So with just one walk under our belts on Dartmoor, we headed off again at the end of April for some coastal path walking. The weather again was superb (like it was in South Wales), and on returning to work the next week, I was told others would be booking the same time off as myself, to ensure good weather. This section of the path is a bit awkward to do, firstly the Hayle estuary is a bit of an annoying inland and back section along roads, past an Asda and alongside a harbour that has seen better days. But that is the way of the coastal path, you take the soaring cliffs, turquoise oceans, bays and sandy beaches, as well as the walks through the towns and cities dotted along its route. The second awkward bit was the sand dunes, energy sapping and going on for ages, with hundreds of paths criss-crossing, making it tricky to navigate. We had a place to stay booked in Hayle, so parked near to that and set off for Loggans Road (B3301), which eventually ends up in Portreath. We were heading for Godrevy Point, but first needed to pick up the path at Hell’s Mouth, where we finished the last time we were in these parts (here). The road wasn’t too bad, with a good pavement to start with, then across fields to Gwithian and the road again to Hell’s Mouth. Here yellow gorse filled the air with that sweet honey smell and we stopped for a bite to eat with lovely views east along the coast. Soon we were at Godrevy lighthouse and a large gathering of people looking down into Mutton Cove, where a large group of seals were on the beach. One small pup had been abandoned by its mother, so the NT staff who look after area, were sending down some people to retrieve it and look to hand rear it if possible. Fingers crossed. Next were the sand dunes, running for 2 miles and a maze of paths. The National Trust have placed large stones to mark the correct path, but we must have missed the first one and stayed close to the sea, soon we rejoined the correct path, but even then the stones weren’t in sight of the last and path junctions had us guessing the right way. We made it through and rounded the corner into the Hayle estuary, we passed a very inviting Wetherspoons but pushed on into the quays and our end point, before turning back and up into Hayle. We picked up a good Chinese in a box and sat in the car eating that, before heading to our accommodation. Looking at the distance it was a lot further than I planned, and once in the dunes we felt that we couldn’t bale out. Feet were a bit sore, but we rested well that night ready for a truly superb walk the next day.

Start – Hayle

Route – Loggans Road – Gwithian – Gwithian Bridge – South West Coastal Path – The Knavocks – Godrevy Point – St Gothian Sands – Gwithian Towans – Upton Towans – Common Towans – Hayle Harbour – South Quay – The Causeway – Hayle

Distance – 13 miles   Start time – 10.15am  Time taken – 7hrs  Highest Point – 76 metres The Knavocks

Weather – Lots of sunshine, quite warm