So after completing 13 miles the day before, you’d think we’d take it easy. Not so for myself and Linda, we headed for tougher terrain and a similar distance the next day, with a fantastic walk from Pendeen to Gurnard’s Head. The weather was superb again and as we pulled up at Pendeen car park (which we free to park) we donned our boots and headed for the coastal path. We’d been to Pendeen before, finishing here on a walk from St Just, before taking a bus to Penzance (here), we had been looking forward to returning since that day. Before long we were stood on the cliff by Pendeen Watch (lighthouse) staring along the stunning coast, across chimneys and ground strewn with mining history. We stopped for a coffee to admire the scenery, little did we know that it would be the first of 5 stops along the coastal section alone, we struggled to walk more than a mile before stopping to rest and admire! Just around the corner was Portheras Cove, Linda took one look at the beach and it was obvious that we needed to drop down to the sands. What a stunning place. Saying anywhere is the best beach/view/mountain/city I’ve ever been on will depend on lots of things, such as people, weather, how you are and other factors. For us this was it, two others on the beach, perfect white sand, turquoise water, warm, sunny, blue skies, everything. We’d only walked 20 mins since the last stop, but we were having 30 minutes or more on this beach for sure, perfection. We hauled ourselves away and climbed to Morvah cliffs and onwards to Trevean Cliffs and a lunch stop around Long Carn. After refuelling we got our heads down and quickly arrived at Bosigran Castle, an old settlement, high on the cliffs. Another quick stop and then on to Porthmeor Cove and finally Gurnard’s Head. Here we turned inland to Treen and the plan was to pick up the track that handrails the B3306 road, cows blocked out route almost immediately, so we chose to ignore the track and walk the verge along the road all the way back to Pendeen. Naturally it took around 2 hours to walk the whole way back, with 5 hours and 30 minutes for the outward route, showing the disparity in walking a coastal path, compared to a straighter, flatter route back. We headed into the North Inn in Pendeen for a well earned refreshment and something to eat. It was a superb end to a glorious day.

Start – Pendeen

Route – Pendeen Gate – South West Coastal Path – Pendeen Watch – Portheras Cove – Morvah Cliff – Trevean Cliff – Bosigran Castle – Porthmeor Cove – Gurnard’s Head – Treen – B3306 – Higher Porthmeor – Carn Galver Mine – Rosemergy – Morvah – Higher Bojewyan – Pendeen

Distance – 11.5 miles   Start time – 10.30am  Time taken – 7hrs 30 mins  Highest Point – 76 metres Carn Galver Mine 141 metres

Weather – Lots of sunshine and warm