Friday 28th June:  Weather: 14°C to 19°C: Overcast morning, windy not gale force, sunny afternoon

Treyarnon YHA to Newquay:  22.8k walk to Newquay:  Ascent 616m, Descent 515m

Time:  8am to 3.30pm: Total time 7hrs 30 mins: Walk time: 6hrs 30mins Plus 2 x 30m stops: 

Accommodation: John’s place Pentire, Newquay

Highlight today was getting to Newquay to meet up with my brother John and his wife Suzie as it had been more than a year sonce I last visited them.  It was another long day and the last 3k through the town of Newquay on the Mount Wise Road was tiring. 

I’m awake at 5am, and all is quiet, so I roll over and snooze for a few minutes, waking up to find it’s almost 7am.  I had intended to get away early, knowing it would be a long walk into Newquay, so I rush to shower, pack and get down to the self catering kitchen to have a cup of tea with a hunk of Barnecutt’s bread and jam.  I leave at 8am on a cool misty morning, winding around the several headlands made by the raging sea cutting into the land.  I’m looking for short cuts across the headlands as it’s really windy.  I’m soon passing through the small beach village of Porthcotham then after two and a half hours of walking, stop behind a sheltered fence to have a cup of coffee and more bread and jam, while looking across at the showers over Newquay in the distance.  

Further on to the Bedruthan steps in the Canewas National Trust coastline where there’s many day hikers who have gained access to the car parks on the headland.  Any wonder there’s lots of people at this headland with such spectacular views in all directions.  Soon I’m at Mawgan Porth Beach, such a pretty little inlet where Cate Blanchett has built her mansion.  From photos, I work out that it’s the house with the flat oval roof high on the cliff with wonderful views over the beach.  Others who have made Mawgan Porth their holiday destination are Chris Martin, Jason Statham, Imogen Stubbs, Jamie Dornan, Stanley Tucci… the list of celebs here in Mawgan Porth rolls off the tongue these days. 

On to Watergate Beach and it’s time to stop for lunch - another jam sandwich - while sitting in the little alcove at the back of the toilet block where we also stopped for lunch in 2018.  Not a pretty spot for a picnic but it’s out of the wind.  On to Porth Beach, and Newquay is getting closer.  I don’t follow the SWCP precisely as it veers around the headlands, where we have walked many times in 2018 and 2023 while visiting Newquay.  I walk through the centre of town and up Mount Wise Road, arriving at Pentire at 3.30pm to be greeted by John and Suzie.

After unpacking and showering, we sit in their beautiful English garden having dinner of salad and barbecued prawns wih a wine.  It’s lovely to catch up again and we spend hours chatting the night away.  Bed at 10pm