The remaining part of Section 37 in the SWCPA handbook
7.62 km along the coast and 8.65 km inland
Since the clocks have now changed we are back staying in “Frodo” – and we found a campsite, Tregedna Farm, only about 1km from Maenporth Beach. After a couple of very windy and wet days, the weather was much better and forecast to be mostly dry.
So we walked from the campsite down to the beach, this time at almost High tide so little sand exposed, however it is still a pleasant beach, with a traditional beach café, and a rather up-market restaurant and bar. After crossing the beach the coastal path leaves the road and is a fairly easy route with low cliffs and a couple of isolated beaches.
After rounding Rosmullion headland we walked through Mawnan brede and were surprised to see no sign of the church marked on the map. After a little while the path joins a small road that goes to Durgan. Durgan is a tiny village that seems to be mainly owned by the National Trust and mainly consist of holiday cottages. We were surprised that the beach, again small due to high tide, was busy and almost crowded with schoolchildren.
There is access from here to the Nation Trust’s Glendurgan gardens, and for a break we walked up through the gardens. So we discovered that, as it was still Easter Holidays, the National Trust had organised an Easter Egg hunt and the children had to find clues, including one on the beach, which explained the crowds.
We had a pleasant stop at the NT café before walking back through the gardens to the village. Although our map showed the path continuing West from the village, it was signed back uphill, and we discovered that there was a diversion to avoid erosion.
Again a fairly good path on to Trebah Beach, with signs saying that it is a private beach and only accessible through the gardens. To enforce these restrictions the Coastal Path is sandwiched between a high wooden fence and a concrete wall, rather unfriendly and rather put us off visiting the garden.
It is only a little way further to Helford Passage, from where the ferry goes to Helford, and a aptly named pub, the ferryman.
We walked up the road and after passing the entrance to Trebah gardens, a footpath parallel to the road passes the entrance to Glendurgan gardens and then into Mawnan Smith, where we found a useful village shop and a friendly pub, the Red Lion. Then a series of, fairly muddy, footpaths lead us back to the campsite.
