LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

We drove from Trevella Holiday Park campsite to car park in Blue Hills Touring Park, Cross Coombe. Here we started cycling to Crantock Beach at 10:15 am, 10 miles. We had a slight diversion to Travella Holiday Park to collect our rucksacks & boots. At Crantock Beach we left our bikes at the car park on The Rushy Green, closely guarded by Robin the parking attendant. We started walking at 11:45am towards The Gannel Footbridge then back towards Pentire Point West. After rounding the point we walked around Porth Joke Beach to Kelsey Head, and across Holywell Beach to Penhale Point via Holywell Village. At the beach we could clearly see the pair of Gull Rocks, which have very distinctive shapes. On Penhale Point there were lots of military conventional aerials on the high point. One particular aerial set had two crosses together, i.e. 8 points of thick rings, all standing on end. These aerials were in the compound of Penhale Army Camp, which was surrounded by a high fence with lots of notices. The SWCP was situated between the compound and lots of little points to Ligger Point. As we passed the smaller points a helicopter landed in the campsite, very noisily as you can imagine. From Ligger Point we crossed the 2 miles of sand along Perran Beach to the town of Perranporth. This beach was very hard work due to the soft sand and walking against the wind. We watched surfers on the southern end of Perran Beach, they were very good. We had a lunchtime pint at Perranporth in Hotel on the side of Western Cliffs. When we continued from Perranporth, care was required around Shag Rock with manhole covers on path. Even more disturbing was the discharge of waste into the sea at the base of cliff from the nearby Sewage Works. The discharge was a distinct brown colour, compared with the blue of the sea. Next came Cligga Head with lots of evidence of old mining. We threw a large stone down a gulley by Hanover Cove and we could hear the stone bouncing around for about six seconds, which seemed an age. We walked past the point where many years earlier, Darren, Clare, and I viewed the coast while on holiday at Travellas Holiday Camp with Sylvia and Lily. Colin & I finished the day's walking at 5:30pm. We had another varied and super walk on the SWCP. This time it was Breezy, especially on tops and on the beach. Not forgetting another pint in Perranporth at Hotel by the bread & milk shop, on the way to collect the bicycles. Two pints in one day, we really pushed the boat out.

Location Map: - www.streetmap.co.uk, -
Start: Newquay, - Trevella Holiday Park, Crantock, Newquay, TR8 5EW
Finish: St Agnes, - Blue Hills Touring Park, Cross Combe, s/w Airfield, TR05 0XP