Travel down for Part Four and Day 18 - Porth Joke to Newquay - 3 miles

The forecast for the weekend I'd decided to go down for this year's continuation along the South West Coast Way route was not good! Grrr! The first job on waking up at home was to pack the rucksack. Because I was the most unprepared fitness wise that I'd ever been for a walking holiday, I tried to pack the bare minimum clothes wise. This year I would have to wash and wear as much as I could!

I set off from home at about 10.30am, heading through Meriden to Solihull, where I joined the M42 and then the M5 all the way down to Exeter. From there I took the A30 westwards towards Newquay, where I'd finished the walk last year.

I'd looked at the map before leaving, and on the way down and picked a campsite (Treago Farm) near Crantock, the other side of The Gannel from Newquay, further along the route than I'd actually managed to get last time. I made my way straight there and asked if it would be possible to leave my car for the 10 day duration of my planned walk this year, and bus back to here to collect it from wherever I managed to get to. On a very loosely planned itinerary before coming, that ought to be about 100 miles further round the coast at Porthleven. The laid back campsite owner had no problem with that at all, which was marvellous – a weight off my mind certainly. I'd rather leave the car out of the way rather than in the streets of rowdy Newquay etc.

It had taken me about 5 hours to drive all the way down, at a leisurely pace and had taken about 25 quids worth of petrol. How train operators expect people to use trains is beyond me, when the cheapest price for a return fair I could find when looking it up online was something like 112 quid, with no flexibility of travel time and it would have taken longer into the bargain with changes etc.

I quickly erected my small 2 man tent, having for at least this night the luxury of a dry car to spread stuff out in… not just a damp tent. The campsite was very quiet and pleasant with a nice clean shower block and toilets.. and all for a bargain 5 quid too!

Of course, once I'd set up, especially as the rain had finally cleared on the drive down, I had to go walking! I'd finished last time in Newquay and following the coastal path with all the inlets and headlands that was 3 or more miles further east. I had to do this short section or it would be cheating.. I would have missed a section out of the whole 640 miles!!!:) If I did it this afternoon I could do it without the weight of the rucksack on my back as I could leave it locked in the car! It would be a really gentle break in to the walk this year, and get my legs used to walking up and down, without straining them overly with weight. To be honest I was so unfit and overweight this year compared to most years I was expecting to have to give up the walk much earlier than planned with leg problems, like I'd had to 2 years previously. Anything I could do to make it easier would be a bonus. By doing the 3 or 4 miles this afternoon it would also mean the first day of my planned loose itinerary would be shorter by that much too… an even gentler build up to walking more later in the week.

I set off along the valley behind Treago Farm and out to Porth Joke, a lovely little beach of white sands with huge crashing waves roaring landwards – very exhilarating, and it got me all excited to be back down here again. I made my way out onto Pentire Point West. It was odd to be walking the wrong way for the first time since starting the way in Minehead! Ever since then I have been making my way anti clockwise around the SW peninsula, with the sea always off to my right. For this short stretch the sea was on my left!

The final bit of path leading to Porth Joke

I cross the stream running out from the valley and onto the sands of Porth Joke.

I walk out on the easterly headland towards Pentire Point West. The tide is well out in Porth Joke exposing smooth sands below.

As I reach the end of Pentire Point West and look across the bay of Porth Joke to Kelsey Head and The Chick (its rocky island), the roar of the crashing waves and wind is exhilarating.

After rounding the headland I descended to Crantock Beach as the tide was out exposing a lovely large stretch of white sands. There were quite a few surfers at the headland end of the beach, trying to catch the huge rollers – probably the largest waves I've seen anywhere on the walk so far.

I cut diagonally across the large expanse of sand, heading towards The Gannel – a thin rocky inlet with a river running in it, squeezed between Crantock to the SW and the Fistral area of Newquay to the NE. I had to walk about a mile inland to get to the small wooden bridge across the river. There are ferries in the summer season that are more seaward, but of course it was low tide anyway so they wouldn't be running this afternoon anyway.

I round Pentire Point West to see the beautiful sands of Crantock Beach stretching ahead to The Gannel, a rocky river inlet west of St.Ives

Boat sheds and boats waiting for the rising tide at the base of the cliffs of Pentire Point East, as I make my way up the Gannel all the way to the footbridge over the river.

View back up the Gannel towards the sea as I cross the footbridge over the river.

Looking back at the footbride across the river after I have crossed to the far (eastern) side.

From the end of the wooden bridge, it was a short climb up some steps and then through houses to finally overlook Fistral Bay at the far side of Pentire Point East. I found the short climb hard work! Not a good sign for the week ahead!! I had no rucksack weight at all this afternoon and had hardly walked far from Treago Farm this afternoon!! Having a slight sniffle about me might not have helped of course?? Fingers crossed was all I could do at this point.

I walked down a short road off to the right to join the coastal path again, running along the back of Fistral Beach and then along under the very grand Headland Hotel to the neck of Towan Head, where I turned back inland towards Newquay itself. It was quite a pleasant walk in past the harbour, which I'd not seen the last time I'd been here at the end of last year's walk.

Looking along Fistral Bay to the magnificent Headland Hotel and Towan Head at the far end of the beach.

Looking up at the Headland Hotel as I pass underneath it.

War memorial as I walk in from Towan Head towards Newquay Town.

The pleasant harbour, and beyond, the less than pleasant town of Newquay.

I was actually really tired though!! Good grief!! Help!! I'd decided I would get something to eat and a pint. I walked along to Subway for a 12" Veggie Delite. There were hordes of large groups of men and women already roaming the streets drunkenly, shouting and mouthing off! I decided against the drink, feeling quite intimidated by the atmosphere!

I really didn't fancy walking back to Treago Farm, especially as I might have to walk back right around The Gannel by road this time if the tide had come in much! I decided to see if there was a bus to Crantock, the village nearest to the campsite. The bus station was deserted apart from one small bus, its engine off and its driver on his mobile. I did a scout of all the timetables in all the bus shelters to no avail, but decided to ask the bus driver if he knew of a bus to Crantock. He turned out not only to know of one, but it was actually him and he was going to leave in about 10 mins at just gone 7.30pm. This holiday so far was going far too well!! Long may it continue!!. I realised I'd got no change and so nipped back to the main street to the Londis shop, to buy some diet cokes with cherry and some sweets for the next day's real walk beginning. I made it back to the station in time, the bus driver acting as the information agent for all sorts of enquiries. He was a really helpful and friendly bloke! We set off and he told me when we arrived. I got off the bus and decided against investigating the pub marked on the map in Crantock, as I'd been toying with doing. I walked along the lane from the village to the campsite. An old blue van was parked next to my tent when I arrived... so that's who that mountain bike leaning up the fence belonged to when I'd arrived earlier on and set up the tent! Whoops.

A curly haired young bloke was sitting outside it at a small picnic table when I walked by to the car and tent. I got sat in the car with the door open planning to write some of the diary and check on the planned route for the next day. The bloke however invited me to join him, to drink some cider and wine, which was really lovely of him. His name was Andy and he was down there for three months of the summer to work on the Cornwall Cider Farm and any other jobs he could get hold of to fill in. He'd been given the cider and wine cheap by his employers.

We sat outside chinwagging. Though it was pretty damn chilly, at least it was dry!!! At about 10.30pm I decided to go to bed. It had been a most pleasant and unexpected evening, so thanks to Andy for that if he ever reads this!

Map of the day's walk:(click to enlarge)