Wednesday 25th April: Weather: 8°C to 12°C: Sunny all day but very windy gusting to 70kph
Treyarnon YHA to Newquay: 26k walk: 8hrs: 8.30am to 4.30 pm: 600m ascent but easy and undulating
Accommodation: John’s House Pentire Cres Newquay
Map Treyarnon to Newquay
Treyarnon YHA on clifftop beach
Wild flowers imbedded in stone wall
Dry path between Cornish walls
Cold start from shop in Treyarnon
Green fields, blue ocean, overcast
Very windy across open fields
Thanks Donna for sit mat
Rolling surf and rugged cliffs
Newquay way off in distance
Across Mawgan Beach
Raging surf, wind gusts 70kph
Morning tea Watergate shelter shed
Watergate shelter shed
Porth Beach units for Spectrum
Not far now to Newquay
Gotta stop at Aldi Newquay
Fistral Beach
Highlight was all day walking the South West Coast Path from the youth hostel at Treyarnon in the sun, though it was very windy, with spectacular views up and down the coast, then arriving at my brother John’s house at Pentire near the Gannel.
Awake early and we hadn't ordered breakfast at the YHA but instead used up our own muesli and yoghurt carried from Padstow. There’s not many people staying here, it’s a bit early in the season, and the only other walkers are Richard and Val from Aspley Australia. The dining room has a lovely view out over the ocean a reminder of 38 years ago when we stayed there after cycling up from Newquay.
Out the door on a beautiful sunny day at 8.30am but it’s a cold 8°C outside. There’s six mini headlands around fields, created by erosion of the cliffs on an undulating path. In less than and hour we’re at the tiny village of Porthcothan, where there was no accommodation when we tried to book the week before. There’s a little shop near the beach where we buy a round soft cheese to have with our left over bread for lunch - no sausages and bacon left over from breakfast.
Climbing up and round the headland, we see the battered rock stacks of Trescore Islands, and there are also fine views all the way to the built up area of Newquay way off in the distance. The wind has picked up and is so gusty I take my cap off for fear of losing it. The cliffs are very open as we continue the path around fields but at 11am, there’s a stone wall providing some protection from the wind where we have morning tea of coffee - black current jam and the last of our clotted cream. Richard and Val had found the same spot and are leaving just as we arrive. There’s lots of walkers out today, with a car park and cafe only a short walk to the Coast Path and many seem to go too close to the eroding cliff edge for my comfort, especially now the wind has picked up to a gale force South Wester.
It’s a hard slog in the wind to Mawgan and then at 1pm we’re at the small holiday village of Watergate, where there’s a sitting area at the end of the toilet block. Not the prettiest of places for lunch but it’s warm and out of the wind. We phone John to let him know we’re within cooee of Newquay and arrange to meet him at the top of the steps out of Fistral Beach, a famous surfing Beach in the UK. Another 2 hrs of walking into a head wind and we’re in Porth, first of the beaches in Newquay, and I spy the set of 10 units called The Beach, occupied by the Autistic Association called Spectrum - give me 3hrs and I’ll explain how this charity is serviced by a set of private companies whose base is in St Kitts and Nevis, tax havens in the Caribbean.
The path is a zig zag through streets and paths of residential areas, and as we approach the main shopping centre of Newquay, there’s an Aldi shop in the High Street. Gotta go and check it out. Exactly the same layout as in Oz, and after buying wine, cheese, bikkies and a few things for our next 10 days walk, we’re over the road to the Newquay Camping and Leisure Centre to buy a new gas can. Loaded up and heading towards the headland, there’s a heavy rain shower coming our way so time to shelter behind a wall for a few minutes til it passes.
The Coast path winds it’s way between Fistral Beach and the Golf Course and after a quick phone call to John, we meet him and Cooper the dog at the end of the path. It was great catch up even though it had been only 6 months since I’d been to Sydney to visit.
It’s still cold and windy and walking into a heated cosy house was lovely. Matthew, John’s son is home from work and we chat for hours over a cup of tea until dinner. John had cooked North Sea Cod - just beautiful - with potatoes and asparagus. More chatting over a few beers and wine until Susie arrives home from working as a nurse at the Truro Hospital. More chatting until bed time at 10.30.
Tomorrow we are having our first day off in 15 days and there will be a lot to unpack and repack from the large package of clothes and stuff we posted to Newquay from Taunton when we first arrived. Today we reached the 300k mark from Minehead to Newquay. Another 200k to go.
Meeting John and Cooper on path
John and Susie’s home Pentire Cres
Not exactly a lay dog