Day 36. Portwrinkle to Plymouth, 4 March 2026.

The pub was serving breakfast from 8 so I was away before 9, retracing my steps across the surprisingly busy golf course to get back on the coast path. At one point the path ran alongside a hole and a bloke asked me to wait, concerned that I might be hit by a golf ball when his mate teed off, although the warning was hardly necessary as his drive trickled down the fairway for all of 50 yards.

 

Soon I came to the army firing range round the old Victorian fort at Tregantle, but there was no firing today so I could take the path through the range rather than the inland diversion. A bit of road walking and some wandering through wooden chalets took me onto open ground towards Rame Head with its medieval chapel, a landmark that had been visible since before Looe. 

The coast path only goes to the neck of land below the headland, so I dumped my rucsac and walked unladen up to the chapel to take a few photos, although the view was not at its best on this hazy day. 

Back on the path I followed a delightful level section to Penlee Point before turning north through woodland to Cawsand, and a final archetypal Cornish fishing village with narrow streets, brightly painted houses and a small beach. 

I was tempted to stop for an ice cream but time was tight to catch the 2pm ferry from Cremyll so I pressed on. A section of the woodland path through Mount Edgecumbe Country Park was closed and signs sent you on a diversion with no indication of how to get back on the coast path at its end, but a short section of bushwhacking got me back on track and I made the ferry with about 10 minutes to spare. Just as well, for as this clock by the ferry says, 'time and tide tarry for none'. 

 

  

This is the ferry leaving Cornwall for the last time and crossing into Devon.

 

 

I had never thought much of Plymouth, as most of my previous visits had involved driving through the modern city centre to reach the ferry port, but there is a more interesting side to the city down by the waterfront. The ferry landed in the Royal William Yard, once the major victualling depot for the Royal Navy but now converted into an attractive mixture of shops, restaurants, offices and flats. 

 

 

 

The coast path took me round the seaward side of the Yard, up a long flight of steps (apparently called the Stairway to Devon) to a park overlooking Plymouth Sound, and along a street of fine Victorian houses. Then came a rather tedious section of road walking past the ferry port before I eventually came out on the promenade below Plymouth Hoe.

In the park on the Hoe there is the red and white Smeaton's Tower (formerly the Eddysone Lighthouse but taken down and rebuilt here in the 1880s) and the statue of Drake, but I preferred this lady by the bowling green, a tribute to local artist Beryl Cook. 

I walked across the Hoe to the city centre and saved myself any more walking by catching a bus to the station before the drive home.

Distance today, 26 km. 

Day 35. Looe to Portwrinkle, 3 March 2026.

 After a couple of months when it hardly seemed to stop raining, there was at last a good forecast to tick off the last two days in Cornwall so I left the car at Plymouth station and took the train to Liskeard. The Looe branch line was still closed after winter storm damage, but I had a replacement bus to myself for the ride back to Looe, where I picked up my lunch from one of the numerous pasty shops. On the way out of town I liked this beach art - I assume that the 'Torre Vieja Sandman' is the artist.

  

This section was one of the gentler parts of the coast path and a very pleasant stroll in the afternoon sunshine. In Seaton I stopped at a cafe for an americano and a superb almond cake, and then the tide was low enough so that I could follow the sea wall and beach to Downderry and avoid some road walking.

  The stage ends at Portwrinkle - great name, it's the group of white houses in the picture above - but there was no accomodation there so I left the path and crossed a golf course to Crafthole, which is about 500 m inland and where I had booked a room in the pub.

Distance today, 16 km. 

 

 

 

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. 

Day 31. Portloe to Mevagissey, 8 September 2025.

 Breakfast in the Lugger was splendid and served in a restaurant overlooking the small harbour. As I climbed out of Portloe the village was looking its best on a bright sunny morning.

 

I started off walking with a Scots couple who had also stayed in the Lugger but their pace was a bit slow so I went on ahead and soon met up with Alex again. This was another grand day with fine scenery on a remote coastline that was new ground for me.

 This was the beach at Portholland. I was tempted by a swim but decided to wait until later in the day. Here we caught up with a Canadian lady who was doing the whole path in one hit and had stayed in the same B&B in Falmouth. We swapped tales about getting across to St Mawes - she had waited for the 11 am ferry but had been forced to miss out some of the path as a result.

 Halfway through the walk we came to Dodman Point, the highest headland on the south Cornwall coast with its huge granite cross. It was built in 1896 by the local vicar to act as a daymark after a number of shipwrecks in the area. The inscription on the base reads ' In the firm hope of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the encouragement of those who strive to serve'. I'm not sure about all that but I took advantage of having a companion to act as photographer...

 

 

before reverting to selfie mode for this photo approaching Gorran Haven...

 

where I stopped for a swim and an ice cream before continuing to Mevagissey, very colourful in the late afternoon sun.

 

This was the view from my room overlooking the harbour. 

I had intended to do one more day from Mevagissey to Par but the following morning was wet and the forecast was for rain all day. I'm too old for character building walks in the rain, and the path will still be there another day. I caught the bus to St Austell and a train back to Par before driving home. 

 

Distance today, 20 km.

 

Day 30. Falmouth to Portloe, 7 September 2025.

 I checked the ferry website before breakfast but it was still not clear whether it was running. As I left the B&B I fell in step with a lady who had also stayed there and was walking the coast path, so we chatted away while walking to the ferry pier. The wind was not quite as strong as yesterday but there was no sign of a ferry and we were told that it might (or might not!) be sailing in two hours time at 11 am. 

We both had accomodation booked at Portloe at the other end of 23 km of walking, the second half of which was graded strenuous. And Alex was using a baggage transfer service so that her luggage was being taken to Portloe. What to do? In the town square we approached a waiting taxi driver to if he would take us to St Mawes. We settled on £60. The driver was a very friendly bloke and he filled us in on all the local gossip as he took us over the King Harry Ferry across the River Fal (a chain ferry 8 km inland from Falmouth, so not subject to high winds) and down to St Mawes. 

While we were waiting for the ferry the heavens opened to give a storm of biblical proportions. We were glad not to be out in that, but by the time we got to St Mawes the rain had reduced to a light drizzle. Here we needed to take another much shorter ferry crossing to the other side of the Percuil River and a place called Place. Fortunately this ferry - just a small dinghy - was running and we were soon dropped off at Place (which was just a large house and a church) around 10.45.

 

 

The weather improved to give a bright sunny afternoon and made for a fine walk along the Roseland peninsular, past Portscatho and on to Nare Head. Along the way we caught up with a couple who had stayed overnight in St Mawes, caught an early ferry to Place and had been out in the biblical storm. Maybe our enforced taxi ride did have its advantages. 

Alex and I found that we were walking at about the same pace and after doing most of the path on my own it was nice to have company for a change. This photo was taken approaching Portloe and journey's end.

 

Portloe is a quintessential Cornish fishing village, with whitewashed stone cottages in a narrow valley behind a small harbour. The white building left of centre of the lower photo is the Lugger hotel where I was staying, a bit upmarket from my usual coast path accomodation but well worth it. I made myself a pot of tea and relaxed in a huge bath.

 Alex was staying in a pub at the other end of the village so I joined her for dinner before walking back to the hotel and watching a lunar eclipse over the harbour.

  Distance today, 24 km. 

Day 29. Helford Passage to Falmouth, 6 September 2025.

 For this trip I left the car by the station at Par, then took two trains to Falmouth, a bus to Trebah and a short walk downhill to get to Helford Passage at about 1.45. This was an easy walk, starting along the shore of the Helford River estuary and then along low cliffs to Falmouth. 

It was a sunny afternoon but the wind was quite strong from the South and as I came into urban Falmouth there were big waves at Swanpool Beach, and then at Gyllyngvase the beach was nowhere to be seen with rough seas crashing into the sea wall. 

I checked into my B&B just back from the beach, had a cup of tea and then set off (sans rucsac) to walk the 4 km circuit round Pendennis Point and back past the docks.

In the evening I checked the website for the ferry to St Mawes. It had not been running today due to the strong wind and they were not sure if it would be sailing tomorrow. Now that might be a problem...

 Distance today 16 km. 

Day 28. Coverack to Helford Passage, 12 June 2025.

The B&B didn't serve breakfast but gave you free run of the kitchen and provided everything to make your own.This had the advantage that I could get up and away early. The morning was mostly dry but it had rained heavily overnight, and the path often took a narrow trail between abundant wet vegetation so that it was impossible to stay dry. The ideal clothing would have been to copy the Naked Rambler but I was not bold enough for that, and my shorts and socks were soon soaked.

At Porthallow I paused for a selfie by the marker for the half way point on the coast path and soon came to the first of the the many river crossings on the South Coast - Gillan Creek. The SWCP Guide claimed that there were stepping stones exposed for around 3 hours around low water but although the tide was almost out they were nowhere to be seen. 

A few walkers were milling around looking at the river and wondering what to do. Upstream from this photo the river split into two channels which didn't look too deep so I removed boots, socks and trousers and waded across through water that was up to just above my knees. 

 

 

While I was getting dressed on the far side these two ladies took a better route across, a longer crossing but only ankle deep.  

I continued to Helford, arriving just after midday, and a much larger river; this one required a ferry. But while crossing Gillan Creek needed low tide, the Helford ferry could not operate at the lowest tides and there was a notice saying that the next ferry would not be for another hour.

 

My South African friend was waiting and was not a happy bunny; he had a rendezvous in the pub on the far side which he was going to miss. He tried phoning the boatman asking if he could come across in a dinghy but was just laughed at. Eventually the boat arrived about 1.30 and took us across to Helford Passage.

 I had vaguely thought of trying a double stage by continuing to Falmouth, but the ferry delay put paid to that so I walked up the hill to Trebah, took a bus to Falmouth and train to Truro before driving home.

Distance today, 17 km.