Notes from the Cornwall Coast
Having walked sections of the Thames Path on my two previous familiarisation trips, I thought I’d try something a little different this year and headed for the South West Coast Path. I chose to walk the 65 miles from St Ives to Lizard on the Cornwall coast. Once again I was accompanied by my daughter Ebony. St Ives We were lucky to be able to spend a bit of time in St Ives before starting our walk and I’d recommend you do the same. It takes some time to get to St Ives and my feeling is if you were to arrive, realistically late afternoon, and set off on your walk the following morning, you’d leave with a sense of regret. Renowned for its stunning beaches, vibrant art scene, and rich cultural heritage, St Ives has long been a favourite destination for artists, surfers, and tourists alike. St Ives deserves to be explored, and it deserves at least a full day to do so. The town is home to several beautiful beaches, each offering its own unique charm. Porthmeor Beach is perhaps the most famous, known for its golden sands and excellent surf, it’s a real hotspot for adventurers. Porthminster…
Walking England’s Longest National Trail
The South West Coast Path boasts some of the best coastal walking in Europe. Pretty fishing villages, rocky headlands, lively resorts, woodland estuaries and golden surf-washed beaches combine to create a picture perfect walking holiday. The Devon, Cornwall and Dorset coastline is rich with wildlife, seabirds and wildflowers, and hopefully when you’re there, the skies will be blue and seas emerald green. At 630 miles the South West Coast Path is also England’s longest waymarked long-distance footpath and National Trail, but don’t worry, we won’t be asking you to walk the entire the path in one visit. Walking anti-clockwise we’ve broken it into five sections, and these too break down into bite size chunks giving you ten incredible holidays in total to choose from. Let’s take a closer look at each of those sections. North Devon: Minehead to Westward Ho! Our North Devon holiday, actually begins life in Minehead just over the border in Somerset, and runs for almost 90 miles to the village of Westward Ho! enjoying overnight stays in popular locations such as Lynmouth, Ilfracombe and Woolacombe. On your journey you’ll pass through coastal woodland and see vast sandy beaches popular with surfers, you’ll walk over some of the highest…
Cream Teas and Sunny Days
Coastal views, dramatic cliffs, pretty fishing villages and a bit of sunshine were just some of the things I was hoping for when I walked the South West Coast Path from St Just to Mawnan Smith, taking in the well known landmarks of Land’s End and Lizard Point. Having arrived safely in Cornwall ahead of our walk the following day, I thought it would be rude not to sample a Cornish tradition, the cream tea. It was delicious! St Just to Porthcurno I’m incredibly fortunate to live in the Lake District and love walking on the fells as often as I can, but when I get away, the coastline is often what draws me in. There’s just something about the sea and the sound of the waves that keeps me coming back, and it’s been an absolute delight walking on the Cornish coast today. We’ve been bathed in sunshine for most of the day, the views have been stunning and the icing on the cake has to be the large pod of dolphins swimming just off the shore. The guidebook said we might see them but we didn’t really expect to. All in all an awesome day! Porthcurno to Penzance…