It's been ages since I last posted a blog walk. Between work and adventuring in the van outdoors, I've not really had time despite doing quite a few walks! We've finally conquered Ben Nevis so have been to the highest point in the UK and on our recent holiday to Cornwall, we've also visited the most southerly point of the British mainland. I thought that'd be a good walk to do a blog on and it was a really nice section of the South West Coast Path, so here it is!
I am quite obsessive when it comes to booking camping trips, I like to triple check and vet new places before booking to make sure we're in the optimum spot for the things we like to do but fortunately I didn't bother with any of this going to Cornwall, as I was so busy planning the fortnight we had in Scotland, I just left it all to Mark and forgot about it until we journeyed South Saturday before last.
He picked a real gem of a campsite in East Crinnis which was perfect for us. Super chilled vibe, really friendly atmosphere, cracking location and everything you need for a perfect stay! We had the warmest welcome we'd ever had on a campsite and that's saying something as we've been to some pretty awesome ones. It's smack bang in the middle of loads of awesome things to do and we were spoilt for choice...we were also spoilt with the weather as it was gloriously hot every single day in the high 20s - although this was a real challenge with the dogs! It's in St Austell, which is a great place to stay.
There's so many awesome things to do in Cornwall and almost everything seems to be dog friendly! I bought a National Trust membership recently which came in really handy for quite a few places we visited. The forecast was cloudier but warm for Tuesday so we decided it would be a good day for walking (as it had been too sunny to do any remotely long walks) and we drove to Lizard.
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| Lizard Lighthouse |
There's a National Trust car park halfway down to Lizard Point. Reading reviews, it looked like a super narrow road which had me panicked (even though I wasn't driving) but the super narrow road is just the road that goes right down to the limited car parking at Lizard Point which is more for businesses and the disabled. The road to the NT car park is a little narrow but one way once you turn off to the left following the brown leafy NT sign. Lizard lighthouse is here too and is a heritage centre you can go inside to wander around and get more information - it looked really cool but we didn't go in.
It's about a 10 minute walk from here down to Lizard Point, which is a lovely area. We saw loads of seals in the sea and the scenery is quite interesting. It was quite an overcast day so I can imagine it looks much nicer when the sun is scorching but you could see why artists love to sit and paint and sketch here (we saw at least 2). There are a few cafés and art galleries and some quirky craft shops at Lizard Point which sold some lovely gifts.
Initially, we walked down to the small beach (tide was out) at Lizard Point where there is an old lifeboat station because we weren't sure where the coastal path was. We promptly walked back up and followed the coastal path which starts just past Wavecrest café (where we stopped later). The path is quite undulating and some people were tackling it in flip flops, which always makes me chuckle. It's about 2.5 miles to Kynance Cove.
It's really straightforward and the route doesn't really require more explanation! There were a few small streams for the dogs to drink out of and quite a few good places to stop and admire the view. The scenery coming up to Kynance Cove is really impressive. We decided not to venture all the way down because the beach isn't dog friendly in the summer and it was packed with hordes of people. The path all the way along was pretty busy but when we stopped for lunch it was fairly quiet.
We chose to walk out along a little ridge which overlooks the Cove and rock formations and sat at the end to enjoy the view. There was a double sea kayak making its way around the cove and we enjoyed watching and seeing where it would go - the tide looked pretty vicious! The waves on the shore were pretty big too and there were lots of rocks around so although kids were playing, it didn't look like the safest place from where we were, although it was obviously really popular! It's always fun watching people climb up and precariously scramble on rocks and then seeing whether they will jump in! People watching is one of my favourite parts of being on holiday (and Mark's) and this is why we love camping!
We retraced our steps (which was an easier walk - I hadn't realised the way there had been more uphill) to return to Lizard Point. Towards the end of this section, a footpath is signposted off through a field of cows. As we reached it, we saw a group of about 5-6 people and a dog decide to walk through it. We slowed down and started talking about how dangerous walking through a field of cows could be. I am always really apprehensive of walking through fields of cattle even if I don't have the dogs with me and with the dogs, I always tend to completely avoid them! I mentioned that cows can really trample people to death and get defensive especially if they have calves around and Mark pointed out at that point that there were calves in the field. Not just that, there was one sat next to a HUGE evil looking cow smack bang in the middle of the path the couple and their dog were heading towards.
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| Actual footage of said cow (not really). |
Anyway, as silly as it sounds, we were a bit disappointed because the cow didn't even budge or throw them a nasty look. The cows are obviously on Cornish time down there and not as stressed or fazed as cows elsewhere. As we carried on back to Lizard Point, Mark asked me what I'd do if a cow ran towards me in a field charging me. "Would you run the opposite way?" I thought this was a hell of a stupid question, because if a cow started charging you, who WOULDN'T run the opposite way?! I asked him what he would do after confirming what I would do if faced with an angry cow and he said "No, I'd run towards the cow and then sidestep it like you're playing rugby and going in for a tackle innit, they're not agile are they?" So we laughed our way hysterically through the last half a mile discussing the inherent lack of agility that cows have and the various techniques to thwart them on future outdoor expeditions.
When we got back, we fancied a coffee and a cake because we'd already had a packed lunch and were keen to eat at Polpeor café as it had such awesome reviews but it was just too busy and no tables were free outside so we ended up going to Wavecrest café and sitting with a lovely view out to sea. It was really good coffee and they did the most amazing cakes so we thoroughly enjoyed! Even though it was a tiny place in a small village, it felt really special and was a great place to soak up the atmosphere after the longest walk we did all holiday! (unusual for us but the weather was quite limiting on the mileage) They see so much footfall from so many tourists, which I guess is good for business but bad for other things like erosion and people dropping litter. We didn't see loads of litter on this walk which was good but I've been disgusted recently about how much litter people drop in natural places. I've taken to picking up as much as I can possibly carry in my rucksack to bin it and keep places looking beautiful.
You might think it's not your business, and I used to think that too, but actually I love the outdoors, and if you drop litter, you MAKE it my business because we all have a responsibility to clean up and keep these outstanding natural places wonderful. So next time you're out and see litter on the floor, don't just walk past and think it isn't your problem because you didn't drop it, pick up what you can and take it home so that the world is a better more natural place for everyone else to enjoy.
We did lots of super cool things in Cornwall so I thought I'd make a little list if you're in the same general area of things to do (we like outdoorsy active things and have two busy beagles so obviously your interests may not be aligned...although if you're reading this blog chances are these will be of use to you):
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| Wandering around the Lost Gardens of Heligan. |
1. We visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan as it looked cool and was really dog friendly but to be honest, we would give it a miss unless you have a child or are really interested in gardening. It was really underwhelming and the café was pretty rubbish and couldn't cope with the demand nevermind the steep entrance fee. Save the £14.50 per person and spend it on something better instead, like a bodyboard from The Range so you can splash about in the waves (we did that a lot)!
2. Fistral Beach in Newquay was an awesome beach day out! Don't park in the car park right next to it as a quick google will reveal the hundreds of tourists who have been fined £100 by their terrible system and also gone on to battle them legally [a lot to lose]. We parked at Towan Headland Car park £8 all day which is right at the top of the beach and a 10 minute walk down. There are huge waves here for surfing and bodyboarding and it's a really busy beach. We visited on a Thursday out of peak season so can only imagine what it must look like during summer holidays and weekends! There's loads of shops and toilets/places to eat right on the beach and it's so big even with that many people, it felt like we had our own little slice of sand to chill on. The tide did come in mega fast though so just be mindful in case you wander off and your belongings drift out to sea.
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| All the essentials - a massive sunhat, bodyboard and sunnies. |
3. Hemmick Beach was probably my favourite place! Super quiet as it's not easy to get to and there were about 8 other people there in total the whole time we were there. No car park nearby, you need to drive to Penare car park which is National Trust owned and then hike 1/4 mile down a fairly steep hill following the path signposted. The road down to Penare car park is really narrow (although only 1½ miles long and quiet) and as you reach the end, you turn right to enter the car park. There was a dirt track to the left and I wasn't sure where to go at this point as the sat nav wasn't clear so was relieved when we noticed someone leaving the car park on the right and that we hadn't got stuck somewhere!
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| The sand was absolutely scorching and burnt my feet. Beware...or just wear flip flops. |
The sea is perfect for swimming here as it gets deep quite quick but is quite gentle. Also good for paddling around on and we saw a few people SUPing which was cool. It's not something I've tried but I kind of fancy it after such a beachy holiday by the sea!
4. Charlestown is a small fishing village where Poldark is filmed and really picturesque. The coastal path runs through it and there is a harbour where lots of kids were jumping off in wetsuits playing in the sun. The beach isn't dog friendly but that's fine. There's a shipwreck exhibition and centre here that has really good reviews but we didn't try that out. Quite a few really nice dog friendly pubs and restaurants here too.
We ate at the Pier House Hotel and the meals were awesome. It was a fairly long wait for food but it was delicious and well worth it! We never trust taking the beagles indoors when we're eating as they normally don't settle at all but they were so good, we were really impressed! No jumping or whining or misbehaving! Parking is pay and display and close by although not plentiful and always busy.
5. Caerhays beach / Porthluney Cove was another lovely beach (close to the Lost Gardens of Heligan). It is down a narrow road - where isn't in Cornwall? Nowhere worth going it seems! And it's pretty busy but perfect for kids as the sea is shallow for ages as you walk out, which was a bit of a pain for getting out deep enough to swim, but when you did, it was lovely! There's also toilets and a café on the beach. Pay and display car park but we arrived after 5 and it seemed to be free from then although apparently the gates are locked at 8pm!
6. Visiting breweries (this was Mark's specialty) - there are so many of them! There were also a lot of vineyards but we didn't get around to any of them..he went to Tintagel brewery and St Austell brewery although both were really good with a great selection of ales to taste. The St Austell tour was better and great value for money.
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| Tintagel beach - looks like a where's Wally! |
I bet we haven't even scratched the surface of everything there is to do in Cornwall - it was our first time going there and it was absolutely amazing. I can't wait to go back every year and have put it on my "must visit annually" list! Perfect for walking, camping and dog owners! (and wine drinkers and beer drinkers and history lovers and shoppers).
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