Mevagissey to St Austell Coastal Walk 25th May 2015

On 25th May 2015 whilst on holiday in Mevagissey,Cornwall. I decided to walk part of the South West Coast Path from Mevagissey to St Austell.
I walked through the town and up a street that climbs up above giving views down into Mevagissey itself.

 

Mevagissey (Cornish: Lannvorek) is a village, fishing port. The first recorded mention of Mevagissey dates from 1313 (when it was known as Porthhilly), although there is evidence of settlement dating back to the Bronze Age.Mevagissey is home to three Cornish holy wells. The Brass Well and Lady's Well are both situated in the manor of Treleaven, the other holy well is within the gardens of Mevagissey House, the old vicarage.

Andrew Pears, the founder of Pears' Soap was born in the village in 1768 and set up a barber's shop here until he moved to London in 1789.

 There is a humorous local folktale about Mevagissey, which takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. It is said that a French ship was wrecked in the harbour, which had a monkey on board. The monkey reached the shore alive, only to be hanged by the townspeople as a French spy

I now climb up past Polstreath a beach where I'd taken the dog for a walk the day before all 197 steps down and back up!

view back to Polstreath and Mevagissey beyond

I now pass Penare Point approaching Pentewan.

view to Pentewan Beach

Mevagissey to Fowey Ferry.

After much climbing up and down, I'm down walking down into Pentewan.I walk through a field of cows and down to a road.
Pentewan (Cornish: Bentewyn, meaning foot of the radiant stream).The village and its harbour date back to medieval times, when Pentewan was mainly a fishing community, with some stone-quarrying, tin-streaming, and agriculture.

Pentewan Sands caravan Park.

 I cross a stone bridge over the St Austell  River and past a cycle hire and Penetewan watersports hire.

I stopped off at The Ship Inn for a pint of Tribute ale a St Austell Brewery beer and very nice too!

I had a quick look on the beach before backtracking to take the path that runs amongst homes back up to the top of the cliff.

 I'm now passing Gamas Point walking towards Drennick.

 

looking over to Drennick with Black Rock beyond.

A Chaffinch

I now am negotiating the cliff known as The Vans - another steep climb and descent . I drop down  steep steps into a wood and cross a stream by a footbridge. I head down to Hallane Beach.  The beach is  secluded and to the right lies a waterfall and rock arch.

A Buzzard

 I reluctantly leave Hallane beach and head back up the cliff and round towards the headland of Drennick.

A view down to Hallane beach

I am now atop of Drennick Headland and am approaching Black rock.

view to Black rock

Memorial Stone to AL Rowse

Dr. Alfred Leslie Rowse CH FBA (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997), known publicly as A. L. Rowse but to friends and family as Leslie, was a British Author and historian from Cornwall.

I ummed and erred for a while whether or not to walk to the top of Black Rock as this veered away from the path. But hey I'm only here once so up I went.

View down to beach beneath Drennick and Black Rock.

Remains of a fort

 I now push on towards Trenarren.  

Trenarren (Cornish: Dinaran) is a hamlet northeast of Pentewan^.  A. L. Rowse the historian lived in his retirement in Trenarren House.

Speckled Wood Butterfly

 

I now reach Ropehaven Nature Reserve. 

 I follow the cliffs up and down and by now I am really starting to feel this walk, certainly a lot of altitude being made!

 

 

The path is littered with Badger holes and care is needed. But tiredness got me and I slipped off the path and fell over, nothing serious but its getting to me now.

 

 I am now making my way down into Lower Portpean. (pronounced Porth Pee-ann).

 

I couldn't quite find where the path went from here and walked a short way up the road before thinking this can't be right and I headed back to the beach. i stopped at a kiosk on the beach for a coke and chocolate bar to get a sugar hit for the final push. I asked in the kiosk and the path is hidden away at the end of the prom up a set of stairs. I started up the stairs that had a river of water running down it. 

 At the top were the remains of a fort or battery.

 I little further still I come to Crinnis Cliff Battery built in about 1793 to protect the port of Charlestown below.

 I now drop down into Charlestown. 

The port at Charlestown developed from what was in the late 18th century the fishing village of West Polmear. Whereas other areas within the conurbation of St Austell have seen much development during the 20th century, Charlestown has remained relatively unchanged within this expansion. There are deposits of china clay in the area. Particles of mica quartz in the sea near Charlestown give it a turquoise-blue colour. The same colour is imparted to flooded china clay quarries.

I walk on through Charlestown into St Austell to get the bus back to Mevagissey. I wander about trying to find the stop and stopped off in ASDA for a Cornish pasty. I walked back up towards the Rail Station and waited at a bus stop. I am now totally exhausted and worried if I will be able to get back at all as I have just remembered its a bank holiday Monday!

After a short wait a bus came along I made my way back to Mevagissey after parting with £3 for the bus fare. About a 10 mile walk in all but felt like so much more with the climbs!