We were hopeful for good weather as we parked up at the Durgan Car Park. The previous day had been one of the most ‘mizzley’ either of us could ever remember. Drizzle and cool mist hadn’t lifted all day and one could be forgiven for feeling hard done by on that mid summer’s day.
Today, however, was looking up and our plan was to get down to the shoreline from Durgan car park, so we could honestly say that we had covered the full Coast Path.
This interesting ‘dunny’ in Durgan caught our eye just as we set off at 10.25am. We weren’t sure whether it is actually still in use!
As we looked back towards the Helford Passage we could see this collection of yachts at their moorings. Presumably yesterday’s weather had been so bad that no-one had sailed off and they were all still there today. However it was still looking as spectacular as last time.
Much of the next stretch is through light woodland with dappled shade, from where we could still see the glistening waters of the Helford River.
At around 12 we were coming in to Maenporth where there were a few people on this lovely sandy beach. The wind was getting up but this didn’t seem to deter a few hardy souls braving the sea, and there was still plenty of warmth in the sun when it broke through. This funny cafe name gave us a smile.
For most of our walk we could see this bulk carrier moored out in the bay.
There were not too many highlights on our walk this time, but this sign intrigued us as we continued on through another woodland section.
As we approached Swanpool the wind really whipped up and on the outskirts of Falmouth we could see Pendennis Castle in the distance.
We reached Queen Mary gardens at 1pm and continued on along the main drag towards Falmouth proper. On the road there is this curious miniature gatehouse which you walk under as it lies across the pedestrian footpath. It seems too small to serve any practical purpose but it is perfectly formed!
Reaching the car at Pendennis Point this elegant cruiser could still be seen in the bay – it seems to have been there all day – perhaps it is a floating advertisement for Pendennis luxury yachts which are made in the nearby docklands area.
We pressed on past Falmouth Docks heading towards the quayside from where we would pick up the ferry across to St Maws and then Place, next time….
…and we chose this spot for our selfie, with the RFA Cardigan Bay in the background.
A really helpful lady at Custom House Quay gave us lots of useful information regarding the various ferries, costs, times etc. So armed with timetables, leaflets and local maps, our plan is to have a jolly day out taking in as many of the Falmouth ferries as possible including the ones that connect us to the next bit of the Coast Path. So when we start walking again we only have to go from the ferry stop at Place on the other side.
At 3.10pm we were back at Pendennis Car Park ready to retrace our convoluted route back to Durgan and the other car. Another successful day having done well over 11.5 miles including our various extra bits.
Hilary and Sarah's Excellent Adventure 