Today was going to be a long walk, as I try to connect up and a fill a gap in my progress along the SWCP.
I park early at Constantine Bay, about a mile day down the road from the beach, well its free and right next to a bus stop. I park here and not in Padstow, just in case the legs don’t make it to Padstow. If I make it to Padstow I will get a bus back to Constantine Bay.
It is a beautiful summers day as I arrive in Newquay and immediately head north along the cliff top towards Whipsiderry. At Trevelgue Head, I come across the Iron Age castle and Bronze Age burial mounds. I must admit to being rather “take it or leave it” when it comes to these sites as it usually takes quite a load of imagination to distinguish them from the normal grassy mounds. I am probably more interested in the artefacts found at these sites than the site itself.
I move onto and down to Watergate Beach, passing fabulous masses of Thift embedded in old walls. Watergate Beach seems to be a new development built around the surfing industry, it’s rather noisy with loud music as I clamber up the valley sides. I walk onto towards Mawgan Porth, a lovely beach, which is just beginning to fill up with its days visitors. I walk along the beach a short way before scrambling up the dunes, back onto the path. The walking is quite easy-going, with few serious up and downs. I buy a drink and ice-cream as I pass through the small coastal hamlet of Portcothan, by which time it is very hot now. As I move along the cliff tops the stiff sea breeze coming in off the coast, keeps me cool.
I reach Treyarnon which is adjoined to Constantine Bay, which means I could simply walk up to my car and call it a day. That would mean coming back to do this short section. My legs are good and the terrain is gentle and easy, so I carry on. As I pass north of the golf course I come across a couple of “Blow Holes”, they are really well-developed and must have been quite a cave to form such a large hole.
I finally round Stepper Point and the lookout station there to enter Padstow Bay. I keep a sharp lookout for the Doom Bar ( one of my favourite beers from the Rock Brewery) , I think I manage to locate the Doom Bar within the Camel Estuary. At Harbour Cove I descend to the beach, identifying the places on the opposite bank which I had walked through some months past. I walk along the beach all the way into Padstow. It’s very very busy in Padstow. I head out-of-town to catch my bus outside a Tesco store. I chat with a young local lad about the Royal Cornwall show which is being held 12 miles away, but causing big disruption to local transport. The 24 miles has taken 7.25hrs.
Distance today = 24 miles
Total distance = 784 miles
Walking the Coast of Great Britain 