So after our little trip away to South Wales, we rested a week before looking to head out again. We’d remembered that last year, we’d got some free parking before Easter at Porthcothan, and needing to complete the section to Mawgan Porth we headed off to grab a walk the weekend prior to Easter. On arrival the parking was again free, so a tick in that box, plus there was some strange yellow glowy thing in the sky, which was blue rather than its expected grey. That’s right the sun was shining, but for how long, forecasts said cloud would come in as the afternoon progressed, so we decided to hit the coastal path first, to get the best of the views and tackle the inland bit in return. A superb decision as the sun lit up the sea, the sands were golden yellow and the white surf of the waves split the two. We set off and immediately saw the gorgeous beach of Porthcothan, passing a very inviting bench we rounded the corner, eyes glued to the sea and the rock piles sticking up out of the ocean. One cove had swimming spot written all over it, as we continued round towards Pentire Steps, the routes down to the beach there looked precarious but probably not too bad when on them. Next came Bedruthan Steps, again the scenery was spellbinding but unfortunately the steps and beach is closed, and has been since 2019. It looks like a small landslide may have hit the steps, and with another small one on a nearby cliff in 2021, the National Trust don’t appear to have the appetite to do anything yet. A large metal gate has been erected to stop people getting down, but may mean people take to the cliff to walk this beach instead. It was the only slight downer on a fabulous stretch of coastline. We stopped for lunch in a section out of the wind, by which time I was down to a t-shirt as the sun was warm.

We reached Mawgan Porth just as the clouds started to gather, and we turned steeply uphill to the main road, passing by Grand Design holiday home box after Grand Design holiday home box on the way up the hill. A short walk along the main road meant a right turn across fields along a public footpath, which ended abruptly at a private drive sign, with 50 metres of track and then a locked vehicle gate with an open pedestrian gate to the side. We took that as a sign that we were good and headed for the road to St Eval’s church. On our many walks around the coastal paths, I’d seen notices or signs regarding St Eval’s church and was glad to have a visit. The inside is full of history and the building itself towers over the flat landscape all around, making it easy to see for miles. All that was left was a walk along lanes back to Porthcothan, passing the amusingly named Old Macdonald’s Farm. This was a superb walk and one to note for my 2024 walks of the year for sure.

Start – Porthcothan car park

Route – South West Coastal Path – Porth Maer – Pentire Steps – Bedruthan Steps – Carnewas Point – Trenance Point – Mawgan Porth – Carnewas – St Eval’s Church – Treburrick – Old Macdonald’s Farm – Porthcothan

Distance – 8.5 miles  Start time – 11.20am  Time taken – 5hrs  Highest Point – Trerathick Point 90 metres

Weather – Lots of sunshine, warm out of the wind. Drizzle right at the end