After two bright sunny days the weather had taken a turn for the worse. On a good day the first section from Crantock past the beach at Porth Joke to Holywell would be very attractive but today everything was a bit driech. Then the next section is rather spoiled by all the fences surrounding Penhale Camp until you get this fine view of the 4 km beach leading to Perranporth. A quick bus ride took me back to Newquay for the drive home.
Distance today, 16 km.
It was another grand morning and I took the open top bus from Newquay back to Porthcothan. The coast south from here to Mawgan Porth passes above the spectacular rock formations at Bedruthan Steps; the beach is now closed due to elf'n'safety but that didn't seem to deter the crowds milling around on the cliff top.
The official coast path has a long urban section through Newquay but with low tide I was able to avoid the first section by following the beaches, though the downside was a very steep climb back up by the harbour. That was the end of the stage but I had plenty of time and thought that I might as well carry on,
The tour of Newquay continued round Towan Head, across Fistral Beach and through Pentire to a cafe above the River Gannel.
The SWCP guide lists four different options for crossing the river, some of which involve a sizeable detour, but at low tide it was just a short stroll across this footbridge. In fact the river was so low that I could have easily waded across. From the far side a short walk took me up to Crantock village where I could catch a bus right back to my AirBnB.
Distance today, 24 km.
It was over a year since I had last done any of the coast path so I booked an AirBnB on the outskirts of Newquay for a couple of nights, drove down to Porthcothan and took the bus to Padstow. The town was just as busy as when I was here a year ago but I could soon escape the crowds by walking out along the path to the north with its dozens of picnic benches overlooking the Camel estuary.
The route out to Stepper point crosses this fine beach and passes the old coastguard station behind,
The grand scenery continued all the way past Treyarnon and back to the car at Porthcothan.
The AirBnB was not in the most attractive location on the edge of an industrial estate on the outskirts of Newquay, but it was very convenient - free parking, a short walk to a bus stop and a nearby supermarket to get food.
Distance today, 21 km.
