Porthcothan to Padstow

Firstly, apologies are in order from yesterday's blog, to Mawgan Porth and Porthcothan as I couldn't find anything interesting to say about them - then again, maybe nothing much happens there 😉. I'll try a bit harder for Padstow...
.. which was today's destination. P&D dropped me off at the hard-to-find car park in Porthcothan, having left my car at Padstow. They returned to London today to re-engage with civilisation and for Pete's back to recover from the Hotel Bristol's softer-than-he's-used-to beds. I'm reliably informed that Debs snuck in a cream tea before finally leaving the West Country - proper order.

Today's walk was two sections of the Path, both graded 'Easy'. I'm now properly in North Cornwall and according to the book have only 180 miles to go (and 30,000 ft to climb). Should be under 150 by the end of this visit; exciting, no? Today's trip, with a record number of photos, on Komoot here.

Leaving Porthcothan, all warp factor 50'd for the sunny forecast on a beautiful morning:

Where yesterday's walk was all about beaches, today (with a couple of exceptions) it's all about Coves, Holes, Headlands and dizzyingly steep drops, and straightaway I wasn't disappointed.

The wind had dropped but there was still quite a swell. I love to see the waves smashing onto the rocks - could watch it for hours, it's hypnotic like an open fire. Maybe it's also a bit of the vandal in me.

First beach of the day at Treyarnon Bay. It can't really compete with the monsters we saw yesterday but it's small and perfectly formed (just like the original, Wayne Sleep) and ideally placed next to the Youth Hostel.  The main beaches of the day come shortly after, Constantine and the unfortunately named Booby's Bay.

Certainly looks a good surfing beach and there are schools based here. There are some interesting inscriptions on the memorial benches too: such as "Lark song and sea sound in the air, and splendour, splendour everywhere" or "The Captain and the Purple Lady - The sun is always over the yardarm".

Then it's past Mackerel and Stinking coves (presumably only a timing difference) as well as the first of the Holes: this one is Round Hole

I don't know what caused them but they look like the collapsed sea caves I saw on the South coast.

I'm not good at all on heights so these were take lying full length near the edge. Karen I know would have simply leaned over for a better look!

We've left the mining areas behind so I don't think they're anything to do with that. More Googling required.

Then round Trevose Head which has amazing views South back to West Penwith the other side of St Ives, just visible in the haze, and over to Bude in the North.

The track then comes to Mother Ivey's Bay where there's a classic lifeboat station and a recently restored Art Deco house

Looks like an Hercule Poirot era location. I half expected to see a classic 1930s car in the drive.

Once past the bay and Cataclews Point next up is Harlyn Bay, another large and popular surfing beach. This coastline reminds me so much of Orkney and Shetland, except that there the beaches are never crowded.
Much windyer, but not crowded. Again, you can judge the scale by the people in the distance.

You could have such fun here with a sand yacht. 
In 1865 a labourer found two wafer-thin crescents of gold known as lunulae here, thought to be early Bronze Age grave goods.

By now I'm starting to think about "a little something" and more than just my trail food (flapjacks, chocolate covered peanuts, oatcakes, fruit and nut chocolate - just normal health food) so following my new resolution, two pit stops today. The first at the end of Harlyn beach, where the van owner told me that in season they typically get 1,000 cars in the car park, as well as the walkers and nearby campers, so clearly to be avoided then. I didn't fancy his offer of cup-a-soup (getting choosy now) so after a cup of tea I moved on to a proper cafe on Trevone Bay. 
Now you'll be pleased to know that In early 2007, Trevone Bay was used as the setting for the Rennault Clio Ripcurl advert, featuring two surfers contemplating going into the sea.

 Passing Newtrain Bay I came across this which I assume is a sea pool

I've never seen one before but I imagine on a sunny day it gets quite warm, it certainly looks inviting.

Fortified by something-and-red-pepper soup and knowing this was about the half way point for today, I set off again for the long run up to Stepper Point.

There's another succession of vertiginous cliffs and gullies and at Gunver head it has partly separated from the mainland.

Gunver Head

Pepper Hole

It took more nerve-shredding moments to photograph this, from a precarious ledge over a 50 ft drop on a windy spot. None of which is apparent, so quite disappointing really. Which is why I have to tell you about it.

There are more holes here, Butter Hole which is open to the sea and Pepper Hole which isn't and was for me the most phobia inducing of the lot. Still, a blog can't be without its seasoning so a photo of Pepper Hole is needed.

Rounding Stepper Point with its daymark (identifying the Camel estuary for shipping) and its National Coastwatch station you can see for the first time the Camel estuary. I got quite a shock as I wasn't prepared for how huge and how magnificent it is. There's a sand bank partially blocking the river estuary, known as the Doom Bar and now the name of a beer from the St Austell brewery.

Slightly alarmingly there's no sign of Padstow yet, which is about 5 kms to go. Still, it's a pretty scenic 5 kms. A perfect day to see it of course but it's also not built up in the way that Newquay and environs have suffered and that's surprising given its popularity with the moneyed metropolitan elite (it's an upmarket destination with something of a reputation for wild, moneyed youth).
Altogether quite beautiful. At this stage of the tide I was able to do the next 2 kms along the beach, falling in with a couple I'd met earlier and following what looked like a knowledgeable local - and as I soon found out, when we caught her up, much to her amusement.

So finally into Padstow and for all my cynicism about Padstein I really liked it. When Karen and I were here before it was very crowded and locals advise to avoid entirely for August but today it wasn't and it had a very relaxed vibe. I'd just missed the Mayday celebrations (of which, more below) but much of the bunting was still up and contributed to the festive air. Getting back to the carpark in the old station yard I found it was next to the National Lobster Hatchery and Rick Stein's cooking school  - now you don't find that everywhere.

Originally called Pedroc-Stowe after the Welsh missionary St Petroc, they have strange customs in Padstow. There’s the ‘Obby ‘Oss festival (which starts at midnight on Mayday), seemingly descended from an old fertility rite, probably Beltane, and the Mummers’ or Darkie Day in midwinter. The Darkie Day title has now been dropped.

It’s also the start and end point for the Camel cycle trail (Camel is from the Cornish Kammel, meaning crooked)).

So now only 166 miles to go, a good 13.6 done today. Tomorrow starts at Rock, the other side of the Camel from Padstow, as I move on to Port Isaac. Forecast good, shouldn't need gaiters. Can't wait.

Peter