Cove followed by Boswednack Cliff.

21. Porthmeor Cove with statutory bridge picture.

22. Carn Moyle

23. Haldrine Cove

24. Morvah Mines.

The remains of Morvah Consols lie on Trevowhan Cliff just to the north of the village of Morvah in the far west of Cornwall. Not as well known as its near neighbours at Pendeen there is little information on the mine apart from the fact that it was a tin mine known to have been at work in the mid-nineteenth century.

25. Trevowhan Cliff near Morvah

26. Bosigran Cliff. Bosigran Castle: the site of an Iron Age cliff fort. This rocky area is very popular with climbers.

27. Sally at Rosemergy at Morvah

28. Portheras Cove: there are often seals spotted around this secluded, sandy cove. Although incredibly beautiful and fairly unpopulated, it is inadvisable to swim from this beach, or to walk on it barefoot, due to the possibility that there may still be metal fragments left from the dynamited wreck the Alacrity which ran aground in 1963.

29. Pendeen Lighthouse opened in 1900 to aid ships along what is said to be one of the most dangerous stretches of coast in Britain.

30. Boscaswell Cliff - getting pretty weary by now and starting to hallucinate about a beer!

30. View to Enys rock and Pendeen lighthouse from Old Cliff

31. View to Levant mine , which doubles up as Tressiders Rolling Mill in Poldark. It is part of Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage Site. It's the only Cornish beam engine anywhere in the world that is still in steam on its original site. A group of volunteers known as the 'Greasy Gang' restored it after 60 years out of use.

32. The abandoned buildings at Botallack provide the perfect stand in for the Poldark family mines of Wheal Leisure (in reality Wheal Owles) and Grambler (Wheal Crowns).The buildings give a fascinating insight into Cornish mining history. There were over 100 engine houses in the St Just district during the 19th century and earlier. But in 1895 the entire mine at Botallack closed due to rapidly falling copper and tin prices.

 33. We finally made it! The Queen's Head at Botallack.