Coastal beauty and another rebellious footpath
A spectacular stretch of Cornwall, complete with essential caffeine, an optimistic castle and a wedding mystery.
An early start from Mullion Car Park at around 8:40am saw me heading down to the picturesque harbour before turning right to join the South West Coast Path towards Poldhu Cove. After just two miles, disaster nearly struck—my caffeine levels had dropped dangerously low. Thankfully, Poldhu Beach Café came to the rescue with a much-needed latte.
Suitably refuelled after a 15-minute break, I continued along the spectacular coastline, passing Mullion Golf Course on my way to Church Cove. Here I stopped to visit the beautiful St Winwaloe Church, tucked away just above the beach. Inside, the main aisle was beautifully decorated with flowers. At the time I wondered why—the answer would reveal itself later.
Spotting a sign for Gunwalloe Cliff Castle, curiosity got the better of me. I wandered up the cliffs expecting at least a few crumbling walls or a lonely turret. Instead, I found absolutely nothing resembling a castle. Either history has been particularly thorough, or someone's definition of “castle” is rather optimistic!
Back on the coast path, I made my way towards Gunwalloe Fishing Cove. En route I perched on the rocks below the path for lunch, watching the Atlantic crash and swirl against the cliffs—a perfect place to sit, relax and appreciate Cornwall at its finest.
Reaching Gunwalloe Fishing Cove, I found very little evidence of either fishing or a cove, but there was the magnificent sweep of Porthleven Sands stretching into the distance.
One thing I never enjoy on a hike is retracing my steps, so I decided to return inland using roads and public footpaths. In hindsight, perhaps not my finest tactical decision.
After my infamous “prison break” footpath adventure a few weeks earlier, I confidently thought lightning wouldn't strike twice. Oh, how wrong I was! Arriving in the village of Cury, I faithfully followed the route shown on the map, only to find myself wading through a field of shoulder-high corn before eventually locating the official footpath—which promptly went absolutely nowhere.
Forty-five frustrating minutes and an unnecessary extra 1½ miles later, I admitted defeat and retraced my steps. With the map now firmly on my naughty list, I followed the road towards Mullion Golf Course before picking up the bridleway through the course and rejoining the coast path near Poldhu.
Passing St Winwaloe Church once again, the mystery of the flowers was solved. Bells were ringing, music filled the air and guests gathered outside—the happy couple had just tied the knot. Congratulations to them, and thankfully I wasn't mistaken for an uninvited guest!
Back at Poldhu Beach Café, it would have been rude not to reward myself with an ice cream before tackling the final stretch.
Rather than walking the same section of coast path again, I opted to follow the road back to Mullion. What I hadn't anticipated was quite how many roads—and houses—Mullion seemed to possess. The seemingly endless march through housing estates eventually led me back to the car, and after the last couple of miles with increasingly sore feet, it was a very welcome sight.
The weather was a welcome change from the oppressive heat earlier in the week. It stayed warm, with sunshine, cloud and a refreshing breeze making for almost ideal hiking conditions.
A fantastic day exploring one of Cornwall's finest stretches of coastline. Stunning scenery, a surprise wedding, an invisible castle, another rebellious footpath and, most importantly, both coffee and ice cream. I'd call that a successful hike!
