Porthcothan to Newquay, 16 km, 441 metres of climbing

‘I am learning to love the sound of my feet walking away from things not meant for me’

Today on reaching Newquay we have completed ⅓ of our walking days and a fraction under ⅓ of our theoretical total walking distance.

Today was a well walked section, especially as we got closer to Newquay. Almost the whole length was characterised by high, flat topped cliffs, sometimes with prominent headlands, which for long stretches form the back of attractive sandy beaches, many of them popular with surfers. Even though the beaches look so inviting the path sticks to the top of the cliffs as many of the sandy coves are completely cut off at high tide.

Today was the Saturday of a three day holiday weekend (Spring Bank Holiday) so the path, car parks and beaches were busier than we have previously seen. We made pretty good time today, not mucking around due largely to the weather forecast. It was warm and sunny as we set off but thunderstorms and isolated areas of torrential rain were predicted for the afternoon. We got to Newquay okay but now at 5.50 pm there have been huge claps of thunder and it is now heavily raining. Fortunately we don’t have to go out as the Griffin Inn has a bar and meals down stairs.

Another good thing about the Inn is that it is right on the path. Often we have to walk an extra couple of kilometres off the path to our accommodation. And of course, back again in the morning. This Inn is a pretty bland, middle of the road place, part of a chain, comfortable, warm, dry and very impersonal. Sometimes being impersonal is good. This morning at breakfast the landlady, Mary, who was very nice, wanted to talk about Brexit and all manner of things. Her son and daughter-in-law had lived in NZ for a year and somehow she had the idea we were a misogynistic society. I wasn’t sure what she was on about so didn’t get to tell her we had a very popular 37 year old woman prime minister who was about to give birth to her first child.

A feature of today were several headlands that had iron age hill forts. Lots of people come to look at these and there was even a National Trust Visitor Centre close to one of the forts. But honestly, if we hadn’t been forewarned by our maps and trip notes, we would have walked right over these without knowing. It was hard to pick which of the grass and flower bumps, lumps and cuts were part of a fort. The forts are very near the cliff edge and large chunks of some forts have disappeared into the sea with the crumbling cliffs.

Newquay is the largest town we have come to on the South West Coast Path, pop. 20,000. It is a fishing port, major tourism centre, and a regional centre for aerospace industries. It has an international airport which we were aware of all day as large passenger planes came low in over the cliffs on their landing approach.

Newquay is the surfing capital of Cornwall and this weekend one of the UK’s biggest surfing competitions is being held here. Newquay is also known as being the party town for graduations, stag parties and hen nights. We have been warned to expect groups of hairy, drunk males dressed as nurses wandering the streets.

We have to do research to get out of town tomorrow – it all depends on how to cross the tidal Gannel River. There are four options and which one to take depends on the time of year and the state of the tide.

The official route (3 km) is via the Fern Pit Ferry but it only operates from late May to mid-September daily 10am to 6pm.

Option 2 (5 km) is to cross the Penpol Footbridge which is tidal and you can cross about 2 hours either side of low tide.

Option 3 (8 km) is the Laurie Bridge which is also a bridleway. You can’t use this 1 hour either side of high tide.

Option 4 (10 km) is to follow the main road right around the channel.