Cornwall Completed

 So, after three wonderful weeks, our mini tour of Cornwall draws to an end. We’re now heading back to Devon for a while before our next mini adventure to….. watch this space!

Our overnight stops

Bodmin Moor & the Cheesewring

A fabulous sunrise over Dartmoor greeted us this morning as we opened our window blinds. After breakfast we donned our walking gear and set out on a hike on Bodmin Moor.

Just outside the campsite we picked up the former Liskeard and Caradon railway. This was used to transport coal up to the engine houses and copper ore down to the port of East Looe from where it was shipped to South Wales for smelting. All that remains today are the granite blocks set into the ground which the rails were fixed to. The railway, which opened in 1846 originally used horse drawn carts which were eventually replaced by steam trains. The railway closed in 1917.

As we approached Minions, which at 300m is the highest village in Cornwall, we passed an engine house which is now a heritage centre. Unfortunately it was closed so we pressed on through the village towards another couple of engine houses where we picked up the railway again. The railway skirts around Caradon hill which has a 230m tall TV mast on top. This was built by ITV in 1961 to bring the station to the South West for the first time.

As the railway continued its decent to the coast we carried on around the hill, climbing now and passing close to the TV mast.

We stopped for lunch at a disused quarry finding a spot out of the cold northerly wind. Heading back towards Minions we passed through the mine workings of the South Caradon Mine, which during its heyday 150 years ago, was the largest in the U.K.

The final leg of our hike took us around Stowe’s hill which is famous for the Cheesewring, a natural geological feature formed from granite.

 

This rocky outcrop of granite blocks piled on top of each other derives it’s name from a “cheesewring”, which was a press like device once used to make cheese.

Continuing around this hill we picked up the railway again which we followed back to the campsite.

Golitha Falls and the Hurlers

Another sunny but cold morning greeted us as we opened our window blinds to start our day. Before hitting the road we needed a tow to get us off the grass pitch. 

Fortunately the campsite maintenance man has a 4x4 which easily pulled us onto the tarmac driveway.

First stop today was Morrisons in Liskeard for a couple of items we couldn’t get in Lidl. After coffee we set out to the Golitha falls on the edge of Bodmin moor.

We parked in the small carpark and wandered along the river taking photos of the scenic waterfalls. We were on the lookout for salmon which apparently come upriver in the winter to spawn. Unfortunately the salmon were not cooperating today.

After lunch back in Kiki we drove to Minions where we parked and walked to the Hurlers Stone Circles.

 

These three early Bronze Age stone circles are unique because they are arranged in a line. According to legend these are the remains of men who were petrified for playing hurling on a Sunday.

Returning to Kiki we drove through the village and a little way up onto the moor. Here we’re staying for a couple of nights on a campsite with a fabulous view towards Dartmoor.

A Day in Looe

We woke this morning to a beautiful clear day. The sun is shining but there’s a cold northerly wind.

After breakfast we walked the couple of miles down into West Looe, crossed the river into East Looe and went in search of a coffee shop. We had seen (and heard!) one yesterday when we walked past on the other side of the river - there was a lady singing Christmas carols (bah humbug) from the doorway!

We found the cafe but it was heaving (no singing today) so we went into one nearby. Sitting in the sun outside with our coffee (hot chocolate for Emma) was very pleasant.

After coffee we mooched around the town for a while checking out the quaint old shops. We were surprised at how big it was - much bigger than West Looe. In a small gift shop we found a Cornwall fridge magnet to join Kiki’s rather impressive collection.

After walking out along the harbour wall and along the path above the beach we had built up an appetite. A large portion of chips - eaten out of the paper - stayed our hunger.

At low tide the boats sit on the mud

Crossing back over the river we spent a while walking around West Looe. By this time the sun was starting to drop below the top of the valley and the cold wind had picked up so we decided to return to Kiki. Taking the main road we avoided the very steep climb back up the way we had come - instead we had a longer, slow climb. Finally, back at the campsite we discovered that we had walked over 6 miles on our “lazy day”!

Hiking the Looe River and Coast Path

Today we’re doing a circular hike from our campsite. We chose this place because it’s not only cheap (£15 with our ACSI card!) but also the footpath goes right through the camping field.

It’s a cool but clear morning - perfect weather for a hike. After breakfast we kitted up, donned our walking boots and rucksacks with our packed lunches and set out. The route heads inland on a narrow lane which, after a mile or so, drops down to the West Looe river at Kilminorth woods. Here we stopped for a snack listening to the water and watching the birds. I’m fairly sure I spotted a kingfisher but he was too fast to be certain!

Following the river downstream through a really pretty valley of colourful beech trees we made our way to Looe. The tide was out so part of the route was along the river estuary. We didn’t stop in Looe because we’ve decided to stay another night so that we can explore here properly tomorrow.

Looking back towards Looe

Just after the harbour we stopped for lunch before picking up the coast path towards Talland. The first part is reasonably level, but then there are several steep upy-downy bits which are hard going.

After a few miles of enjoying fabulous far reaching views to Rame head and beyond we reached Talland. Here the route turns inland back to the campsite. This last mile is tough as it’s a 150m steep climb - boy were we glad to see Kiki!

Charleston and Fowey

We woke to an overcast grey morning which persisted all day. After breakfast we set off to St Austell where we parked in Lidl’s car park.

Before shopping we decided to walk down into Charleston - the car parks are really expensive and the walk did us good! This former china clay loading harbour is quite pretty in nice weather. Unfortunately, today with everything closed, it looked a bit sorry for itself.

We returned to Kiki for coffee and then Emma did our weekly shop whilst I hunted on Amazon for a new pair of walking shoes. I’m pleased to report that we were both successful in our respective quests.

Victualling complete we drove on to Fowey where we parked in a large car park on the outskirts of the village. We had lunch before wandering into this “gentrified” yachting town. Fowey, in common with many such towns, has most of its houses clustered along the banks of the estuary. This means that you get rare tantalising glimpses of the water rather than a full vista. It is said that the best view is from the water - something I have yet to experience!

The best view in Fowey is of Polruan on the opposite bank of the river.

We returned to Kiki and headed to Looe. We were lucky to follow a couple of workers vans along the narrow winding road out of Fowey which meant that all oncoming traffic stopped for us. On a particularly narrow section we caught up with a big lorry which, once the oncoming traffic had reversed, cleared the way for us - you wouldn’t think this was an A road!

Arriving at the campsite we checked in and parked up on a nice level spot. We are on a grass pitch so we’re hoping our wheels don’t sink in too much otherwise we’ll have fun getting out when we leave on Sunday morning.

St Mawes and Mevagissey

After a quiet night - we were so tired we didn’t even hear the owls - we woke this morning to a light Cornish Mist.

After breakfast, having emptied and filled our tanks we prepared Kiki for the road. However, before settling out, we took a stroll down into Portscatho. This tiny fishing village is quite pretty with its old houses clustered around the harbour. We returned to Kiki for coffee before settling out to St Mawes.

On arrival we parked in St Mawes football club and put our £3 donation in their honesty box. There’s quite a walk down to the town from here but the road gets very narrow from this point onwards! The sun was peeking through the clouds as we approached the castle which meant the view across Carrick Roads was spectacular.

We walked to the harbour and wandered around this quaint but extremely expensive old town.

We made a loop by returning to Kiki up the main road. Having worked up an appetite we had lunch before hitting the road to Mevagissey  - Emma liked the name so we decided to visit! Parking is only £5 overnight so we’ve decided to stay.

We wandered into the town and checked out the harbour and some of the gift shops. We’re looking for a fridge magnet for Kiki but so far have been unsuccessful. There was a German film crew working around an old wooden fishing boat in the harbour - we wondered what they are filming!

After a couple of hours mooching around we returned to Kiki for our evening meal before settling down for the night.

Walking the Roseland Peninsula

Today we’re walking the coast path around the Roseland Peninsula.

After breakfast we donned our walking boots, strapped on our rucksacks complete with packed lunch and headed out. It’s a beautiful clear morning with wintry sunshine and very little wind. We followed a footpath from the campsite down to the coast path. The sea is like a millpond - barely a ripple to be seen.

The first part of our hike is from Portscatho to St Anthony’s Head along the eastern coast of the peninsula. This path is fairly level with not too many ups and downs. After a couple of miles we spotted some seals lazing on the rocks and in the water. Unfortunately they were too far away to photograph.

As we were chatting to a couple of walkers about the seals, another couple passed us. Bizarrely, when we carried on they were coming back towards us. As they approached they said there were cows on the path and they were frightened to go past. We assured them they were harmless and walked on with this couple following close behind. As we approached the cows we spoke to them and they moved out of the way. We stopped to look at one of the cute calves and the other couple shot past us and almost ran up the field. It was quite funny to see the “townies” in the countryside!

We stopped for lunch just before St Anthony’s Head with a great view out across the sea.

Continuing onwards we checked out the WWII gun batteries and had a quick look at St Anthony’s Lighthouse before rounding the headland and continuing onwards towards a place called Place.

The view from here across Carrick Roads to Falmouth and across the Percuil river to St Mawes in beautiful.

The coast path along here is more up and down so the going was tougher. After a while we rounded the corner into Place where there’s a lovely tucked away pool. We skirted Place Manor and had a quick look in the pretty old church of St Anthony.

Continuing on the coast path we had a fabulous view across to St Mawes with it’s pretty houses almost down to the waterline. Further up the Percul river there is a large inlet which stretches almost the entire width of the peninsula. We followed the inlet as it winds its way inland - the tide was in so it was easy to follow. At the head of the creek we picked up a minor road which runs up the spine of the peninsula. Following this road we eventually made it back to Kiki.

After walking about 9 miles we are quite tired so with the owls for company we’re looking forward to bed tonight!

Mylor and Truro

We had another peaceful night in the castle car park and after breakfast made an early start.

We drove towards Mylor Churchtown, intending to park in a lay-by near to the church. As we approached Flushing we found a perfect spot which meant we could avoid the narrow roads.

We donned our walking boots and set out along the road the Mylor Yacht Harbour. Here we picked up the coast path which we followed around the headland back to Flushing. This is one of my favourite short hikes as the views across Carrick Roads are fabulous.

Returning to Kiki we had coffee before driving to Truro. We parked on the opposite side of the river in a large car park and walked into the city. We had a look in the rather plain looking cathedral and wandered around the shops.

After lunch back in Kiki we drove to a campsite near to Portscatho where we’re staying for a couple of nights. We did some laundry whilst watching a beautiful sunset over the sea.

After our evening meal we settled down for the night.

Falmouth for Pasties

After a peaceful night parked up by the castle in Falmouth we woke to an overcast morning. We had breakfast before going for a short walk around the castle. There’s not much to see because it’s completely surrounded by a high defensive bank and a deep ditch. Next to the castle we spotted a WWII gun emplacement and were surprised to see that the original guns were still in place! 

Returning to Kiki we drove round the corner to the road above Castle beach as we thought it was cheeky to stay in the small castle parking area during the day. From here we walked into Falmouth and mooched around the town.

We had coffee and Emma tried out Costa’s Chocolate Orange hot chocolate declaring it tasty but not as good as the After Eight Mint one she had the other day.

Success was to be had when Emma found a pair of jeans she liked (and fitted) in New Look!

 

After a pasty for lunch with a fabulous view across the harbour we wandered back to Kiki.

This afternoon we walked along the coast path to Swanpool and back. Despite what seemed to be a lazy day we discovered that we had walked over 6 miles today!

As places to stay are somewhat limited around here we returned to the castle car park for the night.

The Lizard

After a quiet night in our little lay-by, this morning we drove the short distance to the Lizard.

Walking boots on and packed lunch in our rucksacks we set out on one of our favourite walks. The route took us from the Lizard village down to the coast path. Turning left we followed the coast path past the most southerly point with its old lifeboat station and squat lighthouse. Continuing onwards we passed the Lloyds signal station and National Coast Watch lookout. Shortly before reaching Cadgwith we stopped for lunch with a fabulous view looking back the way we came.

After the Devils Frying Pan we cut inland across the width of the Lizard peninsula. The common land above Kynance was very wet and boggy but some careful footwork saw us safely through. The last part of the route is quite unique because it runs along the top of a Cornish hedge all of the way back to Lizard village. After walking just over 8 miles we’re both quite tired but we have to move on because overnight parking is not allowed here.

We drove to Falmouth where we’re parked up by the castle for the night.

Helston and Loe Bar

We woke this morning to more of the famous Cornish Mist. After breakfast and long hot showers we re-filled our water tank and hit the road.

We drove the short distance to Helston where we parked in the large free car park at the bottom of the town. Donning our walking boots and wet weather gear we set out on a hike around The Loe. This large lake was formed when the former Helston estuary silted up forming the huge sandbar of Loe Bar.

After a while the “mist” cleared and we had a very enjoyable walk. As we returned to Kiki for lunch we noticed some portaloo’s in the car park. After lunch we emptied our toilet cassette - this was quite a relief because with most campsites closed we’re having difficulty finding suitable places!

After lunch we walked up into Helston. This town, the second oldest in Cornwall, has lots of old buildings and pretty houses. After wandering around for a while we popped into Costa for coffee (and an After Eight hot chocolate for Emma).

Returning to Kiki we drove a few miles down towards the Lizard and found a nice deep lay-by to park in for the night.

Porthcurno & Mousehole

We had a peaceful night in our little lay-by and woke up to a grey morning. After breakfast we drove to Porthcurno where we squeezed into the large and completely empty car park.

We wandered down towards the beach where the cable house is situated. This scruffy, inconspicuous concrete shed is a Grade 2 listed building because it contains the original terminations of the underwater telegraph cables. We were amazed to learn that the first cable was laid in 1870 and went to India!!

Following the coast path above the beach we climbed the steps up the almost sheer rock towards the Minack Theatre. We were disappointed to discover that high fences on both sides hide the theatre from view…

We returned to Kiki and drove on to the Merry Maidens Stone Circle. We parked in a small muddy lay-by and walked across the field to the early Bronze Age site. Probably a ceremonial or ritual place, the name comes from a Cornish legend which tells of 19 maidens who were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath.

A short walk away is the Tregiffan burial chamber, a Neolithic entrance tomb which has a walled and roofed entrance passage which leads to a central chamber.

After coffee we drove on to Newlyn where we parked on the cliff road outside of the town. We walked down to Mousehole harbour and wandered around the tiny village. There are some very pretty houses and some very narrow streets to explore.

We returned to Kiki for lunch before driving to Lidl in Penzance. Victualling for the week completed we drove to the small village of Breage where we’re parked up behind the Queens Arms pub. Overnight parking with water and electricity for £10 is a bargain!

Ancient Stones and Lands End

We had a peaceful night tucked into our lay-by and woke to a fabulous sunrise with a panoramic sea view. After breakfast we drove a couple of miles to Zennor where we parked in the car park. We had hoped to see the mermaid carving in the church but unfortunately it was locked.

Moving on we drove to a small parking area where, after parking up, we walked to up the hill to Men-an-Tol. This Bronze Age holed stone is believed to have curative and magical powers. Passing through the hole in certain directions and number of times was said to cure illness.

We returned to Kiki for coffee and then set out again in the opposite direction to climb up to Chun Castle. This Iron Age hill fort sits in a fabulous position on top of a hill. The view from the top is great - you can see both sides of the Penwith peninsula! The fort consists of two concentric stone walls each about 3m high and flanked by an external ditch. Inside you can see the remains of several round houses.

A little further on we came to Chun Quoit. This 5000 year old Neolithic dolmen contains a small burial chamber which would originally have been surrounded by a 10m diameter ring of stones and covered by an earth mound.

We retraced our footsteps back to Kiki for lunch and then headed to Lands End. Reviews on our Park4night app said it was sometimes possible to park overnight in their car park. When we arrived the car park man said that staying overnight wasn’t possible so we moved on. A short distance away, on a quiet road, we found a small lay-by to park in.

We walked down to the coast path which we followed for a couple of miles to Lands End. The path was a bit scary in places because it was very close to the edge and it was quite windy. Arriving at the end we took a few pictures before following the road back to Kiki.

After our evening meal we settled down for the night.

The Hard Route to St Ives

After spending yesterday catching up with friends we had another peaceful night at Pioneer Billy’s campsite. We woke up this morning to Cornish mist which was obscuring most of the engine houses that are surrounding us.

After emptying and filling our tanks we drove to Home Bargains in Hayle for a couple of items we couldn’t get the other day in Lidl. We had coffee before continuing onwards to a small NT carpark a couple of miles out of St Ives on the road to Zennor. We had an early lunch and set out down to and along the coast path.

This is quite a strenuous walk - about 5 miles climbing up and down as the coast path worked its way to St Ives.

Shortly before reaching our destination we lost the coast path and ended up higher up a hill. We found a path that led downhill which seemed ok until we came to a large thorn bush. We had to crawl through the bush, clamber over a hidden wall before eventually making it back to the coast path.

Finally reaching St Ives, we wandered along the harbour side before cutting back inland and following the road up out of the town. We made it back to Kiki after walking a total of 8.5 miles.

Despite being tired we had to move on because the NT meanies don’t allow overnight parking in their car parks. About a mile further along the road we found a small lay-by to park for the night. The road is very quiet and the view in the morning will be great, the only disadvantage is that there is no phone signal here.

We had our evening meal before settling down for the night with a good book..

Great Flat Lode and Carn Brea

We had a quiet night parked in our lay-by and woke up to Cornish Mist. Another motorhome had joined us overnight but left at daybreak.

After breakfast we drove a few miles to a small plant nursery which sells LPG. As we arrived the owner said “do you speak English?” - I was tempted to say “zust a leetul”… We refilled our gas tanks before driving on to Lidl in Redruth. Victualling completed we had coffee before leaving.

We’re heading to a small campsite on the outskirts of Camborne so that we can visit friends who live nearby. The journey was twice as long as it should have been because our satnav tried to take us under a 2.5m bridge. Fortunately this was signposted which meant we were able to take a diversion that went over rather than under the railway!

Arriving at the site we pitched up and paid for a couple of nights. The owner kindly leant us some wedges because the hard standing was on a bit of a slope.

Having levelled Kiki and connected up the shore power we had an early lunch before strapping on our walking boots and settling out on a hike.

The area we are in is called the Great Flat Lode after a large seam of tin which was found here. 

All around there are engine houses and other mine buildings.

We followed part of the mine discovery trail which took us to several small mines and along the track of a ore railway.

After the mines we skirted around the side of Carn Brea before turning and climbing to the top. At 228m above sea level you can see both coasts on a clear day - today we could see St Ives bay up to St Agnes but the south coast was obscured by clouds.

The huge 30m granite monument at the top is very impressive - it doesn’t look that big from a distance!

We made our way down the hill and headed back to Kiki. My step tracker said we’d walked 5 miles but it felt a lot further than that!

On the return leg we passed a field where there was a tiny Shetland pony and two pigs. As we approached, all three came noisily running to the gate where they proceeded to make quite a fuss - we think they had been hand reared to make them so friendly.

Returning to Kiki just a it got dark, we had our evening meal before settling down for the night.

Newquay & Wheal Cotes

We had a toasty night thanks to our little electric heater and woke to a lovely sunny morning. After breakfast (and a long hot shower for Emma) we emptied and filled our tanks before hitting the road.

First stop today was Newquay where we parked high up on Pentire headland overlooking the Gannel river estuary and Crantock beach. After coffee we set out for a stroll. We followed the coast path down to and across Fistral beach and then up onto Towan headland. Here we got chatting to a group of Seawatch volunteers who were conducting their monthly lookout for creatures of the sea.

We carried on along the coast path until we came to the 14th Century Huers hut. This building was named after the Huer, who’s job was to look out for pilchards. When they were spotted he cried out “Heva, heva”. Boats were launched and then the Huer would direct them towards the shoals of fish.

We continued on to the small harbour and then completed the circle back to Kiki by the inland route.

After lunch we drove to St Agnes head to see the remains of some tin mines. Ignoring the ambiguous “unsuitable for long vehicles” sign as we had no idea what they meant by a “long vehicle” we drove through the village of St Agnes. Squeezing through some more narrow lanes we eventually made it to the National Trust carpark.

We walked down to the Wheal Cotes mine which, perched on the side of the cliff, has one of the most dramatic locations. Following the coast path we dropped down into Chapel Cove where we tried to find the chapel. Despite the National Trust map showing it close to the coast path, we were unable to find it. A local who passed us said he had no idea where it was either!

We returned to Kiki and drove a few miles further until we came to a large lay-by where we’re parked up for the night.

Port Issac & Bedruthan Steps

After another quiet night in Tintagel we set off this morning to check out Port Issac.

Approaching the village we drove into the “main carpark” and were dismayed to find that it’s £12 for vehicles over 5m! Emma went to check on the parking machine and was discussing the price with a couple of other people, when a taxi cab drove up and told them there was a cheaper car park in the village. As if by magic the parking emptied!

We drove on down into the centre (slightly nervous as the roads round ‘ere is narrow) and found the other carpark. Here, out of season, it’s a more reasonable £1.20 for 2hrs. We found a place where we could overhang the grass which meant we fitted into the space - there was a Mercedes nearby which was hanging out several feet…

After coffee we went for a walk around this tiny but cute village. We walked down to the harbour past the pretty old houses which got closer together as we descended. Good job we hadn’t tried to drive through here - need to make sure we go out the way we came in! We wandered around and then made our way back up the narrow and steep streets to Kiki.

Moving on we skirted the Camel estuary at Wadebridge before picking up the coast road again to a small lay-by close to the Bedruthan Steps. After lunch we made our way down to the coast path which we followed to Park Head. Looking back from here we could see the offshore rock stacks that are known as the Bedruthan Steps after the legend of Bedruthan, a giant who used them as a shortcut across the bay.

We took a circular route back to Kiki and set off towards Newquay. We’re stopping for the night on a campsite a few miles outside of the town. Our satnav decided on the “scenic” route to the campsite and we approached along a single track road which was so narrow that we were brushing the hedges on both sides!

Arriving at Benn Park, a tiny CL which has spaces for 5 campers we emptied and filled our tanks before tucking into a nice spot. We’re plugged into mains power so we’re going to have a toasty warm night.

The Coast Path to Boscastle

We had a quiet night parked up with our motorhoming companions and woke to a warmer (ie. less cold) morning.

After breakfast we set out to walk the coast path to Boscastle. We were surprised to see that even more motorhomes had arrived during the evening - there were at least a dozen parked up!

We walked through Tintagel and across a field to the coast path. This section is quite strenuous as there are several deep valleys to cross. This usually involves a steep path or steps down followed by a climb up the other side. The route to Boscastle has over 300m of ups and downs.

One of the prettiest valleys is called Rocky Valley and has a fast flowing stream in the bottom. The stream has cut into the rock and descends to the beach via a series of waterfalls.

We stopped for lunch just before the white Lloyds signal station set high up on the Willapark headland. This building, which has uninterrupted views for miles, is now a National Coastwatch station 

We dropped down into the well protected harbour at Boscastle and followed the river up through the village. 

Taking the easier route back, we followed the road to Tintagel where after having walked over 8 miles we were glad to be back at Kiki.

We had our evening meal before settling down for the night.

Tintagel

Off we go again for a mini tour around Cornwall.

We stopped last night in a carpark overlooking Roadford Lake and had a quiet but cold night. We were toasty warm with our winter duvet topped with a thick crocheted blanket that Em’s grandparents gave us. Getting1 up this morning was cold but we soon warmed up once we hit the road.

First stop this morning was Lidl in Launceston for supplies before heading to a large carpark in Tintgel. We parked up and paid our £8 for 24hrs (overnight parking is allowed here!) and had coffee before settling out for a walk around the town.

After walking up and down the main street, we found a short circular walk which took us up to Tintagel church and then we followed the coast path to Tintagel castle. We looped back round to Kiki for lunch.

Just before we got to the carpark we saw Kiki driving towards us! As she got closer we realised it was an identical motorhome - this was the first time we had seen one the same as Kiki.

Whilst we were eating lunch Kiki’s sister joined us in the car park. We had a chat with the owners and swapped some stories.

 After lunch we put on our walking boots and set out along the coast path to Trebarwith Strand. This short but interesting walk took us past the old coastal slate quarry workings where you could make out the remains of buildings and tracks cut into the slate.

We dropped down into Trebarwith Strand which is a narrow inlet where the slate was loaded onto boats, before taking the inland route back to Kiki. As we crossed a field we spotted a lamb lying on the grass - it didn’t get up when we approached it so we stopped at the farm and let them know.

Back at the carpark we are in company with half a dozen other motorhomes. We had our evening meal and settled down for some Netflix.