Great South West Walk

Sunday August 26

Section 42. COVERACK TO HELFORD. Miles: 13.1. Grading: Moderate

Start time and location
Could you please report for registration at the Paris Hotel, Coverack at 12.30pm.
The walk will commence at 1pm.

Parking
Plenty of parking avaialble at start points.

Bus Services
At the time of writing the Lizard Rambler runs several times a day from Helston to Helford, Gillan, Porthallow and Coverack. For further information please contact Truronian on 01872 273453. Information may also be found in our current Annual Guide, and confirmation of all buses can be obtained from traveline on 0870 608 2608 www.traveline.org.uk

Trains
This section cannot be reached directly by train. For your information there are stations at Truro (on the main Plymouth to Penzance railway line) and Falmouth Docks (on the branch line which runs between Truro and Falmouth). National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950.

Maps
Ordnance Survey Landranger series (scale 1:50 000) Number 204, Truro and Falmouth.
Ordnance Survey Explorer series (scale 1:25 000) Number 103, The Lizard.

General Information
Coverack: accommodation, pub, seasonal cafés, toilets, car park, and public telephone.
Rosenithon: limited accommodation.
Porthkerris: seasonal restaurant.
Porthallow: pub, seasonal tea room and car park.
Helford: limited accommodation, general store, pub, seasonal tea room and car park.

Taxis
If you ring the National Taxi Hotline on 0800 654321, you will be put through to the nearest participating cab firm.

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE
79 Meneage Street, Helston, Telephone 01326 565431

The Route
On this section of the South West Coast Path you will reach the halfway point! The start and finishing points are lovely fishing villages, both beautiful in their own way and showing how quickly Cornwall can change within a few miles. You go through a fascinating working quarry and can visit one of the most interesting pubs on the coast path at Porthallow.

It is essential that you check section 41 in our current Annual Guide with regard to the availability of evening meals if you intend to spend the night in Helford.

COVERACK

Coverack is an attractive family resort with a good beach. It is a lovely fishing village with a special sort of light, making it popular with artists. One of its main attractions is Roskilly’s organic ice cream which is sold locally – it has to be tasted to be believed! For the curious, it is possible to visit the farm where the ice cream is made at nearby St Keverne and watch the cows and their computerised milking. Ice cream tasting is obligatory, of course.

COVERACK TO HELFORD

The coast path now follows the road past the harbour and sandy beach. Where the road turns sharp left up a hill, keep straight on to the end of a row of houses. Keeping ahead along the track, go down the hill towards a gate. An acorn post at the vehicle turning point sends you to the right and nearer to the coast. After quite a winding rough section you reach an open flat area almost at sea level.

Geologists look upon this expanse towards Lowland Point as a good example of a raised beach, formed when the ice retreated at the end of the Ice Age, the original coastline being along the foot of the cliffs which you see some way inland.

The path is ill-defined along here, the best route probably being as near to the cliff as possible, as it tends to be boggy further inland. On reaching Lowland Point you turn more to the north and enter the quarry area, which runs intermittently along the coast, almost to Porthallow.

Needless to say you must heed the warning notices about times of blasting and stick rigidly to the well-designated signposted path for Godrevy Cove. After passing a conveyor you keep to the seaward side of the cleared road until you come to a track ahead (by a hairpin bend), which will take you down to Godrevy Cove.

From here to Porthoustock (pronounced Prowstock) the South West Coast
Path Association is currently pressing for a more coastal route, but at present, after crossing a stream on the beach, you must follow the acorn signs to the bottom of a field near the centre of the beach and walk with the hedge on the right up, through Chynalls, to Rosenithon village. Turn right at the T-junction. Just after a right hand bend another acorn post sends you over a stone stile to the left. Before taking this you might like to view the Giant's Quoits 125 yards (114 m) further along the road, but they are not unfortunately on their original site.

Back at the stile bear right, cross to a stile in the hedge where the sea views across Falmouth Bay will reappear. Continue straight on to another stile in a hedge by an acorn post and through a further field towards a lone house. Go over a stone stile just beyond an iron gate onto a road, where you turn left, then right at the T-junction past a quarry entrance. This road takes you down to Porthoustock.

Note the time of high tide here, as this will affect your route later on. Keeping right of the phone box you pass the beach entrance and fork left up a bank in Hi
High Tide Route

Follow this farm road inland as far as a MOD station, where you turn right on to the road to Porthkerris and then left opposite a seven bar gate to locate a stile. Walk to the first field corner on the left and then on to a bearing of 304 degrees to a kissing gate by a sycamore tree, which indicates the start of the route down to Porthallow.

Porthallow

Low Tide Route

At the top take the first track on the right through bracken and gorse and descend along an old railway to a quite difficult drop to Porthkerris beach.

Do not be tempted to take the seaward road towards an observation post (MOD) station unless you want to go fishing off the rocks, but turn left off the beach just before a collection of old anchors and go up the road past the driveway to a restaurant; this is the home of Porthkerris Divers (telephone 01326 280620), who explore the wrecks around the Manacle Rocks offshore. (Look out for the ostriches in the field on the left; they can be quite fearsome.) After a lay-by on the right the road bends left and you take a track opposite a seven-bar metal gate to a stile. Cross the field parallel to the shore, go through a gap and make for the hedge ahead and then on a bearing of 304 degrees walk to the previously mentioned kissing gate by a sycamore tree.

Coast path continues

The pub in Porthallow, The Five Pilchards, is a regular museum of local history.

To continue, you walk along the track behind the beach and up the steps immediately to seaward of the houses. Turn right at the top and the path emerges eventually into a field where you follow the right-hand edge. You then go through bracken to the right of the fields and over a stone stile to an open field when the beaches of Falmouth will appear ahead. Follow the hedge downhill on the right until it is seen to sweep left and parallel to the coast. You pass to the left of a large boulder and the hedge on the right brings you to another stone stile, after which you return to a bracken-lined path and then between a spectacular rock formation.

Ahead you now see Nare Point and the mouth of the Helford River. After another stone stile the path sticks closely to the cliff edge as far as an old MOD observation post on Nare Point, where a stile gives access down to Polnare Cove. Following the profile of the headland you are pleasantly near to sea level and, beyond Men-aver Point, Gillan Harbour can be seen tucked in south of the Roman hill fort of Dinas Head (Dennis Head). You then join a farm track, which passes round the back of Parbean Cove, to a gate. Go through the gate and across a wooden slatted bridge over a stream. A grassy path leads you to Lestowder Cliff, an ‘open access’ area, and the next stile brings you to Trewarnevas Cliff, after which a short climb will reveal the church at St Anthony-in-Meneage over on the right.

You now descend four separate flights of steps to the Herra (National Trust) and the attractive sheltered beach at Gillan. Crossing the stream at the back of the beach you continue in the same line to a path, which takes you behind the creekside cottages past the Tower House and eventually to a road at Flushing Cove. Cross the back of the beach, taking the path to the right of the Boat House. After a sheltered stretch you come to a point where you turn left if the tide is in or go straight on if it is within about one hour either side of low tide.

Legend has it that the church here was built by shipwrecked Normans as an offering to their saint, the granite in the church tower being from Normandy and not Cornwall!

GILLAN CREEK CROSSING

You reach some steps to the beach. You would probably encounter the least amount of water if traversing by the narrow neck just before the streams divide leading towards a fixed caravan. Higher up and over a grassy bank there are stepping stones to ford the two streams but they are likely to be covered in slippery green seaweed and can therefore be treacherous. We have heard of walkers who gather handfuls of sand to sprinkle on top of each stepping stone, thus creating a less hazardous crossing.

If you are able to paddle across, deduct 2 miles (3.6 km) from your journey.

GILLAN CREEK CROSSING – (High Tide)

You turn left up the hill to a sharp left hand bend where you take the field gate straight ahead. Keeping the hedge on your left cross a stile, bear right up the field to a further stile, and then go across the next field to the top hedge to a ladder stile to reach the road. Turn right down the road to Carne and across the top of Gillan Creek. You then follow the road back along the far side to St Anthony in Meneague.

Coast path continues

To continue, you take the road to the right of the church and a farm track uphill to the right, where the coast path sign is just short of a five-bar metal gate with a kissing gate at the side. Proceed up the farm track, which crosses a field giving you a good view of the delightful harbour and creek area you have just left. You come to a coppice at the end of the field with a stile on the left putting you on the path which weaves its way out to the magnificent viewpoint of Dennis Head. The path loops round the end of the promontory taking you back to the last field, where you fork right along its edge. Almost immediately a pleasantly situated seat down a short path to the right may tempt you to rest awhile. At the western end of the field you pass through a kissing gate and three more fields, the path keeping faithfully to the cliff top.

About a quarter of the way through the next field you turn sharp right through another kissing gate, pass round the Gew and enter the wooded Helford River frontage of the Bosahan estate. As this is a permissive path, you must not leave it except where access to the coves is indicated. The path is often root-strewn, so please take care. The path is easy to follow, finally going up a drive to join the road at Treath, where you go right down a lane and take the first drive on the left. Almost immediately there are steps up to a path, which passes behind the Helford River Sailing Club and emerges on to a road by the entrance to Helford car park.

You walk down the hill into the village, over the head of the creek and along the other side past the Rose Cottage Tea Gardens (01326 231287), the general store and Post Office, finally to a footpath, which starts to the left of the car park belonging to the Shipwrights' Arms public house (01326 231235) which has some riverside tables, and takes you to the ferry, which will carry you across to Helford Passage.

HELFORD

Helford is a picturesque village, feeling more like Henley than Cornwall at times, but attractive nevertheless. A ferry has crossed the river here since the 15th century and there has been an inn on the site before you for at least 300 years. The famous Trebah Garden can be reached some 0.5 mile (1 km) up the hill.

In 2002 the ferry times from Helford were 10 minutes past each hour from 0910 to 1710 between Good Friday and 31st October – please check our current Annual Guide for up to date information.
This edition by Maureen Donovan, October, 2002.

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