Day 9 Portloe to Mevagissey 12

Not quite as windy today but rain showers on and off all day. Margaret was walking to Mevagissey while I had to catch three buses to get there and was convinced she would get there before me.
It wasn't a day for taking photos but here are some from the past..

Portholland

Portluney Cove and Caerhays Castle

Hemmick Beach

Dodman Point

Vault Beach

Gorran Haven

 Margaret stopped for a cup of tea here. In the mean time I was making my way slowly by bus to Mevagissey where I walked a little way towards Margaret to Portmellon where it was high tide and the sea was splashing over the road.

Chapel Point

Portmellon Cove

We met Annette and Graham here taking photos and they were staying in the same B&B. They had walked all the way from Minehead in one go and were finishing in Plymouth this time.
It was a short hop from here to the B&B which had magnificent views of the harbour.

Honeycombe House, Mevagissey

We had a nice meal later at the Wheel House on the harbour side where we found a pirate.

Mevagissey is much nicer in the evening when all the tourists have gone home!

Day 8 Falmouth to Portloe 14

Now we had reached Falmouth it was time for me to have a few days rest as I had previously walked all the coast path between Place and Looe, some of it many times. It should have been time for Margaret to be set free to enjoy walking on her own without having to wait for me all the time.
However the best laid plans went a bit pear shaped when we heard on the local news in the morning that all the ferries were cancelled between Falmouth and St Mawes and Place on the Roseland peninsular due to very high winds. This was the worst time for this to happen because it was impossible to catch a bus around the Fal estuary so poor Margaret ended up having to get a taxi which took her across the King Harry Ferry up-river and then to Place. It cost her a great deal of money and she had to use her smart phone to guide the taxi driver who hadn't a clue where he was going!

Place House

 It was very windy on the coast path and after a coffee stop at Portscatho she battled on to Portloe making it in record time.

St Anthony Lighthouse

Portscatho

Portscatho

Nare Head

I felt a bit guilty leaving her to the elements but the plan had always been that I would take it easy for a few days so off I went to Truro on the bus for a look around and then another bus to Portloe which are few and far between. Incidentally if you ever go to Cornwall and want to use the buses, First Kernow produce a booklet with all the bus routes and timetables in it. You can also use your concessionary pass before 9.30 and pay no more than £2 per journey.

Truro

Truro Cathedral

River Fal at Truro

Portloe

Portloe

 I had a short walk on an inland path from Portloe to Broom Parc where we were staying for the night, and what a splendid place it was. We had been looking forward to sitting out in the garden overlooking the sea but it was far too windy for that and we ended up watching a roaring log fire instead.

Broom Parc

View from the bedroom

If you ever get the chance, Broom Parc is a must to stay the night. It is owned by the National Trust but Lindsay and Keith have been  tenants there for 28 years. She reminded us a bit of Jilly Cooper! The house was used in 1991 as the setting for the 'Camomile Lawn' and it retains most of its original features. Follow this link for an interactive tour. This was certainly the most memorable B&B of our journey this year.
It was a bit like Wuthering Heights with the wind whistling through the rattling single glazed windows but the beds were comfy and warm and we had a good night's sleep..........very atmospheric.

Day 7 Helford to Falmouth 10

Quite a relaxed day today as after catching the bus to Helford Passage we didn't have any time constraints and the walk was easier and shorter. The weather was warm and sunny and the walk took us past many lovely little coves.

Helford Passage

Skimming time

Durgan

 Our favourite beach of the day was at Swanpool and Margaret had another paddle here.

Swanpool

We also saw the group of four men again and a Dutch couple that we had seen yesterday who loved the British coast.
On reaching Falmouth we continued along the promenade and round the headland to Pendennis Point with its views of the Roseland Peninsular and the lighthouse at St Anthony Head. A fine spot for an ice cream!

The walk had been shorter today so we had some time to view Falmouth properly and had a meal at the Harbour View cafe sitting outdoors before returning to the guest house.

The Pier

The Art Gallery

This was our last night of staying for more than one night and from now on we would be moving on every day with the help of Luggage Transfers who transported our cases for us without any mistakes!

Day 6 Coverack to Helford 13

A longer walk today taking in two ferries so timing and tides were critical.

 Still time for coffee at the Fat Apples cafe Porthallow and a relax in a deckchair for Margaret! She must think this is a holiday.

Porthallow is the halfway point on the SWCP which is a sobering thought,,,,,,,,all that to do again! Margaret persuaded four men that we kept bumping into to take our photo. It had taken them five years to get here so they were quite impressed with our efforts. We were later to meet a couple who walked all the way from Minehead to Plymouth in one go which was a much greater achievement.

We didn't linger too long in Porthallow as time was moving on and we had a ferry to catch at Gillan Creek before the tide ran out.

Our luck was in and this saved us an hour's walk around the creek so we had time for a drink on the other side at St Anthony in Meneage before making our way to the next ferry crossing of the Helford River. We arrived at the ferry at about 4.30 and the last crossing that day was at 5.00 pm so our luck was in again. We didn't stay long in Helford Passage as it was time for the bus up a very steep hill. Margaret pressed on in front and ran to stop the bus departing without me, what a hero.

We arrived in Falmouth at 6.00 pm at Melville Guest House after having a meal in Wetherspoons and  a mile's walk from the centre of town. Phew what a varied day, time for a rest and a bath, makes a nice change from a shower.