Great South West Walk

Wednesday August 29

Section 47.CHARLESTOWN TO FOWEY. Miles: 10.3. Grading: Easy

Start time and location
Could you please report for registration at the The Rashleigh Arms, Charlestown,
St. Austell, Cornwall, PL25 3NX at 8am.
The walk will commence at 8.30am.

Parking
Plenty of parking avaialble at start points.

Bus Service
The 25 service runs between Mevagissey and Fowey via St Austell railway station, Charlestown and Par railway station. The 25B runs off peak – check where it stops before relying on it. If catching a bus from Fowey at the end of your walk, please refer to the note about bus stops in the text. You can obtain further information and confirmation of bus services by contacting Traveline on 0870 608 2608 www.traveline.org.uk

Trains
Both St Austell (for Charlestown) and Par (for Fowey) stations are on the main Plymouth to Penzance railway line. The Eden branchline (actually a bus!) also runs regularly from St Austell station to the entrance of the Eden Project. For further information, contact National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950.

Maps
Landranger Series (scale 1:50 000) Number 200, Newquay, Bodmin and surrounding area.
Explorer Series (scale 1:25 000) Number 107, St Austell & Liskeard.
Maps in this Path Description are reproduced inconjunction with Cornwall County Council by permission of Ordnance Survey (based mapping) on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright 100019590.
Maps in this path description were drawn by Keith Sokell and the South West Coast Path Association acknowledges his assistance with this work.

General Information
Charlestown: some accommodation, restaurants, pubs, post office/shop, public telephone, parking and toilets.
Par: limited accommodation, pubs, shops, post office, parking and toilets.
Polkerris: pub, seasonal café, parking, public telephone and toilets.
Readymoney Cove: seasonal toilets.
Fowey: accommodation, cafés, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, parking, public telephones and toilets.

TAXI SERVICES
St Austell Taxis – 01726 66999
Holmbush Kabs – 01726 65767
Fowey Taxi Service – 01726 832676
Brokenshire (Fowey) – 01726 832429

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE
Fowey: 5, South Street, Fowey, PL23 1AR. Tel: 01726 833616.

The Route
This interesting section of the South West Coast Path is varied in terms of scenery and the path itself is generally well waymarked, with opportunities of losing your way few and far between. The walker is offered Cornwall in microcosm: on your travels you will experience small coves, the processing plant and the ports of the china clay industry, and the beautiful Gribbin peninsula, so well known to readers of Daphne du Maurier.

CHARLESTOWN

Charlestown is an attractive and interesting village. The port was completed in 1801 by the industrialist Charles Rashleigh, for the export of china clay and the import of coal. The village has been named after him, as has the popular pub, the Rashleigh Arms. The harbour itself was designed by John Smeaton, who also designed the original Eddystone Lighthouse which now stands on Plymouth Hoe. This lovely village is very popular as a film location, and such classics as 'Poldark', 'The Onedin Line' and 'The Eagle Has Landed' have all used Charlestown during filming. In 1993, Disney's 'Three Musketeers' was filmed here. Local people crowded around the port during evening filming, and some of the villagers were actually paid to keep the lights off in their cottages during the night shots! The port is now mainly used by its current owner, The Square Sail Shipping Company, which has an impressive display of historic sailing ships in the harbour itself.

Charlestown has most facilities, including two restaurants, and the Charlestown Shipwreck and Heritage Centre, whose attractions include the largest shipwreck artefact collection in the British Isles. There are bus services to St Austell and Par railway stations, (St Austell is 2 miles [3.2 km] inland). Please note, however, that if you are getting the bus to St Austell, you need to stand on the same side of the road as the Rashleigh Arms: you can have a few minutes of fun guessing who found this piece of information out the hard way!

CHARLESTOWN TO PAR (POLMEAR)

Annual Guide Section 50 (4.3 miles – 7.0 km ) Grading - Easy

The official coast path does not actually cross the lock gates but instead, it goes around the dock. If you are able to do so, it is an exciting start to your walk to cross by means of the lock gates.

In recent years the port’s owners have tried to restrict access to the lock gates, and even tried to charge for entrance in 1996! People power triumphed and it is usually possible to cross the harbour by means of the lock gates.

If the lock gates are closed or you would rather follow the official path, follow the curve of the harbour round, and you will see the Shipwreck and Heritage Centre and the Bosun's Diner restaurant ahead of you. Turn left at the end of this path to pass by the right of a house called Salamander. As you climb towards the stile there are public conveniences on your left, apparently the only ones in Charlestown.

Go through the gate and follow the path uphill – the path has been fenced on either side due to major problems with erosion. On your left hand side, you will have an excellent view of the town of St Austell.

ST AUSTELL

St Austell is the most densely populated town in Cornwall. There is a railway station on the Plymouth to Penzance main line, and bus services run from the station to Mevagissey, Par and Fowey all year round. Unlike Truro, it does not have the major stores in the town centre, but is currently undergoing major regeneration. All the main banks are there, as are many building societies. There is a taxi rank at the train station, and both local and national bus services run from there.

THE EDEN PROJECT

Known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Eden Project is situated on the outskirts of St Austell. It is well signed by road, and it is also possible to get a special bus there direct from St Austell station. Locals remain divided in their opinions of Eden, but it is certainly a sight to see. For further information, telephone 01726 811911 or go to www.edenproject.com If you would like to walk there, please see the route at the end of this Path Description.

Follow the tree-lined path until it comes out opposite the Porth Avallen Hotel, where you emerge into the area of St Austell known as Carlyon Bay. The path turns to the right, and you take the left hand fork as you walk down a gravel path.

If you have a spare moment (and some spare change!), take the right fork to visit the National Coastwatch Institution station, which was opened in October, 2003 by its patron, the author E V Thompson.

Ignore the small paths off to the right, and continue on this path round the back of some houses (and bushes laden with blackberries in late summer) until you come to a marker post leading onto a wide expanse of green. Again there is no defined path, so just keep walking, keeping close to the bushes and trees on your right, and heading for the big building slightly to your right; this is the large Carlyon Bay Hotel.

There is no clear path here but you should look out for a path ahead by the wooden fence at the rear of the hotel. Keep to this path to skirt the hotel grounds. You lose the path again as the golf course comes in to view on your right. Continue to keep close to the fence of the hotel until the greenery finishes.

Directly in front of you is the site for the controversial ‘Costa del Carlyon’ development. At the time of writing this is a building site, built on a popular beach and entertainment complex. There are many issues relating to this proposed site for 150 luxury holiday apartments – it has divided the local community - and the coast path crosses the actual access road to it. You may even be escorted across the road by a site security officer; the Association will keep you up to date with any news affecting the coast path here.

Follow all site signs across what used to be the complex car park to cross the access road and go up a few steps to come onto the golf course. Again, there is no clear path for most of your travels through the golf course, although it generally skirts the edge of it. Golfers here are generally friendly, and if you are unsure whether it is golfing etiquette to proceed, just ask.

Eventually you come upon a marker post on your right hand side, which leads you through a winding footpath which runs around the side of the golf course. Ignore the path off to the right, as the path yet again becomes barely discernible. You are very close to a hole on the golf course, so watch out for golf balls.

The grey buildings of Par Harbour now come into view, as does the town itself. Walk seaward of the sign for the 9th hole where there is a vague footpath. Ignore the path off to your right, but keep on this path as it edges around the golf course. The path gradually becomes lower in level as the golf course peters out. The course eventually finishes as you come to Spit Point. Just before you reach a concrete shelter, turn left at the marker to come inland.

You are now in the heart of Imerys china clay processing plant. You will probably notice clay dust in this area, including a fine covering on your boots! The two chimneys here can be seen miles away, as they belch smoke all year round. It was therefore fascinating to discover that during the period between Christmas and New Year, the port reeks of fish!!

Follow the path by the fence to cross a metal bridge until you reach some metal bars of the type used to prevent cyclists using the path. Continue straight ahead even though it will look like a dead-end, ignoring the path on your left which leads under the railway bridge. The path now runs alongside the railway line which is the main line link to Penzance, and to Plymouth, London, the North and Scotland. You now have a good view of Par Docks and any ships waiting there. At the end of the path, turn right to follow the footpath past the traffic entrance to the port.

PAR

The port of Par was built by the industrialist, Joseph Treffry, on reclaimed land. It is now owned by the firm Imerys and you will usually see a foreign vessel or two waiting in the port. A small town has grown up around the port, and there are most facilities, including a main line railway station.

Having skirted the perimeter of the harbour and taken the path which runs alongside a single railway line on your right, go under the railway bridge and turn right after the greengrocer's shop, following the road signs for Par and Fowey: you may also notice the new SWCP sign on a lamp post. Cross the railway line at the level crossing, and keep on this main road, which is called Par Green. When you reach the railway bridge, the road forks, and you should keep right to enter the one-way system. Continue on this road, still Par Green, travelling east, to bring you into the town of Par.

On the right hand side, you will pass the Good Shepherd Church, and, shortly after on the right is Par post office, with the Welcome Home Inn a few doors away. Continue along Par Green, keeping an eye on the door numbers to your right. When you reach number 52, you have a choice of routes. You may either continue on this road, which is the official waymarked route through Par, which brings you out by the Ship Inn and the attractive Rashleigh Cottages in Polmear, or you can take the less urban route described below which goes through the Par Sands Caravan Park.

Alternative route to Polmear

To follow this alternative route, turn right at number 52, Par Green, and turn left as you reach a tidal river to walk down a pathway, keeping the river on your right. At a metal kissing gate you cross the Imerys private road to another kissing gate, following the path towards a sign advising that all dogs should be on leads, and ignoring the path on your left. At a made up road, aim towards a wooden barrier, which you go through and turn left.

Walk along the metalled road running through the caravan park and, when the road divides, take the right hand fork to pass a beach shop and café on your left. Having passed the reception building and a large lake on your left, this private road eventually bears round to the left.

(Short cut route: if time is very short, you can go into the car park on the bend and head east towards a metal bridge, which you cross and carefully walk up the steps to turn right – this route omits Polmear.)

Keep on this road until you can see Mambo’s 50s Diner ahead on the left. Before you reach it, cross the road and walk in front of the panel fence on your right, which is part of the Ship Inn - you rejoin the official path at this point.

Coast path continues

In front of you, you will see the Rashleigh Cottages, which were formerly almshouses and are now privately occupied. As you look to your left, you will see a black and gold marker post with a cross on it; this is a marker for the Saints' Way footpath.

THE SAINTS' WAY

This path is a long distance footpath of some 30 miles (48 km) in length, which runs from Padstow, on the North Cornish Coast, to Fowey on the South. The route links relics of Cornish history, and was a trade route in years gone by. It has its own logo, and the waymark symbol is a Celtic cross. It is possible to link this walk with the South West Coast Path to do a circular walk around Cornwall.

PAR (POLMEAR) TO FOWEY

Annual Guide Section 51 (6.0 miles – 9.6 km ) Grading - Moderate

Next to the house next to the Ship, you'll see signs for both footpaths. Turn right up this path and climb uphill. When the path forks, take the right hand fork, following the marker. You are now starting the path along the Gribbin peninsula, and, if the weather is kind, you will have lovely views of St Austell Bay to accompany you. Ignore the stile in front of you, but leave the Saints behind and turn right before the stile. This particular stretch follows the edges of fields.

After approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) of easy to follow and pleasant coast path you ascend to get your first view of the beautiful village and harbour of Polkerris to give you inspiration for your climb. The path levels out and becomes narrow with foliage either side. As the path comes to an end, you start your descent through woodlands.

If the sun is shining, your descent into Polkerris will be a memorable part of your walk - the path itself is rocky, so take care not to make it memorable for the wrong reasons. At the bench, turn to the left then bear right. At the end of the path is a stone building on your left, where you go down three steps to bring you onto the level. There is a coast path sign at the bottom pointing you towards the beach. Walk past the Life Boat House Café (a licensed Italian restaurant) and down the ramp onto the beach.

POLKERRIS

The beauty of Polkerris is that not many people seem to know about it! It is a picturesque cove and village and the local residents take immense pride in it, and quite rightly so. The village has a pub, The Rashleigh Inn, which is open all year, and a seasonal beach café. If you stand on the beach and face out to sea, you will see a castellated building on your left: this was the Elizabethan Pilchard Palace, where pilchards were salted and stored.

From the beach, turn left and pass the black and white building with '1912' on it, then turn up the ramp and turn right. The toilets are signposted here, should you require them. Bear right here (currently no sign), then turn right up the steps to some woodlands. The path up the valley, which is covered in ramsons (wild garlic) in the spring, follows in a large zigzag pattern.

When you reach the top by a stone pillar and a signpost on your left, complete your zigzag by bearing round to the right. Follow this level path to go through a gate and you now commence your walk out to Gribbin Head.

The path is now well-defined and waymarked on what is a pleasant path out to the daymark. There follows a further 1 mile (1.6 km) until you reach the headland itself. The path becomes quite high level and close to the cliff edge. As you round the cove below, you come to a wooden stile, and, as you climb this, you'll have your first view of what is to come, with the village of Polruan, and Pencarrow Head beyond. If visibility is really good, you'll see as far as Rame Head (shaped like a pyramid) in Cornwall and Bolt Tail in Devon.

You arrive at the National Trust sign for The Gribbin. Turn right at the junction of paths and you reach a pedestrian gate and walk towards the daymark.

THE GRIBBIN DAYMARK

This red and white daymark was erected in 1832 by Trinity House as an aid to vessels navigating the headland. It was purchased by the National Trust in 1997 for the sum of £1, and the site is now much improved, including another painting in 2004. The daymark is 84 feet (25 m) high. It is usually open on every Sunday from the beginning of July to mid September from 11 to 5, and entry is free. For more information, please contact the Trust’s South and East Cornwall Countryside Office on 01208 265211. The Trust provides torches, plus guides at both the bottom and the top of the tower – views from the top are memorable and we highly recommend this, provided you are not anxious or do not have a head for heights.

The official route simply sets off downhill, but the Association recommends a lovely scenic (and more seaward) alternative, which is particularly worthwhile during the early and late spring.

Alternative route on Gribbin Head

From the daymark, go south to go through the pedestrian gate where the path through the woods is obvious and very pleasant, with excellent views of the Fowey estuary. Eventually you reach a wooden gate, which you go through to go straight across to rejoin the coast path from the Gribbin.

Coast path continues

Go through the large gate to leave the Gribbin area and bear round to the right to reach Polridmouth (pronounced 'Pridmouth') Cove.

DAPHNE DU MAURIER

This is the area of the path which is particularly associated with Daphne du Maurier, and many of her most popular works, for example, 'My Cousin Rachel' and 'The Birds', are set in the Par-Fowey area. It is, however, the novel 'Rebecca' which really comes to life here in Polridmouth Cove, which is the cove featured in the novel and comes complete with Rebecca's boat house. Inland from here is the Menabilly Estate, the Manderley of the novel, where du Maurier herself lived for some years.

Menabilly House is not open to the public, but if you have the energy and 20-30 minutes to spare and you want a glimpse (and it really is the briefest of glimpses) of the house and estate, go through the gate in front of you and follow this bridleway inland, passing a marker post on the way. In time, this becomes a narrow road which bears round to the right. Eventually, you come to a gate merely marked 'Private' on your right: this is Menabilly. If you have keen eyesight, you might be able to catch sight of the large house in amongst the trees.

Retrace your steps to the gate then turn left to rejoin the coast path. If the weather is reasonable even the most unpoetic of souls will see from the surrounding countryside and sea views where Daphne du Maurier drew her inspiration from for her lyrical descriptions of this area, although if you are that unpoetic, you probably would not have ventured up here in the first place!

Follow the path around the cove to pass a lake. Cross the stepping stones and turn right at the end of the cove to ascend Lankelly Cliff (currently no sign). Climb out of the cove on a rocky path to join some steps at the top. Follow the steps down, then cross a wooden stile and the path levels out. Follow the path, keeping the wood and wire fence to your right, until you reach a large wooden gate which you go through to continue on, following the sign for the most seaward path.

The path soon veers away from the sea in a north-easterly direction. Do not get over-excited if you have sore feet and can't wait to get to Fowey - you still have a way to go yet! Cross a wooden bridge across a stream and cross the first of two stiles to go round to the right (the second stile leads to a small beach). After going through a gate, follow the path round into the National Trust cove, Coombe Haven (shown on maps as Coombe Hawne). Go down to follow the path around the back of the cove, over a stream, up some steps and over a stile. Then bear around to the left to follow the fence.

As the estuary bears inland, the path leads onto Allday’s Fields, named after a Mr Allday who gave the land to the people of Fowey in 1951. Go through the gate to enter the National Trust’s Covington Woods. The official path goes straight ahead then turns left at its end, or you could turn first right to take a loop path out to the remains of St Catherine's Castle, which was built by Henry VIII to strengthen the defence of the harbour.

The rocky path follows the shoulder of the cliff leading down into Readymoney Cove: follow the coast path marker post pointing right, and you'll also notice that the Saints have rejoined you to follow the path to their ultimate destination of Fowey (there is an interpretation board for the Saints’ Way just before you reach Readymoney Cove).

At Readymoney Cove there is a beach and seasonal toilets, and, if you look to the right, you will see St Catherine's Castle. It is an idyllic beach from which to swim, and there is usually a diving platform in the summer.

The path becomes a road behind the cove and this road is the Esplanade, a one-way system, which leads you into Fowey.

FOWEY

Fowey (which really is pronounced 'Foy' and not 'Fowee'!) is one of Cornwall's most beautiful towns, situated on the western bank of the River Fowey. The town flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries because of the rise of the pilchard industry. It is still very much in use today as a port, and you may see the large freighters of up to 10 000 tonnes involved in the export of china clay. The china clay port itself is situated landward of the town, so the business of loading the ships does not detract from the beauty of the town. Fowey became popular as a tourist resort as the pilchard industry declined and as a result of the writings by Sir Arthur Quiller Couch or ' Q' , as he was known, who based his stories about Troy Town on Fowey, where he lived until his death in 1944. Fowey has all facilities, plus a regular all-year bus service to both Par and St. Austell railway stations.

You have a lovely view of the pretty village of Polruan on the opposite bank of the river, but you cannot actually see Fowey Docks, as they are down river. You can also see the Polruan blockhouse, where a chain was stretched across the river to the corresponding blockhouse in Fowey. These blockhouses were built for defence purposes in the 15th century.

On the right, past the tea gardens of the Fowey Hotel, is a black and gold sign pointing you to the pedestrian ferry for Polruan and some toilets. However, if you wish to visit the town proper before crossing the river, continue ahead.

From 1st October to 1st April and when the weather deteriorates, the pedestrian ferry operates to and from the Town Quay, which is further on. To reach the Town Quay, continue along the Esplanade to its end, where you turn right to go downhill. With the Ship public house on your left, go round to the right around the side of the aquarium, and you will come out onto Trafalgar Square and the quay from where the ferry departs.

If you require public transport out of Fowey, do not use the bus stop at the at the end of the Esplanade. You need to climb this hill to reach the main car park, and catch the bus from the stop in Hanson Drive. The 25 and 25B services go to Par and St Austell railway stations.

If you wish to continue your walk by means of the Hall Walk (see the Association's path description for Fowey to Polperro), you need to catch the vehicular ferry to Bodinnick from Caffamill Pill, where there is a quayside car park. To find this ferry from the Town Quay, keep on the main road through Fowey, which is Fore Street, which then becomes North Street, then Passage Street, after which you turn right for the Bodinnick Ferry.

If you have any question on any of the above please do not hesitate to contact one the event organisers found on the Contact us page click here

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