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On Wednesday the 10th of July 2024, I decided to walk a section on the South West Coast Path from Newquay to Perranporth. Now I last finished at Cracklington Haven and would have liked to continue on from there, but this was on my doorstep as I was staying at Perran Sands in Perranporth. Not tom mention it was an easier stretch which was ideal as my ankle has been giving me trouble for last few months and is painful.
So I walk a mile from my caravan out of Perran Sands out to the bus stop on the road outside to catch the U1A bus to Newquay.
I alight at Newquay Bus Station and make my way up Fore Street to join the SWCP.
I walk down North Quay Hill and onto the South West Coast Path. There are great views of Newquay harbour here.
The curve of the headland around what is now known as Newquay harbour provided natural protection from bad weather and a small fishing village grew up in the area. When the village was first occupied is unknown but it is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, although a parcel of land was recorded at Treninnick, which is now part of suburban Newquay. Treninnick was then part of the manor of Coswarth and consisted of one virgate (value 15d) [some 30 acres or 12 hectares] with five sheep.
The village of Crantock is the only other recognisable name in the Newquay area also recorded in Domesday, (as "Langoroch") By the 15th century, a village referred to as "Keye" existed around the present harbour, near "Tewynblustri" (the spelling changed as Cornish evolved and is now rendered as "Towan Blystra"). Towan (or Tewynn) means dune or sand hill in Cornish, but the meaning of "blustri" or "blystra" is unknown. Some sources have suggested in the past that it meant boats, but this claim is not supported by modern authorities and is dismissed by Padel in his dictionary of Cornish place names.
The path here is not well signposted and I walk down to where some men were fishing but the path goes nowhere, so I climb back up and along the path steeply upwards.
I follow the path at the top a short way to reach the Huers Hut.
The Huer's Hut at Newquay, Cornwall served as a lookout point from which a man known as a huer could keep watch for the arrival of the pilchards. They could be discerned by the water turning a dark reddish-brown and by the flocks of seagulls which dived down to feed on the fish. The huer would announce the arrival by shouting "hevva, hevva" or through the use of a trumpet after which he would direct the townsfolk to the fish by waving tree branches above his head. The word huer has the same derivation as the "hue" in hue and cry, after this action.
The Huer's Hut at Newquay has been described as "a particularly fine late medieval specimen". The listed building description states that the current structure dates from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, though a plaque on the structure claims 14th-century origins. The plaque also states that the structure may have been used at an earlier time as a hermitage and lighthouse.
The structure was restored in 1836, at which point the fireplace may have been significantly altered. It received protection as a listed building (under the name "Huer's House") on 24 October 1951 and is currently categorised as grade II*
I climb the steep and narrow steps to the top of the hut for the views.
I leave the Huers hut behind and continue on along the path.
I am now walking towards Towan Headland with the views reaching out to it in the distance.
The path reaches Sophies Beach and a car park. You can detour off the path to visit the headland, but I continue on along the path and pass the Huge Headland Hotel.
After a bit of walking the famous surfing beach called Fistral Beach comes into view.
The name "Fistral" is recorded as Fistal in 1813, coming from the Cornish bystel meaning "foul water, bile or gall" probably in reference to the waves making it an unsuitable landing site.
Fistral Beach is best known for surfing. Its west-facing aspect exposes it to Atlantic swells ensuring consistent waves suitable for surfing. The beach is the venue for major international surfing competitions and a competition suite for judges and competitors has been built at North Fistral along with a surf museum.
The British Surfing Association, Newquay Surf Life Saving Club and the Newquay Boardrider Club are all based at Fistral Beach.
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| Looking down Fistral Beach with the Headland Hotel in the distance. |
I walk along the beach instead of the SWCP path above in the dunes and climb the steps by a café at the end back onto the path again.
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| Looking back to the Towan Headland |
I reach Lewinnick Cove with a view down to Lewinnick Lodge below.
The Lodge was originally built as a small stone cottage in the second half of the 18th century and its purpose was to house staff and vehicles who were in service to the owner of Cove House living at Lewinnick Cove.
Today it is a restaurant and no doubt if you diverted off the path you could get yourself a pint here.
I walk on and now have views down to Crantock Beach below.
I reach the Fern Pit Cafe and Ferry to cross the Gannel, but its only 9am and the ferry doesn't start till 930 am, so I sit and talk to two others that are doing most of the SWCP in one hit.
Still a pleasant stop with amazing view along The Gannel and down to Crantock Beach.
After quite a wait its now 0945am, the owner comes up and apologies for the delay, apparently there was some sort of problem below with the ferry, we walk down the steps to the boat.
We glide across The Gannel a short way over to the otherside and pay my £1.50 ferry fee and walk out onto the beach here.
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| A look back to the Ferry and The Gannel |
I walk across the beach and into the NT car park here at Crantock Beach and follow the footpath out and through The Rushy Green Sand Dunes.
I round a corner and have great views back to Crantock Beach.
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| Crantock Beach |
I walk on around to Pentire Point.
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| Goose Rock |
I follow the path and can see Porth Joke down below.
Porth Joke, better known as Polly Joke, is, well, no joke at all. It’s actually a sandy beach that sits in a pint-sized and fairly narrow bay between Crantock Beach and Holywell Bay, about four miles from Newquay on Cornwall’s rugged north coast. Sheltered to the east by the West Pentire headland and to the west by Kelsey Head, Polly Joke is an idyllic little spot that gets popular at the height of summer.
I follow the path down onto Porth Joke and cross a small footbridge over.
There were many people swimming and bodyboarding in the water. I so wish I could have joined them, looked amazing.
I climb the path up a grassy bank to Kelsey Head.
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| View back down to Porth Joke. |
I walk on over Kelsey Head.
I veer slightly off the path to get a closer look at the rock out in the sea called The Chick.
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| The Chick |
Back on the path I continue on, I can feel my ankle starting to twinge a bit now.
As I round the head I can see Holywell Bay down below.
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| View to Gull Rock |
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| Gull Rock |
I leave The Kelseys and head into the Holywell Sand Dunes.
There are no signposts through the dunes, so you really have no idea where the SWCP goes, I climb up and down the dunes. Felt like I was in the Sahara desert at times!
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| Gull Rocks viewed from the Dunes. |
I eventually find my way to Holywell Car park and a small Café there. A army helicopter is constantly taking off and landing, obviously practicing manoeuvres.
I follow a signpost to continue on the path and through M.O.D land.
I climb up the path to a cliff top.
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| View back down to Holywell Bay. |
Holywell beach adjoins the settlement to the northwest and Penhale Camp, formally an army training establishment that was regularly used by cadets, is half-a-mile to the southwest. On the north side of Holywell beach Holywell Cave is accessible at low tide and contains many pools formed by natural build-up of minerals. In the cave is St Cubert's holy well.
There are two holy wells in Cubert. For hundreds of years, people believed that the wells had healing powers. One well is in a sea cave in Holywell Bay and the other is now in Trevornick Holiday Park. People came here to be healed from ailments like itches and dandruff.
The opening scene for Die Another Day attempting to replicate North Korea, was filmed here in 2002.
Many of the scenes in Poldark were filmed on the beach.
I walk on over the cliff top pass Gull Rocks and great views back down to Holywell Bay.
There were several old mine shafts fenced off as I walk along the cliff.
I pass Defence High Frequency Service here at Penhale Sands.
Penhale Sands is home to a high frequency receiver station forming part of the Defence High Frequency Communications Service. The station is operated by Babcock International Group on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
The helicopter taking off again at Penhale Sands Army camp.
I walk around the cliff to the Army Camp, its eroding fast. I can see the path re diverting before long!
I pass Penhale Army Training Camp.
The site of Penhale Camp, a World War II training camp. The camp is located on Penhale Sands between Holywell and Hoblyns Cove. The training camp was established during 1939 and during World War II it was used as an anti-aircraft training camp by the Allied forces and many Americans trained here.
I continue along the cliff top with great views.
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| Miner Bee, loads of these buzzing above the sand and going into holes in the sand. |
Perran Sands finally come into view, I am hobbling along a bit now, my ankle is getting worse.
Legend has it that St Piran, who is generally regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall, was washed up on Perranporth Beach – otherwise known as Perran Sands – after being thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck in his native Ireland. Certainly St Piran, known as Cornwall’s merriest, hardest drinking and hardest living holy man in history, would probably approve of his landing place today because in recent years, Perranporth Beach has become one of Cornwall’s most popular coastal hotspots, seeing crowds amassing on the sands during the summer.
I head down onto the beach for the final stretch into Perranporth.
The beach seems to go on forever. My wife and son are waiting for me at the Watering Hole. I have a phone call from Mum saying Dad is back in hospital, that marred the walk a bit. I am very worried. I make it to the Watering Hole. We pop over to the Dolphin Café for something to eat, before walking back over the cliffs another mile back to the caravan. Another section ticked off!
