Portscatho to Portloe

Today actually started at The Ship Inn in Portloe (as well as ending there) with an excellent breakfast. The taxi from Roseland Taxis arrived around 9.30am, with the other Mr & Mrs Jordan (also heading to Portscatho to walk back to Portloe) already on board - and amazingly the other Mr Jordan is also a Richard! They are also walking the whole of the South West Coast Path, but in a large number of short legs in no particular order. They are probably slightly nearer completion than us, reckoning that they will have walked the entire path after another two-week holiday in the south west.

The taxi driver had to go the long way out of Portloe, because a horse-box unloading furniture was blocking the narrow road on the direct route, but we weren't in a rush. We were dropped off back at the Plume of Feathers in Portscatho. We bought more postcards and stamps from the Post Office and bread rolls, cheese (Cornish Yarg) and tomatos for lunch from the village shop, then prepared ourselves with suncream and set off around 10.30am. All the guidebooks describe the leg to Portloe as quite demanding, but it didn't seem to bad too us and we had a most enjoyable day, especially since we were able to extend the forced diversion (caused by a slippage on the path) into Veryan, which we had seen to be a pretty place from our taxi rides. From photographs it appears that we had walked the first part of this leg (probably to Porthbean Beach) in 2004 - I remembered doing the walk but didn't recognise the scenery.

There were good views back to Portscatho and ahead of us to Nare Head and Gull Rock (until it disappeared behind Nare Head) and we passed several attractive beaches. The official route goes around the back of Porthcurnick Beach but we were able just to cross the sand, then we went round the headland of Pednvadan, with a lookout station in what appears to be a former huer's hut. The descent to Porthbean Beach was through woodland and we were on the beach for all of 10 yards before climbing up again.Then, at Treluggan Cliff, the path 'wandered beguilingly' (according to the guidebook and actually it's true) across a scrubby slope with pretty red campion and hawthorn blossom. We climbed inland up to the road to go round Pendower Court (which the guidebook incorrectly describes as the Pendower Hotel) and then the road brought us down to Pendower Beach, past the Pendower Beach Hotel (now sadly boarded up).

Pendower Beach and Carne Beach are actually two ends of one beach and because it was low tide we were able to walk the entire length along the sand, trying the work out the geology of the cliff behind the beach.

We climbed up the road behind Carne Beach for a short distance, before heading across fields above the cliffs but beneath rocky outcrops ('Carn' is Cornish for 'Tor') . We descended steeply towards the cove variously described as 'Tregagle's Hole, Paradoe Cove and Prada Cove - though the descent and corresponding ascent were not as difficult as I'd expected. We met another couple of walkers - they seemed very pleasant but there were two problems: (1) their dog took a distinct dislike to my walking poles and (2) they beat us to the picnic bench above the cove - however we went slightly further down the valley (off the path) and sat on the grass to eat our delicious lunch.

Climbing from Paradoe Cove there was a sudden rush of walkers, so we stopped to put on sun cream to let them pass. We soon needed the sun cream - it was distinctly warm on Nare Head (formerly 'Penare Head' but the name has been used in its shortened form for many years). We briefly met up with the other Mr and Mrs Jordan, then left the path to go right to the tip of Nare Head (definitely recommended). It was glorious, with yellow gorse and superb views. We continued past Gull Rock.

Descending towards Kiberick Cove (right) we encountered the path closure that we had been expecting, thanks to Mark at The Ship Inn but no thanks to Contours, who warned us of other diversions but missed this one, despite the fact that the path had been closed for a mile or so here since February. This closure was for repair work following a land slip and damaged bridge - as seems to usually be the case when the path is closed, a very local problem had resulted in the closure of a longer stretch of path, and an even longer diversion. However the good news was that the diversion was pleasant, well signposted and easy walking (again as is usually the case - there are fewer ups and downs away from the coast!).

We extended the diversion into the village of Veryan. Here we visited the pretty church of St Symphorian, with an offset tower and the curious claim to fame of the (reputedly) longest grave in the country. The grave is that of the sailors who died when the Hara was wrecked on Gull Rock in February 1914. We found it poignant to discover that the Hara was a German ship, yet in February 1914 there was obviously a sense of shared tragedy rather than wartime hostility. We also admired one of Veryan's 'round houses' (built by Jeremiah Trist, sometime vicar of the parish, who built a much larger house for himself), the well, and the attractive water garden. Then we stopped at Elerkey House, a curious mixture of B&B, coffee shop and 'antique'/craft shop, for a welcome cup of tea.

We walked back down the country lanes to the coast, then rounded Manare Point and the Jacka to Portloe, with excellent views of the sleepy little harbour from this direction. We waved to the other Mr & Mrs Jordan who were sitting on the terrace at the Lugger Hotel, then returned to the Ship Inn. In the evening we had a delicious meal then pottered around the village.

Following day