Charlestown to Fowey, 12.9 miles, 54 miles so far, Sunday, June 16, 2024
Breakfast service at the Rashleigh Arms was almost as slow as dinner service, but the food was decent.
We were soon climbing out of the harbor; as we crested the hill, we found ourselves walking along a golf course.
The weather was changeable: we found ourselves putting on and taking off our rain gear more than we would have liked.
Just past the golf course lies an enormous china clay plant; and here we see the contradictions of capitalism. I somehow doubt that the golfers work at the factory.
We had a long, flat road walk through the town of Par and around the enormous factory complex.
We finally entered some pleasant woods and a nature preserve along the shore. Par Sands seemed a nice beach, and we stopped at the beach cafe for a cup of tea.
Once past the beach, the path rose gently onto the long peninsula that would take us to Gibben Point. This is the point from early in the walk.
After some easy cliff walking, the path led us down sharply into the little village of Polkerris: little more than some beach amenities and a few houses.
We had a light bite at Sam’s on the Beach (sardines, fish soup, pizza) and watched two young men try to learn how to ride motorized foils (‘flying surfboards’ that allow the rider to ride above the waves).
The path led up sharply from the village.
But we were soon striding along above the sea again, with magnificent views back over the stages we had just walked. Here is a panorama of the great bay that reaches all the way back to Dodman’s Point.
The 1832 seaman’s beacon on Gribben Head soon came into view.
It was painted with these bold red stripes to distinguish Gribben Head from St. Anthony’s (our first day of hiking) and Dodman’s.
David, as we learned later, found a trail that went to the end of the head; the rest of us stayed on the Coast Path which led, at first, down broad lawns toward Fowey.
By this point we had walked more than nine miles; easy, rolling miles, but still a long day. So the last three into Fowey seemed very long. This is the view ahead from below the beacon.
We were finally approaching Fowey when someone told us we “had” to see Catherine’s Castle, a fortification built in the time of Henry VIII to guard this important harbor. Here is the castle and a modern gatekeeper.
There were good views of Fowey from the castle.
And across the harbor lies the village of Polruan, where we will pick up the Coast Path tomorrow after a short ferry ride.
We had seen some really lovely towns and villages–Falmouth, Portscathow, Mevagissey–but Fowey really stands out for its site and the beauty of its architecture.
The shops enticed the women, but we plodded on toward our hotel, The Old Quay House. Which proved to be lovely, with a nice bar and lounge and very comfortable rooms with harbor views.
Dinner was at Sam’s Fowey, which offered a huge array seafood. Sue and I shared a “feast,” with mussels, calamari, shrimp, and sardines. The highlight, though, was Patti’s red mullet in a Thai chili sauce. Exceeded only by the exceptional bread pudding!