Day Thirty One - Polperro to Portwrinkle 20.2km (12.6 miles).
Time on route 6:35hrs, walking time 5:50hrs.
Friday 26 August 2016
I travelled down to Polperro on the Thursday: an hour train journey from Exeter then 1:45 on the bus from Plymouth to Polperro. I stayed in the wonderful House on the Props. A view to kill for.
And my view in the morning. Tide's in.
The harbour was well and truly full as I left this beautiful jigsaw puzzle picture place.
What a gorgeous harbour.
It was a pleasant stroll up shady paths past Porthallow and dropping down into Talland.
Annoyingly I missed the measured nautical mile markers that are in the fields here. I saw one from afar but passed it without realising as it was a few 100m back in the field. Anyway, I was probably distracted by the super clear waters. I love the colours of the rock both above and below sea level.
Soon I turned a corner and saw the packed beach of East Looe.
The path takes you through West Looe and past Nelson the one-eyed Seal. This sculpture is a memorial to Looe's frequent visitor.
Such a gorgeous stained glass window in a small chapel in West Looe.
You have to walk about 0.5km into Looe to cross the bridge from West to East Looe.
I didn't linger for long here. It was touristy and I felt out of place. I prefer the solitude and space of an open path. Ice-cream vans, fish and chip shops and trinket shops don't do it for me on a day like this.
I marched through Looe and soon climbed out of it through Plaidy. Another pretty window.
I got a bit lost east of Looe. I was following the text and maps from my guide book but they didn't seem to correlate. I was kicking myself that I hadn't checked the route on the SWCP site as they always list local deviations. Anyway, there was nothing for it but to follow the acorn signs even if they did take me away from the coast (this agreed with the words in the book but not the map - it's as if they are on different edition cycles). Anyway, imagine my excitement when I realised the diverted SWCP went past TP6235, Struddick trig pillar. It was a short scramble up, and a few bramble scratches, but, ah, a trig hug :-)
I dropped down into Seaton and enjoyed a drink at the local bar with glorious views across the sea. The route then follows a road through Downderry before a final push over the cliffs to Port Wrinkle.
As I passed the beach car park I was amused by the parking charges in the winter. The cost is 10p per hour but on closer inspection of the machine (for some reason I thought this to be necessary) I noted the sign that said "this machine does not take 10 pence pieces". Nice one.
I actually walked a few 100m past Port Wrinkle before coming off the path. Looking back you can see the imposing Whitsand Bay Hotel.
I walked across the golf course up into Crafthole to the Finnygook Inn. What a lovely pub with such a glorious view over dinner.
Looking towards Plymouth. It looked terribly close but I knew I was hardly going to be walking in a straight line the next day...
Time on route 6:35hrs, walking time 5:50hrs.
Friday 26 August 2016
I travelled down to Polperro on the Thursday: an hour train journey from Exeter then 1:45 on the bus from Plymouth to Polperro. I stayed in the wonderful House on the Props. A view to kill for.
And my view in the morning. Tide's in.
The harbour was well and truly full as I left this beautiful jigsaw puzzle picture place.
What a gorgeous harbour.
It was a pleasant stroll up shady paths past Porthallow and dropping down into Talland.
Annoyingly I missed the measured nautical mile markers that are in the fields here. I saw one from afar but passed it without realising as it was a few 100m back in the field. Anyway, I was probably distracted by the super clear waters. I love the colours of the rock both above and below sea level.
Soon I turned a corner and saw the packed beach of East Looe.
The path takes you through West Looe and past Nelson the one-eyed Seal. This sculpture is a memorial to Looe's frequent visitor.
Such a gorgeous stained glass window in a small chapel in West Looe.
You have to walk about 0.5km into Looe to cross the bridge from West to East Looe.
I didn't linger for long here. It was touristy and I felt out of place. I prefer the solitude and space of an open path. Ice-cream vans, fish and chip shops and trinket shops don't do it for me on a day like this.
I marched through Looe and soon climbed out of it through Plaidy. Another pretty window.
I got a bit lost east of Looe. I was following the text and maps from my guide book but they didn't seem to correlate. I was kicking myself that I hadn't checked the route on the SWCP site as they always list local deviations. Anyway, there was nothing for it but to follow the acorn signs even if they did take me away from the coast (this agreed with the words in the book but not the map - it's as if they are on different edition cycles). Anyway, imagine my excitement when I realised the diverted SWCP went past TP6235, Struddick trig pillar. It was a short scramble up, and a few bramble scratches, but, ah, a trig hug :-)
I dropped down into Seaton and enjoyed a drink at the local bar with glorious views across the sea. The route then follows a road through Downderry before a final push over the cliffs to Port Wrinkle.
As I passed the beach car park I was amused by the parking charges in the winter. The cost is 10p per hour but on closer inspection of the machine (for some reason I thought this to be necessary) I noted the sign that said "this machine does not take 10 pence pieces". Nice one.
I actually walked a few 100m past Port Wrinkle before coming off the path. Looking back you can see the imposing Whitsand Bay Hotel.
I walked across the golf course up into Crafthole to the Finnygook Inn. What a lovely pub with such a glorious view over dinner.
Looking towards Plymouth. It looked terribly close but I knew I was hardly going to be walking in a straight line the next day...
No comments:
Post a Comment