Vertigo!

Fowey to Talland Bay, 8.9 miles, 62.9 so far, Monday, June 17, 2024

The day started well, with a good breakfast at the hotel (although the hotel staff needed some computer training; our bills were a mess). The little ferry across the harbor to Polruan is charming.

We were lucky to get aboard: capacity is 11 and we were the last to make it. Once in Polruan we walked up the high street, which is for once aptly named: it leads steeply to the top of the hill.

Once back on the path, the initial mile or so was fairly easy, with some cliff walking and moderate climbs. And we had brilliant weather: bright sun, puffy clouds, great visibility.

But this stage is supposed to be the most strenuous on the east coast of Cornwall and we began to see some challenges ahead as we walked.

The path leads past the gorgeous Lantic Bay and its twinned beaches; at the far end comes the first tough climb, up and over Pencarrow Head.

Along about here we stopped to eat lunch; there are no amenities anywhere on this section. Soon after we all sat down, Gary jumped up and began hopping about with considerable animation. We had chosen the perfect lunch spot on top of an anthill. A change of venue allowed us to eat in peace!

Back on the path…

As soon as we began to descend on the eastern side of the head, we found ourselves in a jungle; the path was overgrown with gorse, tall grass, and not a few thistles and nettles.

The very large church of a very small village soon came into view; we met a Dutch couple carrying a four-month old planning to walk to Polruan over these steep paths. We hope they made it!

This is the view of the next two cliffs, with Lanivet Bay below. The first one–West Coombe–wasn’t too bad, since the trail slabbed along the contours below the top (not easy, with many sharp ups and downs, but not too bad!). The hard work began on the second cliff, East Coombe, where the path leads over 170 steps to the top and 60 more steps coming down.

Here we are on West Coombe.

This is the view back as we climbed along West Coombe.

Welcome to East Coombe, Cindy and Gary!

Here I am starting the next climb, with a mere 120 steps; the descent from East Coombe is behind me.

I realize that I’ve emphasized the challenge of walking this section of the path, which does a disservice to the real reward here, the incredible beauty of one of the wildest sections of coast in Cornwall. We walked through huge slopes of wildflowers as the waves roared below. Both Daphne du Maurier (Rebecca) and Kenneth Graham (The Wind in the Willows) lived nearby, walked this coast, and found inspiration from this massive dose of natural grandeur.

Our legs finally got a bit of relief as the path stayed high for a while after the last climb.

But just where you lose sight of the path in the photo above, the path drops away beneath your feet with a precipitous descent followed by an equally sharp ascent. This is Cindy at the top.

Cindy and I descending.

And Patti and Dave watching us struggle up and down.

We have by now walked more than 300 miles on the Southwest Coast Path, and this is by far the most dangerous section we’ve encountered. There is real explosure just to the right of the path, with drops of several hundred feet; and the path itself is treacherous, with dried grass lying downhill, just waiting to take your feet out from under you. Both David and I took tumbles, luckily at spots further from the edge. Not suited for children…or dogs!

Cindy, Gary, and I took a breather just where you see Patti and David above. We all averred that we felt pretty good, all things considered. Then came the last two miles into Polperro, and that good feeling was shattered. The path struggled along the coast, with endless series of rises and drops.

At long last we rounded a bend and found the charming harbor of Polperro below us.

The four knee-afflicted called it a day…or rather, we called a cab. And Sue and Gary carried on to our hotel, which sits on a bluff above Talland Bay. Cindy, Patti, David, and I had a refreshing beer at a terrific pub on the harbor called the Blue Peter, and then met our cab in the upper village.

A few minutes later we were pulling into the drive of the Talland Bay Hotel, a very eccentric but very comfortable country hotel with fabulous gardens running down toward the water.