GreenCoffeePot: SWCP Day 28: Porthleven is Foodie Heaven

Day 28

Marazion to Porthleven

Approx. 10.8 miles, 580m ascent

28,188 steps

After seven days of caravan luxury with the Grandparents, and only walking with a small backpack, today I would be back on my own and with the big backpack once again. Grandad dropped me back in Marazion bright and early, just as the bakery was opening, and I bought a pasty for lunch as the refreshment options for the day looked a little limited. I waved goodbye to Grandad, and it was back off out into the wild on my own.

The first section of the day took me up the hill out of Marazion along the road, then followed a diversion down to the cliff avoiding a recent landslide. The path edged the low cliffs, with views back to St Michael’s Mount, which this morning was shrouded in a low hazy mist. The weather was extremely warm and humid, with a low layer of cloud trapping the hot still air. It looked like it might be quite a tough day to be back walking with the big backpack. I soon encountered some fellow hikers, a pair of women who were walking with long Nordic walking poles, and they certainly beat me for speed on the flat. We spent the next couple of days leapfrogging each other, and it was nice to have some regular faces on the path again, as I had got out of step with everyone else I had met so far.

St Michael's Mount in the morning haze

Cudden Point

At Perranuthnoe I made use of the village public toilets, always grateful that even the tiny villages in Cornwall still provided public facilities; I always added 50p to the box when there was one. Out of the village the path continued along the top of the low cliffs, out to Cudden Point which provided the last view back to Mount’s Bay, nearly obscured in the haze. Onwards, skirting pretty little rocky coves, and the sun started making an appearance, adding to the heat of the hot sticky morning. Near Kenneggy sand my hunger got the better of me and I stopped on a comfy piece of grass for a short lunch break.

Lunch spot

Lunch spot views

At Sydney Cove a short while later I was pleased to find an open cafe as I was rather overheated. I made good use of their shady terrace overlooking the beach, and enjoyed a mango sorbet and half and hour of surfer-spotting. A brief chat with a local confirmed there was access back to the path at the other end of the stretch of Praa sands, so I walked along the waters’ edge to the other end of the beach, then found the route back up the cliff through the dunes.

Surfers in the sun

The final couple of miles of the day felt like a real slog in the hot sun, with never-ending diversions cutting inland around the edges of fields, to avoid the many cliff falls. Finally Porthleven came in to view, and I was soon enjoying a cream tea and a pint of squash in a cafe in the town. I had very little expectation of what Porthleven would be like, having never even heard of it before I started route-planning, but it turned out to be a rather lovely and friendly town with a proper harbour, and lots of excellent foodie options.

Porthleven harbour

After recuperating for a short while I found my way to the campsite just a few minutes from the town centre. It was a little bit rough around the edges, especially considering the price (£15!), but the showers were perfectly fine and I had a nice level and sheltered pitch, so nothing much to complain about. I headed back in to town and found some excellent pizza for dinner, eaten with a harbour view. I enjoyed the entertainment of surfers out at the harbour wall, and the local ladies rowing crew arriving back from training, all whilst keeping a careful eye on those militant Cornish gulls.