Mevagissey to Nare Head 14th September 2022
It is a cool breezy morning, but the skies are clearing after a wet night and early morning. We are a little uncertain about the mileage we might be able to put in today, especially as the ground is very wet underfoot. There is also a risk of rain midday, so we decide on a policy of ‘suck and see’ as far as where we anticipate walking to today. The obvious truth is that any miles not done today will need to be done during the following 2 days, otherwise we wont make it as far as St Mawes.
We put the car in the Porthluney Cove car park at 11.07am, with our ‘donation’ of £7 hopefully helping-out the owners of Caerhayes Castle with their maintenance issues. The car park is quite full, whilst down on the beach a class of primary school children are carrying out some sort of field trip prior to marching across the car park to the road beyond. I wonder what sort of excursion they are enjoying, but it is good to see them out of the classroom and exercising in the fresh air.
By the time we have sorted out our parking and got ourselves togged-up, they are well out of sight. We set-off in pursuit along a quiet road which takes us past Caerhayes Castle and up a steep incline before turning-off. An elderly couple pass us on cycles, although she has to dismount as they attempt the hill. Coming from the other direction, a couple of young lady hikers march down the hill in the middle of the road, oblivious to the potential risks of a car speeding up behind them. I suspect they are city-based folk, since no-one who is used to walking country roads would be quite so blasé about traffic. Different worlds.
We make it safely to the top of the hill and find our turn-off into a field, where we then spend 20 minutes or more wandering round trying to figure-out where the path has gone to. Eventually we locate a well warn track which has all the hallmarks of being an important access road from East Portholland (ahead of us) to Caerhayes Castle.
Porthluney Cove does not look like it has much depth of water and certainly not enough for bringing in larger cargoes, so I guess East Portholland probably provided important port facilities for the castle. This would have been before the modern tarmac road option, which today involves a 3 miles drive. So you can see why this path was well used by walkers and pack-horses in centuries past.
Caerhayes Castle was only built in 1810, designed by architect John Nash. Nash is better known for his London Regency buildings including Marble Arch, Regents Street and Buckingham Palace. He also collaborated with James Burton and his son Decimu who were largely responsible for the creation of St Leonards-on-Sea, not far from where we live in East Sussex.
Following the well worn path from the cliff top we soon find ourselves at East Portholland where our class of school children are busy having a packed lunch outside a small cafe. This is a lovely spot, especially now that the sun is shining, so we decide to pause for morning coffee and a chocolate brownie, whilst taking the opportunity to pass the time of day with the teachers.
“East Portholland and the beach it shares with West Portholland.”
West Portholland is at the western end of the beach, involving a short walk along a minor road, although had the tide been lower we could easily have done so across the beach. West Portholland has a well-preserved lime kiln adjacent to a stone built cottage (Lime Kiln Cottage). Lime kilns were important for the creation of lime during centuries past, to make lime mortar for binding building stone and also for improving the fertility of acidic soils. Local lime rich rocks would have been heated in the kiln, with the bulky quick-lime taken away by boat from the adjacent small quay. This kiln was probably a permanent one, with limestone and further coal, wood, or coke added to the top continuously, as the finished quicklime was raked from the base.
“West Portholland with its lime kiln.”
“The lime kiln – close-up showing the draw hole where quicklime was raked out.”
From here it is yet another climb back to the cliff top, before a pleasant level walk to Portloe. We pass another modern ‘grand design’, built in an exposed position atop the cliffs near Tregenna. Like the one seen yesterday at Chapel Point, this one too is protected from winter storms by a stand of scots pine trees.
A little further on we come across the first evidence of the inevitable cost of the England Coast Path project – path clearance. Walkers may be forgiven for thinking that paths are a permanent feature of the countryside – they are not. The natural thing for all vegetation to do is to grow towards the light (I learned that in year one at secondary school). Brambles, nettles and bracken for example will try hard to push shoots and leaves into any illuminated space they can find. This is why brambles snake across a woodland path – not just because they have an inbuilt need to trip you up.
Even out in the open bracken will do the same, spilling across any footpath that dares to pass through its mass (fortunately bracken has no thorns or stinging hairs on it, although wet bracken does soak your trousers). I am sure there must be an optimum time for path clearance, with my guess it being early summer – when maximum growth can be expected. The responsibility for keeping footpaths clear is the landowner’s, but it is the local authority’s responsibility to ensure the work is done (which means it is our responsibility as walkers to inform the local authority if the work has not).
A well-used path like the South West Coast Path is probably cleared to a small extent by every passing footfall – be that human or animal. In fact deer, badger, fox etc. can do a great job here. All walking animals follow ‘desire lines’, although a badger’s might involve passing through a small hole in the hedge – which you and I are unlikely to follow. How many of us, I wonder, follow ‘sheep tracks’ across a field assuming them to be ‘official’ footpaths?
So initially we are surprised, even delighted, to find someone has been cutting back invasive growth along our cliff-top route. Then we discover a down-side to bracken cutting. Freshly strimmed bracken lying across a rough and rocky path can be a death-trap when it makes ankle-turning rocks invisible. Ideally a contractor will clear the strimmed remains off the path, but that requires a bit of lateral-thinking on their parts. The problem only last for a few days I suspect, before hiking boots, wild animals, weather, gravity and decomposition see it removed and passage is free once again.
“Cutting back the bracken can create more problems that it solves when not cleared away.”
A bit further along we pass two young chaps (and their dog), busy clearing the path and we exchange pleasantries, but decline to comment on the need to clear dead fronds from potentially dangerous sections. Don’t want to sound ungrateful or curmudgeonly do we?
With the dangers of encroaching vegetation addressed, we coincidentally encounter a further hazard as we pass beneath a large rock-face. Several tons of rocks must have broken-off and blocked the path some years earlier (the vegetation growth upon the rocks indicates this). Such occurrences are not uncommon in areas of accelerated erosion, like mountains or cliffs. They are more common in winter when rain, freeze and thaw conspire to lever rocks away from the cliff-face. It is however a chance for Betty to do a bit of mineral, or even fossil, hunting as we sift through the broken rocks.
“A rockfall reminds us that adjacent rock-faces offer a further hazard to safe passage.”
Our pathway observations continue a little further still, as we pass through a section of path cleared perhaps a few weeks earlier. Here all sign of the cleared vegetation has disappeared, with fresh grass growth already amounting to several inches.
“Vegetation soon returns – once cleared, especially after a few days of wet weather.”
This section of the coast path between West Portholland and Portloe is one of the more challenging and requires the walker to exercise more caution than at any point thus far encountered. Thankfully, friends of the late Jonny Dingle have placed a memorial bench alongside the path here, so we take 15 minutes to sit on it, eat our lunches and enjoy the solitude during a period of warm, dry weather in a beautiful corner of these islands.
“Looking back along the challenging section between West Portholland and Portloe.”
“The view across Veryan Bay towards Nare Head and Gull Rock”
“A Cornish ‘grand design’ with accompanying scots pines for shelter from the elements.”
“ Thanks to the friends of Jonny Dingle, a memorial bench provides for an excellent lunch location.”
Approaching Portloe down a steep path, it somehow looks familiar. On checking my OS map I realise that it is pictured on the front cover. Portloe is yet another tiny, gorgeous fishing village balancing on the edge of cliffs, with a small valley allowing the road to descend to sea level. The approach from the coast path is charming, taking us past several houses perched on the edge of the cliffs, one of which looks like a converted chapel, with its high arched Gothic windows.
“The approach to Portloe – as seen on the OS map front cover.”
Portloe must have less than 100 houses, a pub, a hotel and a small church, all of which we pass in about two minutes, before we spend a short while enjoying the ambiance, the sunshine and the tiny slipway crowded with inshore fishing boats. At high tide the boats are able to launch into a narrow inlet, before opening out into the Channel. A fascinating piece of geomorphology, ultimately responsible for the village’s location. If you like your villages isolated, then this is certainly one to visit, known as “the jewel in the Roseland Peninsula”. It is rated as one of the most attractive villages in Cornwall and has likewise attracted a number of films and TV dramas in recent years.
On the slipway an alarming sign points out that the bathing waters here can be contaminated by two streams that discharge into the sea. As far as I can see it can only be one or two farms that are responsible for this – so why has nothing been done I wonder?
“A small natural harbour offers protection for a few small fishing boats”
“What looks like a former chapel converted into a cliff top dwelling.”
“The tiny slipway and sheltered inlet of Portloe.”
“This sign reflects the growing concern about water quality in the UK.”
We return to the cliff top to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and still more Cornish coastal scenery, with only a mile or two of coast walking left to do today. The National Trust has come by yet another estate on the coast here – this one is Broom Parc, where we have to wind our way down to sea level past masses of late summer insects – solitary wasps this time. The uphill on the other side of Parc Caragloose Cove is a little more demanding, taking us to The Blouth where we pause to share a joke with a middle-aged couple sitting on a bench overlooking Kiberick Cove.
“But we booked that bench in 2020.” I jape.
“Too bad he returns – its ours now!”
From here on the walking as all at one level before finally arriving at Nare Head. Betty is actually quite keen to press on to Carne Beach, but to do so would add a further 3 miles and we still have to pretty-well retrace our steps back along the coast to Porthluney Beach. So I curb her youthful enthusiasm.
“Nare Head sits dark and brooding over Kiberick Cove.”
Our return route takes us past a small car park at Nare Head, which we decide would be an excellent location to park our car tomorrow. The return journey takes us along small, quiet country roads back to West Portholland. As we pass the hamlet of Trevisky we discover Bosgever Farm Shop. Alas we spot the owner disappearing down the road for the evening. However, we decide to have a look just in case and are surprised to find the shop is open, with visitors invited to help themselves to produce and leave their money in a box. We end up purchasing milk, chocolate, vegetables and crackers, leaving the appropriate remuneration in the box provided. What a wonderful thing it is, that the owner feels he can trust the locals’ honesty. It is a real high point for us both.
After 6 or 7 miles further we finally make it back to Porthluney Beach and our awaiting car. It is evident that progress along this part of the coast is going to be slowed significantly by the absence of public transport. Tomorrow we will start at Nare Head car park and walk to Portscathoe. Fortunately a bus runs from here to Ruan High Lanes, where a two mile walk through Veryan should see us back to the car at Nare Head.
“Bosgever Farm Shop – a paradise of farm produce for the local community.”
“The shop is unable to be manned at all times, so customers are trusted to pay for their purchases – so refreshing!”