Day 34. Fowey to Looe, 13 October 2025.

The pub didn't start serving breakfast until 9am, which put paid to my plan for an early start. But the ferry to Polruan was waiting at the quay and I had personal service as my rucsac and I were the only passengers. .

 

Halfway through the walk is the picture postcard village of Polperro. Unfortunately you cannot cross on the harbour wall and need to take a short diversion through the village.

 The way out of Polperro is this very steep hill. I was able to make it to the top without needing to rest on one of the numerous benches.

On the way into Looe this statue is of Nelson the seal who was often seen in Looe harbour for about 25 years around the millennium.

I crossed over the bridge from West to East Looe and the station at the end of the Looe Valley line, one of the Cornish branch lines that somehow escaped Dr Beeching's axe. The two car train was surprisingly busy. It's an interesting journey; just south of Liskeard the train stops in the middle of nowhere, the driver gets out and goes to the other end of the train and the guard also gets out to change the points. The train then sets off in the opposite direction on a spiral route that climbs the hill up to Liskeard station on the main line.

 

Distance today 20 km. 

  

 

Day 33. Charlestown to Fowey, 12 October 2025.

 The harbour looked slightly better at high tide when I left soon after 10 am.

The first part of the walk is rather urban and industrial, past Carlyon Bay and then taking a diversion inland to avoid the china clay drying works and docks at Par. It was a relief to escape onto the beach at Par Sands and back to some more typical coast path walking past the attractive little fishing village of Polkerris with its small harbour and a chance to pick up a coffee and cake.

 

 

The next landmark is Gribbin Head with its huge red and white daymark tower

 

 

and a prospect of the rest of the walk towards Fowey. 

The old fortifications at St Catherine's Point, overlooking the estuary and looking upriver to Fowey.

On the way into Fowey I passed this beach , Readymoney Cove. Time for a swim.

The author Daphne du Maurier lived in Fowey and this memorial.sculpture ('The Rook with a Book') sits on the quay.  

 

 

 

I was staying in a pub in town - when I arrived there was some rather noisy music but fortunately it didnt last long. I met up with Norman and Charmian after they survived the challenge of driving into the town centre, and it was a nice change to have company for dinner with rather than eat on my own.

 

Distance today, 23 km. 

 

Day 32. Mevagissey to Charlestown, 11 October 2025

 I left the car in Liskeard and then caught a train and bus to Mevagissey. The weather was rather better than when I left here a month ago.

  

After finding the way out of town (not that obvious) the path followed low cliffs, then a mildly annoying diversion inland and along a road to avoid a large caravan park behind Pentewen Sands. This unusual church and cottages overlook the bay and were built in the 1820s when Pentewen was a major port for the china clay industry.

 

 After Pentewen there is some fine open walking to reach another Black Head (in the distance in the photo)

 Where there is this memorial stone to the historian A L Rowse who lived nearby

Below Black Head there is this unnamed beach, accessed by a very steep path. It was a nice spot for lunch and I contemplated a swim, but no more than that. 

The walk ended at Charlestown with its Georgian harbour that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There were major works going on to repair the lock gates that had been damaged by storms so it was not looking its best, especially at low tide. I was staying in the Pier Hotel, the pale green building right of the crane.

After dinner I had a phone call from my friends Norman and Charmian about a trip to Shropshire that we had planned for later in the month. It turned out that they were spending a few days in Cornwall and were staying in the camp site in Pentewen that I had walked past earlier. We arranged to meet the following evening for dinner in Fowey. 

Distance today, 11 km.