Southwest Coast Path National Trail

A very long walk to undertake, and a national trail that will likely take a decade to complete, as it is so far from home and so strenuous.  I had never walked anything like this before - many steep ascents and descents, rocky and treacherous in places - but so spectacular.

Running from Minehead, Somerset to Poole, Dorset it is 630 miles.  Currently walked 182.9 Miles.

Sections walked: (2005)Pendeen Watch to Porthcurno, St Ives to Pendeen Watch, (2006)Porthcurno to Marazion, Hayle to St Ives, Gwithian to Hayle, Marazion to Praa Sands, (2007) Praa Sands to Lizard Point, Lizard Point to Porthallow, (2008) Porthallow to Falmouth, Portreath to Gwithian, Newquay to Trevaunance Cove, Trevaunance Cove to Portreath, Falmouth to Portloe, Padstow to Newquay, (2012) Swanage to South Haven Point

 Pendeen to Porthcurno

August 2005 - 15.5 Miles

My friends see me off on my first lump of SWCP at Pendeen

Some of Cornwall's famous tin mine heritage

Cape Cornwall

Sennen Cove

Lands End

Porthcurno.  That evening we went to the Minack Theatre and saw Shakeys Anthony And Cleopatra.  Wonderful atmosphere - a magical experience (the walking wasn't arf bad either)

St Ives to Pendeen

August 2005 - 13.7 Miles

This section was so hard - scorching hot, very uneven underfoot and long - but spectacular as usual for the SWCP

St Ives

Trig point near Carn Naun Point

Finally - Pendeen in Site

Porthcurno to Marazion

Tuesday 19 September 2006 - 14.6 Miles

Porthcurno again - a year later

A few miles on

Somewhere near Mousehole

Mousehole - a quintessential Cornish fishing village

Wherrytown Lido

Marazion and St Michaels Mount.  Last year it was low tide and three of us walked the causeway.

Hayle to St Ives

Wednesday 20th September 2006 - 6.1 Miles

This was the view from our chalet at Riviere Towans, Hayle, looking across towards Lelant on the St Ives side of the river Hayle.  So started walk from doorstep - amazingly covenient that SWC passes right through chalet park!

Looking across from Lelant.  It's a long walk round here, but too treachorous to cross directly (and I don't like wet boots)

Towards Carbis Bay

St Ives

Gwithian to Hayle

September 2006 - 4.1 Miles

A very short stroll along the cliffs and beach back to chalet park as only had morning before travelling elsewhere later.

Looking to Godrevy Point

Looking towards Hayle River and Carbis Bay

Marazion to Praa Sands

21 September 2006 - 6.3 Miles

A continunation of my days walking that had already seen completion of St Michael's Way.  The intention was to walk on to Porthleven, bit it was extremely windy with storms around the coast and it got a bit to much.  At Praa sands cafe waiting for the bus, the sea spray was coming in the door and windows!  Also the bus was half hour late and I then missed my connection at Penzance back to Hayle and had to be picked up - oh well, shit happens!

Looking back to Marzion from near Perranuthnoe

Cudden Point

Praa Sands

Praa Sands to Lizard Point

Monday 24 September 2007 - 16 Miles / 25 Km

A Very blustery day - hat got blown off repeatedly!  hard work, particularly on the rollercoaster between Praa and Porthleven, but as usual, stunning scenery and grim determination prevailed!

Praa Sands - again!

Deceptively calm looking - Beyond Praa Sands

Ubiquitous Engine Houses...

The Path To Come

Interesting symbolism - just a method to keep the post together, or a strange method for the landowner to display a dislike of walkers?

A tribute to lost souls and a Navy ship on the horizon...

Porthleven - one of many delightful villages with a harbour and fishing boats

Near Porthleven Sands

Poldhu Cove

Marconi Monument

Polurrian Cove - I thought this was Mullion, and mistakenly had my skoff here - Doh!

One of the Shetland Ponies helping to keep the vegetation under control - sweet!

Looking ahead to the Lizard (Southern most point in England)

Rainbow - chucked it down for ten minutes then quit!

Nearing the Lizard

The bus was very welcome - but I resent the use of 'The Helston Branchline' name - as a railway with that name was chopped in the 1960's - although an enthusiast group are aiming to resurrect some of it http://www.helstonrailway.co.uk/

Lizard Point to Porthallow

Thursday 27th September 2007 - 15 Miles / 24 Km

A great walk, but ended badly, with needing to be resued from Porthallow as there were no more buses when I arrived.  The pub was also shut so I couldn't wait in the warm while my friends arrived from Hayle.  Thanks go to the mystery puddy that sat by me for twenty minutes on the bench and Liz, Karen and 'Bruce' (The Sat Nav - using an Australian voice file!)

Ann's 'famous' pasty shop - admittedly good gear!

Looking back at the Lizard

Lizard - Lighthouse and some boathouse thing

Looking back to the most Southern Cafe

Lighthouse foghorns

Looking back to the lighthouse (had a great tour the next day)

Marconi Wireless Station near the Lizard - Run by the National Trust - In 1901 receieved a signal from the Marconi Station on the Isle Of Wight.  Full of old equipment, lots of valves and stuff.

More gear - paper tape on left, spark generator on right

Looks like a lego brick!

Hot Point

Cadgwith

Kennack Sands

Beagles Point - A hard climb then lunch!

Coverack

The path takes you through a working quarry

Porthallow - And no buses!

This sweet puddy kept me company at Porthallow

Porthallow to Falmouth

15 September 2008 - 17.9 Miles

ID15092008#37

Here we go again!  Third year based in same chalet in Hayle, this time for a bonus two weeks, so made condsiderable progress - nearly 90 Miles in total.  Rewarded with kick ass Cornish pasties, ice cream and cream teas.

First walk was a sod - Bus never turned up in Helston (Thanks Truronian!) so had to sit for nearly three hours in Helston in the drizzle...Finally got to Porthallow then had to jog and route march along in the mud to get to the Helford Ferry - also had to do an annoying detour as the Gillan ford that would have been crossable had the bus arrived was now impassable, and after a very wet attempt to just do it anyway, had to concede defeat and ended up walking along the roads to get the ferry.  Then had to go quick to get to Falmouth before dark.

Helford Ferry

Approaching Maenporth

Near Falmouth

Portreath to Gwithian

17 September 2008 - 7.5 Miles

ID17092008#38   

A more agreeable walk - I was deposited in Portreath by friends, then made my way back to our chalet park - only needed to go as far as Gwithian, but ended up walking the Hayle section as well.  Nice Skoff at Hells Mouth Cafe

Looking down over Porthreath

Zigzag hilly bit near Portreath - typical SWCP - although this section is quite easy

Near Hell's Mouth?

Godrevy Point and Lighthouse

Dunes and caravans - Mexico Towans

Towans beach - towards Hayle

Newquay to Trevaunance Cove 

19 September 2008 - 16.5 Miles

   ID19092008#39   

Walked above Fistral beach, crossed the Gannel on low tide across the sand and had another archetypical SWCP experience.  Gave up at St Agnes as did not think would make Portreath before dark (and knackered)

Newquay

Fistral beach - lots of surfing shenanigans

Crossing the Gannel at low tide

Holywell Beach

The long expanse of Perran Beach

Nearly at Perranporth

Still some way to St Agnes Head

Mining artefacts

Trevaunance Cove

Trevaunance Cove to Portreath   

21 September 2008 - 8.5 Miles

ID21092008#40   

Short but quite a rollercoaster - rather knackered by Portreath

Trevaunance Cove

Mineshaft covers

Mine buildings near Porthtowan

Porthtowan

Looking back towards Porthtowan

Yet another rollercoaster

Portreath again

Falmouth to Portloe     

22 September 2008 - 13.5 Miles

ID22092008#41   

Groovy picturesque walk.  Had the company of my (very) occasional walking companion, who lives in Hayle.  Two ferries at the start, from Falmouth to St Mawes then to Place, then a beautiful but hard walk in places with many steep ups and downs - Nare head and approach the hardest.

St Mawes - ferry interchange

The Place ferry

St Anthony Head looking towards Falmouth

Porthmellin Head

Looking back to Portscatho

Lunch at Pendower Beach

Oh dear - here comes Nare Head

So sweet - these sheep panicked and half were in front of us pinned against a stile and half behind, not knowing what to do.  We shooed them away from the stile and they went on their merry way

Approaching Portloe - a nice village with no facilities, except a bus route

Padstow to Newquay      

25 September 2008 - 24 Miles

ID25092008#42   

Much easier gradients in general, very pretty coastline. However, a few miles out of Newquay had a bit of a giddy spell - an apple gave me that final boost, then fishcake and chips in town and a nice train ride back to Hayle.  Last SWCP walk this year.

Padstow (Padstein) - pretty but pretentious!

Low cliffs leaving Padstow alongside the River Camel

Looking inland to the river Camel

Looking towards Harlyn Bay in far distance

Mother Ivey's Bay

Trevose Head

Towards Constantine Bay

Porthcothan

Trenance

Still miles to Newquay

Finally - nearly there

Swanage to South Haven Point

Saturday 27 July 2012 - 7 Miles

ID28072012#38a

Blimey - it's been four years since last dose of SWCP!  

I have wanted to bridge the gap between my E9 walking so far and the SWCP and this has been on the cards for a long time as I then continued on to Bournemouth via Sandbanks Ferry on the Bournemouth Coast Path

I took the train to Wareham and caught the bus (route 40) down to Swanage (First ever visit to the Isle Of Purbeck) passing the beautiful Corfe Castle on the way, and soaking up the gorgeous undulating countryside, before bailing out at the bus station and having a shuftie round the Swanage Railway station before heading to the beach (via Greggs of course) and then heading along to Ballard Down, then passing by 'Old Harry' hanging a left to pass through Studland, then a miserable bit trying to walk through sand dunes along Studland Bay, before finding a better path walking along the wet sand on the foreshore, but accidently walking through a nudist beach, with all kinds of things swinging about like!  Anyway, keeping myself to myself finally rounded the corner to Shell Bay and got on the Sandbanks Ferry to continue on to Bournemouth.  This is the Official end of the South West Coast Path, but as I have not done the rest of it contigiously I have a lot more to do yet - I havn't even set one boot in Devon yet!

Swanage Station -No time to take a train unfortunately

A  busy Swanage Beach, on a very unusually nice day for 2012

Looking back over Swanage Bay from Ballard Down, a bit of a climb in the heat

Handfast Point, Looking towards 'Old Harry' who used to have a 'wife' (They are rocks by the way)

Handfast Point from Studland

Memorial to Royal Dragoon Guards

Former Military Installation - Studland

Chalets at Studland

Pesky Sand Walkway - bleedin hard going, although not as bad as shingle

A bit easier by the foreshore - just ahead the nudist beach - I put my camera away for the horror

Zoomed into the Condor Ferry from above Picture.  These lucky peeps are on their way from Poole to The Channel Islands, another place I have yet to visit

The Sandbanks - South Haven Point Ferry.  I took this to get across to walk on to Bournemouth.  It is very busy as it saves a 13 mile drive round to get onto the Isle Of Purbeck.  This is the end of the SWCP