The post Swanpool to Maenporth Walk appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>The walk from Swanpool to Maenporth is a lovely little one, even on a cloudy day like this. One gloomy day in early 2019 Scottie and I took a walk along the coast path between the beaches.
The path starts just on the right side of the beach, rising up to give wonderful views all the way up the coast to Swanpool, Gylly, Pendennis Castle and over onto St Mawes.
There are a whole bunch of little beaches scattered along the coastline, some harder to reach than others.
Soon the path comes to Sunny Cove and Newporth Head.
One of the small headlands is named Pennance or Stack Point. This once held a stack for Swanpool Mine, although this is long gone. On the waters edge are the remains of the entrance to an old sewage outlet on Pennance Point.
The walk ends at Maenporth beach, a wonderfully sheltered cove perfect for swimming and kayaking – there’s even a shipwreck just off the coast here.
The whole walk follows a public footpath.
There are pay and display car parks at both beaches.
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]]>The post Kennall Vale appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>Inside the beautiful wooded area to the west of Ponsanooth lies the significant remains of an old gunpowder works.
Up until the early 1800’s, all of the gunpowder used by Cornish mines was produced out of the county; as the mines of Cornwall continued to expand and grow, interests turned to producing our own. The first of these was built in Cosawes Wood, also in Ponsanooth in 1809. This was a small venture but still successful enough to catch the interest of the local Fox family, a powerful name in the region who had a keen interest in a range of mining ventures.
In 1811-12, a license was granted for the use of Kennall to build another gunpowder works. This was hugely successful and the site soon took over its neighbouring Cosawes mill, working them together for a short while, with the former mill just being used for storage by 1870.
By 1844, all of the present incorporating mills had been built including newer ones in Roches Wood higher up the valley, giving a grand total of seven.
The mill hit its peak in 1875, with the enterprise expanding to include a over 50 buildings in the wood, a saltpetre refinery, a charcoal mill and several houses in the village. However, this did not last for long as nitroglycerine based explosives started being introduced into the local mines as an alternative for gunpowder, causing a steep decline in demand. The mill directors set up a new site in Hayle, the National Explosives Company to meet this need and sold the Ponsanooth site in 1898.
This new company, Curtis’ and Harvey used the works to produce specialist cartridges and fuse powder up until it stopped production in 1910. One other prominent feature on the mill site is that of the granite quarry, started in 1919 for the production of war memorials and viaducts.
Initially the site produced blasting powder for rock, which came in granular or pill forms. In the 1830’s, following the invention of the safety fuse, the mill produced a variety of high quality powders for fuse makers. From the 1860’s to 90’s, the mill also produced powder for rifles and shotguns. In 1836, a spark triggered an explosion that caused damage to five incorporating mills.
As gunpowder production is a notoriously dangerous business, several safety features were put in place. The location itself, being in a densely wooded area, would reduce the impact of an explosion. The thick walls, but light roofs would have forced an explosion upwards, and the machinery bearings were made of copper rather than steel in an attempt to reduce the amount of heat they would have produced. Workers also changed on site into special woollen suits.
The site is currently managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and free to access.
There is a small amount of parking in Ponsanooth, although you cannot park along the narrow road leading to the entrance as this blocks access for emergency vehicles (Cot Hill).
Cornwall Guide (no date) Kennall Vale. Available at: https://www.cornwalls.co.uk/attractions/kennall-vale.htm (Accessed: 20 January 2019).
Preston-Jones, A. (2011) Kennall Vale, Ponsanooth, Cornwall. Available at: www.cornwall.gov.uk (Accessed: 20 January 2019).
Smith, J. (1986) Structures Report and Building Survey. Available at: http://map.cornwall.gov.uk/reports_event_record/1986/1986R022.pdf (Accessed: 20 January 2019).
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]]>The post Can you see seals? 2.0 appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>So back in January I walked from the Fisherman’s Cove carpark down to Mutton Cove to see the seals – on that occasion it was a tad on the rainy side and the photos are very suspect. The photos for that can be found here.
I figured the little blast of sun we had last week would be the perfect opportunity to test out my new camera. These photos were taken on two different days as I went on the Wednesday then Scott said he wanted to see them too, so we went back the next day. There are a few babies sunbathing on the small beach, while others lounged out in the sea.
The beach the seals use is right alongside the coastpath and is commonly visited. Be mindful that the seals can be easily startled by loud noises and have been known to hurt themselves leaving the beach if they’re frightened.
There is plenty of parking at Godrevy.
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]]>The post Can you see seals? appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>So one fine day in January I decided it would be a great idea to go for a walk along the Godrevy coastpath to see the seals. On this occasion, it was a tad moist.
Starting from the carpark above Fisherman’s cove, just past Hell’s Mouth, I followed the coastpath south towards Godrevy. The incessant weather made the path pretty muddy and slippery, but even the thick clouds can’t take away the beauty of this area.
Eventually, just before you get to Godrevy, you’ll reach the wonderful Mutton Cove. Here is the home to the funniest looking sheep in Cornwall.
During low tide, over 100 seals have been seen resting on this beach and females will come and have their pups here as well. Numbers of seal start increasing around the Autumn. The day I went the tide was in quite a way and the sea really rough, so not many of them were loitering.
This walk follows the coastpath. Be mindful that once you reach the seals, they are very sensitive to loud noises and have been known to hurt themselves trying to escape into the sea.
There are several small carparks along the coastroad.
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]]>The post Polly Joke to Crantock appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>This walk starts at Polly Joke, or Porth Joke beach near the town of Newquay.
On the north side of the beach, head through the kissing gate and up the narrow path on the other side.
This heads up to West Pentire, famous for its poppies in the spring. Soon the path rounds towards Crantock beach, a popular surfing haven.
The whole walk follows public footpaths.
There is a small carpark a short distance from Polly Joke, and another at Crantock.
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]]>The post Holywell to Polly Joke appeared first on Explore Cornwall.
]]>A little while back, I wandered up to Holywell for a mooch around with the plan to head first to Polly Joke and then onto Crantock. I’d never been before and after making it through the excess of holiday-makers, I finally found the sea.
I walked from the right hand side of the beach (facing the sea) and headed by the coast, joining the coast path up one of the steep banks. In one of the caves on the right side of the beach at low tide you can also find the origins of this wonderful beaches name; this is St Cuthbert’s Cave where a fall of water mixed with mineral deposits has made a beautiful feature.
The coastpath at the top of the sand dunes heads over the Kelsey’s, where there is an over abundance of sheep. This area was once home to an Iron Age barrow.
This high elevation offers some amazing views of the north coast.
Rounding the headland, Polly Joke or Porth Joke will soon come into view. On the day I was there, several seals were playing in the sea.
This is a deep cove with lots of flat sand.
The whole walk follows the coasthpath, just be mindful of any tides and the sheep.
There is a large pay and display carpark at Holywell Bay run by the National Trust.
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