#Porthcothan

[bikepackinguk]

Day Ninety-four

It's another beautiful day for touring!

With some more tough hills ahead today, my alarms are going before dawn next to the River Camel as I start the day extricating myself from the woodlands to get back onto the Camel Trail.

It's a lovely lazy ride to start the day with, which I'm very glad for given that my head feels quite stuffed with phlegm. But I take that as a good sign that things are progressing in the right direction as the throat does seem to be better than it was at least.

I have a gentle cruise alongside the river along the verdant trail as it winds its way downstream past Hellandbridge and on to Dunmere.

The trail splits here, with a turn heading into Bodmin, whilst I hang a right to keep on the riverside as the Camel Trail continues to follow the river's long and winding course through the beautiful valley.

The old rail trail leads past several abandoned and overgrown station platforms on its way. Times like these are where I really love cycling - these are some sights that you can never see when travelling by car, and I feel particularly lucky to be able to have such an amazing experience of them on this journey.

The river slowly widens from its earlier trickling stream to a wide flowing body as the miles progress, and by the time I roll into the nice little town of Wadebridge it's beginning to get quite broad.

The route continues on along the banks, rolling under the tall bridge carrying the A39 as the river continues to widen into a large flowing bay.

The weather has turned out beautifully today, and the view downstream of Padstow shining in the sun is glorious. I have a nice little break at a cycle cafe on the trail here to sit and appreciate the view, as well as chat to a few other riders who are also out making the best of such a lovely morning.

On the trail leads over a nice old rail bridge to finally end at Padstow. That's the Camel Trail now ridden in its entirety! One to scratch off the bucket list!

With the long flat route finally over, it does mean it's time to get back to tackling Cornwall's infamous hills and cliffs.

I keep on Route 3 initially as it heads up the road from Padstow and around to Constantine Bay. The trail swings inland from here, so I have to say goodbye to it for now as I join the busy tourist traffic heading over the cliffside roads.

The sun is beating down by now and the sky has a lot of blue to it, with some heavy traffic all around the coast as foll flock to the beaches to make the most of the good weather. Alas, it also makes for some incredibly sweaty and hard work as the sharp descents and steep climbs keep piling up.

I feel it'd get repetitive to keep repeating the similar slogs as I head past the beautiful beaches at Porthcothan, Mawgan Porth, and Watergate. The views along the coast here are wonderful, but the climbs are Sisyphean in their repetition and relentlessness. But one must imagine Sisyphus happy, after all.

Finally the gradients slaclen slightly and I eventually make my way around to roll into Newquay. The heavy work so far has made me get through a serious amount of water so I take a bit of a longer break here to let the legs rest up a bit and to load up on liquid once more.

Suitably resupplied, I have a check of the map and spy a village that my childishly purile humour means I absolutely have to detour into. I ride back through Newquay and under the impressive and tall rail bridge, before heading on to the busy A3075.

It's time for more challenging climbs as the road heads on, with some very heavy traffic and beating sun making for a very tough stint.

After getting thoroughly drenched in sweat from the effort, I reach Goonhavern where I get to switch onto a quite new off-traffic route known as Saint's Way, which turns out to be a wonderful trail through the countryside.

The trail follows around a nice little stream and rolls into the little village of Cocks. Wahey! Alas I was unable to spot a sign to pose for a photo with, which may have been removed to prevent theft. But hey, I did get to ride up Cocks Hill!

Anyway, with that out of my system, I get back to the trail as it winds its way back out to the seaside. Though I do take advantage if a nice bench beneath a tree by the little stream to have a nice break and enjoy the beautiful surroundings here.

The trail ends with an arrival into the seaside town of Perranporth, with the sound of a rugby match in the air.I roll on down to the beach to join the other tourists in enjoying the lovely sights across the qide beach as the sun continues to shine down.

Up the big hill from Perranporth, I head past the airfield as a light plane takes flight, and head around the pretty heritage coast into St Agnes.

With a check of the map here, I'm a little taken aback. There's not that much left of the west coast to go now! And I did have a potential further nostalgia stop I wanted to take in prior to hitting Land's End.

So, with the evening starting to set in, it's time to get some preparation in motion for tomorrow.

I start tracking southwards from St Agnes, tackling some more hills as I chart a course down through the countryside. The sun is casting some long shadows on the road as I ride up through Mount Hawke, before meeting with the busy dual carriageway of the A30.

I've said befire that one handy thing about dual carriageway junctions is that they do often come with some good patches of trees nearby which aren't owned by anyone who would care, and I find a suitable spot here to finally have a well earned lie down after a very long day's effort.

Tomorrow is going to be another rare day where I have a set destination in mind to reach, namely St Just. With today's efforts having nicely ground the miles out, it's about 30 miles to go, though with plenty of climbs still involved. But that should still be nicely achievable.

TTFN!

#bikepacking #bicycle touring #wild camping #cycling the coast of great britain

[wanderella-w]

Some stats 📊

For those of you who are interested, here are some statistics about the hikes of the past days. I let Komoot calculate the distances from sleeping point to sleeping point. The time indicated is not the time we actually walked but what Komoot calculates at an average speed of 4.3 km/h ... we took longer with our backpacks and with breaks..

Yesterday we didn't walk because we went shoe shopping (successfully) and today we hike about 22 km from Padstow to Porthcothan.

[greasy-old-skillet]

 Porthcothan Bay - Cornwall

#agenciadeviajes #machupicchu #photography #tourism #peru

[walkingthegr10-blog]

Back to the path

I read a theory that your back pack is full of your fears. If you fear hunger, it’s full of food. Sickness, and it’s full of hygiene products and first aid items. Cold, and it’s full of clothes. My fears don’t want to be pinned down, because I’ve spent the last few days in a state of low level anxiety, taking things out and reinstating them. Do I need / fear this thing enough to carry it on my back for the next 10 days?*

And so it is that I find myself with the much edited back pack (too late now) on the fast Paddington-Newquay train to resume my journey on the South West Coastal path, which has, by now, become a summer routine.

Attentive readers of this blog will be puzzling how it is that I can *start in Newquay* this time around, when you last heard from me in Padstow, at least 20 miles north… Keep faith… I have indeed done the miles, but Padstow was where I hooked up with my friend Alice, and frankly, I was having too much fun to keep you updated. However, Alice is an expert landscape and wildlife photographer, so here’s some of her pics of our camping, sea swimming and yurt adventures last summer.

And so, back to Newquay, that bustling, polluted commercial break in the Cornwall coastline. I check into the Newquay Travelodge — where else? — and prepare to set off in the morning. All well.

*Or, bigger question, for the rest of my days?

Cliff top camping at Porthcothan. Photos: Alice

[insomniac-morpheus]

 Porthcothan Bay - Cornwall

#trip #tourism #photography #travel #viajes

[sophietdbcornwall]

Porthcothan - 4 août 

Après une nuit au son des vagues (la chambre de l’auberge donnait directement sur la mer), j’ai rassemblé mes affaires et j’ai continué ma route vers le nord des Cornouailles. Je n’avais pas vraiment de plan pour la journée, mais j’avais vu des endroits à visiter le long de la côte. Je me suis arrêtée quelques fois, mais aucun ne me donnait envie de me poser jusqu’à Porthcothan, un petit village avec une plage qui avait l’air sympa. Ce qui m’a plu c’est qu’il n’y avait rien d’autre qu’un parking et la mer. En plus, la plage n’était pas du tout la même à marée haute et à marée basse. Plus la mer descendait, plus de plages apparaissaient, ainsi que leurs rochers. Il y avait pleins de petites méduses. J’y suis restée un long moment (assez pour voir la marée haute et la marée basse) avant de retourner à la voiture. 

Je me suis garée près de Booby’s Bay Beach, pour faire le tour à pieds de la péninsule de Trevose Headland. Les cheveux dans le vent, j’avais une vue panoramique sur toute la côte alentour. 

Je suis arrivée en fin d’après midi à mon camping. Enfin plutôt le champ où j’ai planté ma tente. Les deux prochaines nuits seront plutôt rudimentaires, il n’y a qu’un toilette et un robinet, et aucune électricité. Ceci-dit, la vue sur la baie de la rivière Camel vaut tout le confort du monde. Je suis actuellement en train de siroter un cidre assise sur ma chaise de camping, regardant la marée remonter dans l’estuaire, il y a pire comme situation !

[mycornishplace]

A bench from where to watch the sea at Porthcothan

#sea #coast #bench #Cornwall #England #kernow #waves #ocean #Atlantic #Porthcothan #sit #watch #sun #UK #Europe

[troop2017]

A New Discovery in North Cornwall - Porthcothan Bay :)

A New Discovery in North Cornwall - beautiful Porthcothan Bay :) Endless sand when the tide is out, and lots of coves to discover in the kayak when the tide is in!

It’s been a few years since our last trip to Cornwall, but, considering it’s my favourite place in the world, it won’t be our last! This trip in particular was a bit special. Not only was it wonderful to be out and about in the van again, but we were meeting up with friends who we hadn’t seen for nearly a year. AND we got to watch England beat Germany in the Euros together. What more could you…

View On WordPress

#seaviewpadstow #Beaches #Bedruthen Steps #Booby&039;s Bay #camping #Carnewas #Euro2020 #Kayaking #Litter picking #Mawgan Porth #Motorhome #North Cornwall #Old MacDonalds Farm #Padstow #Petting Farm #Porthcothan #South West Coast Path #Swingball #travel #Trevose #UK #UK Beaches #Walking

[jontatham]

(Literally) drawing on what the natural world provides you. #porthcothan #pebble #porthcothanbay #cornwall #beachfind #instadoodle #kernow_shots (at Porthcothan Bay)

#porthcothanbay #pebble #cornwall #instadoodle #beachfind #porthcothan #kernow_shots

[timlane1978]

Cornwall

We all went down to Cornwall to visit baby Bonnie and incidentally to see Em and Ed. Orsi had the best idea for where to stay, Old McDonald's Farm which is 5 minutes from Em and Ed's place, we visited it at Christmas and is just amazing for children.

We went straight to Em because we set off early and got there too soon to check in. Baby Bonnie is a very lovely baby with a full head of hair and who sleeps a lot. Klara and Freya were very pleased to meet her and already know how to say Baby Bonnie (a lot). I get the feeling we'll still be calling her that in 20 years.

The forecast for the weekend looked pretty miserable but it was actually quite a nice day so we headed down to Porthcothan beach to give the girls and Pip a run, Ed brought Bonnie in a sling.

The weather turned out so nice that we almost wished we had brought swimming gear. We had a good long walk down to the sea, splashing in the puddles left behind by the tide and the river that flows into the bay. I hadn't quite dressed for the weather but left my shoes at the top of the beach and rolled my jeans up as far as I could to join in.

When we reached the sea the girls enjoyed running in and out of the waves until they fell over and got soaked. We stripped them off and it was so warm they dried out in no time. Klara refers to everything as "Mine" at the moment and wanted to go on "my boat" which was a kayak belonging to a couple who were getting ready to go out. At least her interest in boats is a good thing. We ended with a stop at the little cafe for ice cream.

We went straight from the beach to the farm. We were still early for check in but there was a ride on choo choo train just inside the door so we weren't bored waiting. Luckily we have never yet put money in one of these things or we'd have been there all day and spent a fortune.

We spent the afternoon at the farm. They have so much to do, there are various play areas, lots of animals, pedal cars and huge trampolines to name just a few. It's a long time since I've trampolined so I didn't go for any somersaults, especially as Klara and Freya were on with me.

We had a lovely time. They climbed on everything they could, fed carrots to some rather worried looking rabbits and guinni pigs and we were hoping they had tired themselves out.

They had but too much. They fell asleep in the car on the way to have dinner with Em, Ed and Bonnie. We also made the mistake of letting them sleep while we stopped for chips and drinks. They woke up for dinner which was nice.

Unfortunately this meant that what had been a very long day for Mummy and Daddy became even longer as they were not sleepy at all when we got to our room. Wet had forgotten to take bed guards but found that the double bed fitted exactly in the window alcove and the headboard meant there was no escape.

It took a long time to settle them in this luxury prison and in the end I feel asleep between them, moving to my bed sometime in the middle of the night. As they had the double Orsi and I slept in separate singles.

#Cornwall #porthcothan #old mcdonald #bonnie #beach #beachlife #dadlife

[socharminglydaft]

What a view to have on New Year's Day, and amazing company to go with it. Saw my mum and dad for the first time in 2 years, and obviously dragged Marcus along for the ride! There's no better feeling than starting the year with some of the people I love most in the world. ❤️ - - - #beach #walk #beachwalk #beachday #newyear #2021 #porthcothan #cornwall #tier3life #sand #sea #cliff #rocks #happy #love (at Porthcothan Bay) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJhTdadrn6X/?igshid=ltmng8sbzdjv

#beach #walk #beachwalk #beachday #newyear #2021 #porthcothan #cornwall #tier3life #sand #sea #cliff #rocks #happy #love

[ttwff]

Danger do not go beyond this point sign by Richard Smith Via Flickr: Danger do not go beyond this point sign SWCP Sign post The south west coast path Near Hartland point Devon England UK www.experimentalist.co.uk

#newquay #watergate #bay #mawgan #porth #porthcothan #constantine #booby's #trevose #harlyn #trevone #hawkers #padstow #st #minver #lowlands #trebetherick #new #polzeath #quin #port #isaac #trebarwith #strand #treknow #tregatta #trevillick #tintagel #boscastle #beeny

[wanderella-w]

New shoes and a new companion (day 14-16)

The hunt for shoes in was successful and after two exhausting hours in the outdoor store we treated ourselves on a real Cornish Pasty. It was probably "award-winning" (this is how every Pasty seller here describes their baked goods), or at least it tasted really good.

I feel like I had to recover from the day in the town more than from all the walking, but there was not much time for that because we wanted to plan the next day(s) and have dinner early. Luckily we did do so, because it was in the hostel kitchen when we met Emma (19) from Germany! Finally someone else who was doing the South West Coast Path camping! We had a lot to talk about like where we were when it stormed/ snowed, our favorite camping spots so far (Emma had camped beneath four massive oak trees), and how we were all annoyed by the slippery mud all the time. We were one day behind Emma as we still had to complete the etappe from Padstow to Porthcothan, so we wanted to say goodbye with a bag of ginger nuts, when Emma suggested she would wait one day in the hostel and walk with us!

The walk from Padstow was quite nice and because of the low tide we could walk a long stretch on the beach where we saw a huge jellyfish. I dropped Rosa at the hostel in Treyarnon Bay again and after a cup of tea continued walking with Emma (if this construction sounds a bit confusing to you, I understand). Emma and I wanted to get outside and camping again, and Rosa enjoyed her evening off and alone. This time, however, it was only a few km until we saw Rosa again. We camped just behind Porthcothan and met her the next morning in Mawgan Poth. On the way there we passed the Bedruan steps, a formation of rocks sticking out of the water near the cliffs, that is apparently famous and looked quite beautiful in the rough sea. We also saw a first seal of that day (later a second one). When we continued walking with the three of us we passed lots of nice beaches and the whether was good.

We reached Newquay, the bigger town in the area where we had been two days before to buy shoes, and although we wanted to leave it quickly, we had to cross some things off our to do list first: buy food and a new gas canister, check if Rosas package with new and complete hiking trousers had arrived, and send a package ourselves with some of the unused things in our backpacks that we wanted to get rid off in order so save weight.

When we got to the edge of the town, it turned out we had to make a detour because the ferry over the estuary wasn't going. We reached the walking bridge that was only accessible at low tide just in time, and crossed it, before a gurgling sounds announced the arrival of the high tide water coming in from the sea. Two last dog walkers (locals, who both warned us that we should leave the estuary soon) were crossing the bridge and a group of canuers was getting ready to get their boats on the water. We were so happy we made it in time!

For the evening we had campsite booked, which was not on Google maps but which Rosa found via Wikicamps. It was a great find! We cooked pasta with pesto, lentils and mushrooms on the picnic table (a real luxury), while we were curiously eyed by a pheasant (we see these really a lot here, apparently they were once released for hunting, they are really funny animals). For tomorrow there is an easy stretch planned (Crantock to Perranporth), so maybe we can get a bit further than that.

[1122deactivated2211]

Porthcothan, Cornwall. Poldark filming location.

#cornwall #cornish coast #poldark #nampara #filming locations #england #english coast #europe #beach #british coast #britain #porthcothan #nature

[thatsnakeman]

[OC] Porthcothan Bay, UK - Sunset. 1600x720 via /r/EarthPorn https://ift.tt/3CqL5pv

#IFTTT #reddit

[delicatuscii-wasbella102]

Porthcothan, Blue Shadow by John Raynes