A Cornish Walk - Pentire Point And Rumps Point
There's nothing that quite compares to a bracing winter walk.
During summer, the sea might be more enticing, you can stop off
for numerous ice creams en route and meander in shorts and
t-shirt as the sun warms your skin; but at the same time, it's
hot, clammy, you're often jostling for position on the busy
coast path, and parking at the start of the route can be
somewhat problematic. No such problem today. We snare one of
many available free seaside spaces in New Polzeath, and our spot
provides a great vantage point for reading a newspaper and
watching the surfers in the water, before heading a couple of
steps away to the Doom Bar of the Atlantic Hotel for a pre-walk
coffee.
Cornwall has a fantastic selection of walks which make the
perfect setting for a winter getaway. Why not stay for the
weekend and relax in one of Cornwall's holiday cottages (http://www.cornwalltoday.co.uk/Accommodation/CottageInCor
nwall.aspx)prior to your walk, and wrap up warm before you
head out into the cold.
This is one walk that you will be more than glad to have a
woolly hat with you, to keep your ears nice and toasty and to
stop your hair blowing in your eyes and obscuring the views.
Also, as any conversation is stolen by the wind, it doesn't
matter if you can't hear anything anyway; it's actually quite
nice to be engrossed in your own world for a while. After
sitting inside and looking beach ward, it's great to be heading
away from Polzeath, and taking the coast path to Pentireglaze
Haven, where the soft sand underfoot is the perfect place for a
spot of beach rambling, though we find little aside from small
mussels, plenty of kelp, and a cottage nestled at the back of
the beach, which we enviably spy through the windows of. Heading
away from the beach to climb the hillside, waving goodbye to our
sleepy start point, we then return to beach level to discover a
small pebbly cove. Tempted as we might be to take the grassy
turning to Pentire Farm, we refrain in the knowledge that we
will be passing through the farm on our return route.
Heading onwards and upwards, the increased puffing is worth it,
the path levels out to provide expansive seaward views which
include the day mark of Stepper Point and the lighthouse of
Trevose Head in the distance. The deserted stretch of sand to
the south of Stepper Point is Harbour Cove, usually peopled with
bodies during the summer months. Looking inland, rolls of hay
sit on the hillside, the lush green of the fields contrasting
the grey and somewhat uninviting ocean. Eyes down, we discover a
large hairy caterpillar in the undergrowth, and once we've seen
one, a game of spot the caterpillar ensues; they're out in
abundance today. We pass a National Trust sign that points us up
hill to the Tumuli - a prehistoric burial ground, where an
abundance of heather disguises what lies beneath.
Continuing on the blustery route to the rocky outcrop of Pentire
Point, here barren volcanic rock makes up the headland; look
carefully and you'll see gas bubbles in the rocks that formed
when the lava cooled rapidly in the ancient seas some 350
million years ago. Newland Rock can be seen offshore, whilst
Rumps Point is visible in the distance, like a stegosaurus,
sporadic triangular rocks rearing out of the grass headland. As
you head to explore Rumps, you will find area of shelter from
the wind, although you won't want to stay too long in these
quiet pockets as the views are far more spectacular the further
up that you climb.
On the unusually shaped double headland of the Rumps are the
remains of an Iron-Age cliff castle, where a massive triple
rampart and ditch system protected an area of around six acres
at the tip of the headland. We explored the stone circles that
sat within the enclosure, trying to envisage those who had stood
in the very spot from which we now admired the views. If the
hills could talk they'd have a lot to say; excavations in the
same area have unearthed pottery from the first century BC,
indicating trade with the Mediterranean area. The large offshore
rock behind the eastern headland is The Mouls, which is a
breeding site for puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.
Once you're looking to head on, I challenge you not to want to
roll down the hills that you have so recently puffed your way
up. Carry on your circular route; following the stone wall until
you reach a junction and bear right to start your inward loop.
Heading towards Pentire Farm, a helpful information board
reveals that the whole peninsula is part of a working farm which
produces beef, corn and sheep, the latter of which we've seen
plenty of during our walk. Though there's not a person around
when we pass through the farmyard, there are cream teas
available here in season. Descending to your start point, you'll
be able to appreciate the shelter, peace and quiet, before a
last uphill stretch towards the car. As we hungry walkers head
towards Trebetherick we pass Mowhay Caf