Walk
158 Hayle to Portreath (Cornwall)
(Third
leg of English coastal walk – Lands End to Bristol)
Map:
L/R 203
Distance:
13 miles or 22km.
Difficulty:
Moderate with a few challenging bits
Terrain:
mainly coastal cliff paths
Access:
Parking at both ends.
Public
transport: Two possibilities, both involving changes. Train from
Hayle to Redruth and change to a bus or bus to Camborne and change to
another bus to Portreath – (and vice-versa).Takes about an hour all
in. Check with Traveline to see the best option for time of leaving.
Leaving
Hayle follow the path northwards out towards The Towans. The walk out
through Blackcliff can be along the dunes or across the sands. The
flat walk goes on for two or three miles until Godrevy Towans. Here
there is an old mining chimney and The Sandsurfer Restaurant.
About
a half mile north of here is the picturesque Godrevy Island and
lighthouse which
look splendid
from Godrevy point. The
1857 built lighthouse was the inspiration for Virginia Woolf's novel,
'To
The Lighthouse'.
She spent some time in Cornwall but set the book location on the
Scottish Coast. Supposedly, it was on the rocks here
that
the ship carrying the personal possessions of Charles 1st
was wrecked while trying to reach the continent. The island is now
owned by The National Trust.
After
rounding Navax Point the path continues to Fishing Cove and Hell's
Mouth. This is a popular viewing point with scary rumours of
paranormal activity. Suicidal screams and a
ghostly
man falling in the water have been reported. For those who prefer a
scary challenge in a bottle there is a powerful Cornish chilli sauce
called Hells Mouth!
The
walk to Portreath is fairly easy compared to many others on this
coast and has some spectacular views. A National Trust notice near to
the path asks if you would like to become a pony checker (monitoring
their well being in the wild etc.)
The
sandy Portreath (means sandy cove) beach is very popular with
surfers. Copper and tin mining have taken place nearby in the last
500 years and the village
was used as a port for these metals. Evidence for
this activity
exists in the 18th
century quays and capped mine shafts on the hills.
The
legendary Cornish giant Wrath supposedly lived in a huge seashore
cavern near Portreath. He would lie in wait for passing ships, rope
them to his girdle and eat them one by one! Look
out for (and maybe go in) the Portreath Arms. The anchor outside is from a
coal carrying ship called The Escuriat which sank off nearby Gull
Rock in 1895. Eight lives were lost but this would have been many
more without the bravery of the villagers.
Photos show: Godrevy Island; a view on the walk near Portreath.
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