Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Looe to Portwrinkle (15th March)

... 5th post ... ( see the last one for explanation!)

Beginning our walk with a drive and bus or train trip was becoming familiar,


Tim's itinerary!


today was no different with a drive to Liskeard and that lovely little branch line trip back to Looe.

The tide was out this morning - such a contrast, this is where the gig was training yesterday. I think I've said before that I didn't expect to enjoy this part of the coast as much,


but there had been stunning views. Looe is very pretty and the path around Polperro had been magnificent but we became quite depressed by the next part as we reached Millendreath. On the map it just says 'Holiday Village', in the book it calls it 'entertainment complex'. It is simply awful, and very depressing. We wondered if we would enjoy today's walk at all! We rounded the next corner rather disconsolantly and began a little climb which closely followed a new fence. Looking up, we spotted something to cheer us...

this next picture may make you feel a little unbalanced but somehow captures it and we felt so much better.


The labyrinth is only newly constructed but made us smile! I walked it... Tim watched :-). From here the path took us to Seaton through some beautiful woods which cheered us even more. Here we walked along the beach all the way to Downderry. Looking back along the beach showed the contrast in weather. We walked in sunshine the whole day, but huge clouds loomed just inland. Walking along the beach gave us the small mystery of the 'staircase to nowhere'.

These concrete steps were completely isolated with no sign of anything around; it was only as we walked further on that we saw the explanation!


There has clearly been a huge amount of erosion over the years... not the safest of places for your house and garden! From Downderry the path climbs solidly up to Battern Cliffs which is the highest point on the southern Cornish coast.





Since we began our walk back in Feb 09 Tim could often be heard muttering, 'I can see tomorrow' as we looked along the coastline... here though, it was 'I can see yesterday' because the headland we could see in the distance was Rame Head, and because of the demands of bus services etc we had walked that final section already!
The path wended through gorse covered cliffs towards Portwrinkle (what wonderful names eh?)
I put this next pic in just because I like it though I'm not quite sure why?


The path took us along, high up with views in land across to Plymouth


on to Portwrinkle. This is a sweet little place with a minute harbour,
and an amazingly named loo - couldn't resist!
The path then crossed a golf course { :-)}to the bus stop at Crafthole where we waited to be whisked back to the car at Liskeard.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Fowey to Looe ( Mar 13th)


Well, Big A, re comment on Jac's latest blog, this is my fourth post since your last... ! You threw down the gauntlet... looking forward to seeing your response!


You will see that yet again we were blessed with the most beautiful of weather! Today was a Saturday and our trip involved, (in no particular order!) two drives, two bus rides, two train journeys and a ferry crossing.


Our guide book describes this as 'one of the finest stretches of walking between Falmouth and Exmouth' and it certainly did not disappoint.

A taster!

The day began with the drive to Par where we stopped in a little car park near the bus stop. From here we caught a double decker and sat upstairs with wonderful views in all directions. We got off at Fowey and walked down to the harbour to catch the ferry across to Polruan. It had just set off but came back and collected us... and the local Postman!



The water was as calm as a millpond giving wonderful views up and down river, back to Fowey


and on towards Polruan. As we walked out of Polruan we met a couple with binoculars who said they'd been watching a whale in the bay for the last half an hour! They were local and had never seen one there before.



We scanned the bay for a while, turning frequently as we walked but did not see it ourselves. Today there were several steep climbs,


rewarded by spectaular views. We rounded the headland and faced Lantic Bay with Great and Little Lantic beaches.


This is a stunning area, as you get close to it you see how big the cliffs are and how beautiful the beaches.


The path offered its usual wealth of interest... I should know what this is...


... hoping you'll help me out Big A!


The fact that it was a Saturday meant that there were far more people around than usual, and dogs! We climbed several steep ascents, catching our breath at the top of each climb,


and eventually came to Polperro which is another wonderful Cornish fishing village.



White painted houses, narrow streets, a gushing stream between the houses, and a heavily protected harbour.



Violets were flowering in the hedgerow as our walk took us to Talland and on round to Looe. We came across this very tame robin.The first signs of Looe were the island
and from here it was a gentle, and busy, stroll into Looe itself, the tide was in,
so the river was full and the town looked lovely. We called in for a coffee then caught the tiny branch line train


up to Liskeard where we had a long and cold wait for a connecting train to St Austell. From there it was the bus again back to Par and the drive home. It was a glorious day, and I agree with the guide book, it is fine walking, especially the first part as far as Polperro.