SWCP: Harlyn to Mawgan Porth

Slept OK in the very nice Airbnb (we think she lives there), although Laura’s bed was much too hard and hurt her back. We were away in Laura’s mini by quarter to nine, off to Harlyn beach. 

The weather was perfect for walking - soft air, bit of a wind, about 16 degrees and cloudy, although the sun came out late in the afternoon. The coast was dotted with beautiful houses, old and new, and there was the usual abundant crop of dogs enjoying the hell out of the day. 

Setting off from Harlyn

It seemed to take forever to get around Trevose Head even though the  path was quite easy and level. There is a pretty lighthouse there, pleasingly designed and freshly painted in white. 

We trudged along Constantine beach - quite hard work on the sand and there were loads of dead jellyfish to avoid. We sat and ate our lunch at the far end. It was not quite midday yet but there were plenty of families there with dogs, windbreaks, picnics and surfboards

Outcrops at Trethias

Sticking close to Mum

We sped up after Porthcothan so that we would make it for the 3.15 bus back to Harlyn. The Atlantic Coaster, no less - open topped! A fun and breezy ride back, trying to avoid being knocked out or defaced by any of the branches we were smashing into along the way.

Back in Harlyn, the sun was out, the beach was beautiful, the live singers were a-singin’ and we sat in the Beach Box balcony cafe and had a late second lunch/very early dinner. Then a bit of a lie on the beach with our coffee before reluctantly climbing back into the car for the almost 5-hour journey home. Laura mused that Mabel would love the beach and she’s vowed to take her to one as soon as possible. It’s hard to resist all the doggy enthusiasm we’ve witnessed at all the beaches we’ve seen over the past two days. 

The real star of this trip has been the Cornish flora. So many meadow wildflowers  thronging the paths. They’ve been a delight. Here are some of them below.

SWCP: Polzeath to Harlyn

Strava lost signal for a bit, so today was more like 9.5 miles and 3 hours 45 moving. We left the Airbnb early. It was a strange little annexe near the M5 but only accessible by driving several miles down country roads. Next to a level crossing and a pub. There were tiny ants rushing around madly on the floor and the lady sprayed ant killer everywhere. Drove an hour and a half to our lovely Airbnb on the outskirts of  Wadebridge, stopping along the way for breakfast at a sparklingly clean and friendly roadside cafe. Walked down the hill into Wadebridge and got the 11.15 bus to Polzeath. Surprisingly nice walk from Polzeath to Rock - we’d thought it might be all holiday homes and tarmac, but it was actually beautiful grassy hillsides, including a huge round crater that was a real hazard for dogs and kids.

Got the ferry across to Padstow and ate our lunch in the harbour. The sun was out by now and we got a bit hot sitting on our bench. As always, loads of dogs all over the place. We found the whole day fairly easy going, not much incline and well made paths. 

Arrived in Polzeath. Last time we were here it was bucketing down!

Piling onto the ferry - it arrived just as we did.

We stopped for an ice cream at the Rest A While Tea Rooms by Hawker’s Cove and aired our feet a bit

Hawker’s Cove

Glad I brought my hat

The Daymark at Stepper’s Point, designed to prevent shipwrecks during daylight hours 

Lovely colours

Cows chilling at Crugmeer

Tee hee

Look at the weather!

Stretching out my iliac band to try and ease my knees. (It worked!)

We got the 5.30 bus from Harlyn back to Padstow and had expensive (but expertly cooked and crispy) fish and chips.  6.40 bus back to Wadebridge and it dropped us at the top of the hill right near our house! The house is very nice, seems to be the person’s home. Nice view at the back across the hills. Birds cheeping, sun streaming in. Just had a great shower.