This is the last hike we need to do to complete a huge section of the South West Coast Path. It's a rockier area, with lots of old mining buildings from the days when copper and tin ruled.
We have reservations at The Badger in Lelant today for the Sunday Carvery so we hit the path early to knock off this tiny stretch. We were too tired to finish this path a few years back, and opted to relax on the beach with a few drinks instead.
It's a two-bus trip to get to St Agnes from Camborne, which means you have to be pretty committed to going there. As we wanted to start our day's walk from here, we were committed. But we never expected to fall in love with the village! Tucked into a corner of Cornwall few people visit (we'd never heard of St Agnes before) it was like stumbling upon hidden treasure.
We set off at 8:30 this morning, heading west to fill in this last section on this part of the south coast. We walk from our cottage in Treviskey down to the harbor to hook up with the South West Coast Path. After the walk here we swam in the bay (colder than yesterday by two degrees and you could FEEL those two degrees), bought pasties, cider, and beer, and then walked around taking pics of the village.
This section of the South West Coast Path was much tougher than we expected, although it could easily be that we read the guidebook wrong. If we had more energy we could look at the books again and know for sure, but none of us has any extra. Suffice to say we are knackered. 12 miles total, lots and lots of ups and downs. Absolutely gorgeous weather! Hot for May in England.
After our walk from St Agnes to Holywell, we took a bus back to Newquay. Bob went to the B&B to get our bags while I went to Aldi to get food for our stay in Portloe for the next few days. Then a bus from Newquay to St Austell, and a second bus (a large van, really) to Little Barn Cottage in Portloe, where Susanne was waiting.
This morning we took a taxi to St Agnes, a tiny hamlet along the coast, as there were no buses. This 8-mile walk wiped us out.
This morning we took a bus to Porthcothan, same place we started yesterday, and walked the opposite direction, toward Padstow. It was a glorious day. Windy as all get-out, with a serious chill in the air, but sun from start to finish! We took the train from Plymouth to Newquay this morning, then dropped our bags at our B&B and took a bus to Porthcothan to walk to Mawgan Porth. The weather was overcast but sharp and crisp and perfect for walking. |