Freedom! Or so it felt. Just passed another relaxation of the Lockdown restrictions and we ventured further afield for a walk along the coast. We haven't seen the sea this year and, like children, we were rather excited at the prospect.
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| We've done this walk a few times in the past but never from this direction. This time we started at Trevigue, followed the coastal footpath to Crackington Haven and then came back up the Ludon Valley to our starting point. This meant that it was downhill to the cafe (take a look at the elevation profile) at Crackington and then a relatively gentle ascent to Trevigue. It was just under 4 miles of quite easy walking. |
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| Walking through a tunnel of Blackthorn blossoms... |
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| ....to come out to this view down the coast. Our first sight of the sea for months. But who saw it first? Me! Me! And I won the virtual non-existent prize. It brought back memories of day trips to Barry Island and straining to be the first to see the sea as the bus crested the hill at Wenvoe. |
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| This beach is actually called The Strangles and gets its name from the treacherous tides and currents around it. In the days when trading boats sailed up and down the coast, some with shallow draughts were beached for loading and unloading. Their contents were transported up the cliffs on the backs of donkeys and the old donkey paths can be made out at various places - if you know what you are looking for |
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| No, not a goat. It's a Soay sheep ram. There are a quite a few of them on the cliffs in these parts. They are derived from a line of feral sheep originating from the Island of Soay in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Very hardy and very adept at climbing cliff faces. The wool is much sought after by knitters. |
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| Little Strand cove with the headland of Cambeak on the right. Only the brave - or foolhardy - try to get to the end of Cambeak. We are neither. |
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| Lots of Blackthorn around at the moment. I've just come across the term 'Blackthorn Winter', which was used by countryfolk to describe a spell of cold weather in early April which often coincides with the blossoming of the blackthorn in hedgerows. The pure white of the blackthorn blossom, which appears before the leaves, matches the snow or hoar frost covering the fields nearby |
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| A Stonechat on look-out duty amongst the gorse. Apart from a few gulls, the only birds around seemed to be Stonechats |
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| A colourful mix of Gorse and Blackthorn on the cliffs going down into Crackington Haven. |
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| A rather ragged looking Speckled Wood butterfly. The result of an unsuccessful bird attack, perhaps? |
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Looking back across Tremoutha Haven to Cambeak. This area is well known to geology students for the very visible folded sedimentary rock formations. In fact the village of Crackington gives its name to the Crackington formation, a sequence of Carboniferous sandstones and grey shales. Take a look at the rocks on the shore and that's what you see.
Until the nineteenth century, Crackington Haven itself was a small port similar to many others on the north coast of Cornwall. Limestone and coal were imported and slate and other local produce were exported. After the railways reached the district in 1893 the village could be reached more easily so holidaymaking became more common. It's not generally remembered that Crackington Haven was badly affected in 2004 by the flood that devastated Boscastle. The road bridge across the stream, several homes and the pub were damaged by floodwater at this time. |
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| I'm glad they warned us about Cliff. He might be a local character but he's a right nutter. Best avoided. |
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| Red Valerian is just coming into flower. Not a native plant and it was introduced from Europe in the 1600s. Quite widespread in these parts and a great source of nectar for many insects |
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| Just a very nice stone wall, with a 'Jack and Jill' pattern from pieces of slate |
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| The contrasting scenery on our route back to the car, following the stream (or river depending on your source) up the Ludon Valley |
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| Devon, Devon Red or Red Ruby cattle are reknowned for their beef. A native breed of the West Country, they are thought to originate from pre-Roman Celtic times |
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| The harbour entrance at Boscastle, with the tower of Forrabury Church just visible on the left |
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| An infra-red looking across Tremoutha Haven |
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| Yet another stone wall but this time in infra-red |
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| A Speckled Wood in better condition than the one we saw earlier |
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