The whole of section 23 and a little of section 22 in the SWCPA handbook
9.74km along the coast and 9.76km Inland
Another cloudy day with the wind increasing during the day and so feeling cooler. We drove to the National Trust carpark at Holywell Bay. Apparently, it gets crowded in the summer but no problem at this time of year.
From here there is a footpath signposted to Ellenglaze, which goes through and around a few mobile home parks. Although not apparently open the staff were tidying then up ready for the Easter break. The path continues around Penhale Sands, large sandunes and crosses the stream at a place aptly named “Seven bridges” then onto a road called “the Mount” again appropriately named.
We were surprised to notice a large number of parked cars along the road but soon realized that they were from workers cutting cauliflowers and loading them onto trailers with a conveyor belt around a tractor.
We left the road and descended through a gold course, with the right of way well marked with white stones, into Perranporth to stop for coffee overlooking the beach.
The coastal path back to Holywell starts with almost 3.5km of beach, and as it was fairly low tide, though coming up, we were able to walk along the flat, hard sand. At first the sand was well used but increasingly became virgin as we progressed, apart from the prints of horses who had galloped the whole length of the beach before we arrived.
At the end of the beach we climbed the sand dune and then followed a rather narrow sandy path, with a steep drop to the sea, around the headland with a couple of houses. This led to “Penhale Camp” a rather run-down looking army camp, with “Keep Out” notices and fences securing falling down Nissen huts etc.
We were pleased as we descended to Holywell Bay to find some shelter from the increasing |North West wind. Having had a rather late sandwich for lunch in Holywell we decided that it would be good to continue around the next peninsula, Kelsy Head, to shorten tomorrow’s walk where we hope to get ton Newquay. Then returned along a permissive way to the car-park at Holywell.
