D124: PORTSCATHO to TREGONY
Thursday 25th April 2024
Today miles: 17.5 Total miles: 2068.5
I need to work my around towards Falmouth. There’s a ferry Port about three miles away at St Anthony but no, crazy me is going to walk all the way around via Truro. It’s roughly 45 miles and three days of walking. Just to make things that little bit sweeter, the weather is also going to take a turn for the worst. I left the campsite just South of Portscatho around 7.30am and was back on the coast path five minutes later. The first couple of miles towards St Anthony’s Point was pleasant and the sun was still shining in the clear blue sky. There’s a slight descent down towards St Anthony’s Lighthouse where I had a clear view across the harbour to St Mawes. There’s several wooden seats laid out along the footpath and I took advantage of one of these seats for an early first break. At St Anthony’s I visited the small church hoping to find a kettle and the ingredients for making a coffee, which is not unusual in these small rural religious buildings.
Unfortunately there’s no such facilities here, but I enjoyed looking around anyway. Just beyond the ferry dock there’s a short stretch of walking through woodland which although only temporary, was a refreshing change. It was a further three miles around Percuil River and Polingey Creek until I arrived back on the Western edge of Portscatho.
It was only 11am and it’s far too early to stop for the day. After checking the logistics of the next few days I decided that I would spend a second night at Portscatho. I could walk as far as Tregony and then return to Portscatho via bus. I checked with the campsite that they had availability, then emptied several of the bulkier items from my pack before continuing. The first two miles out of Portscatho were along quiet minor roads, where I encountered very little traffic. After passing through several small villages, Treworlas, Treworthal, Treworga and then Trethella I found myself on the edge of the Ruan River. I began to wandering, what was the obsession with the letters ‘TRE’. Looking at the map Truro looks to be so close but it’s still more than eight miles away. After an extended break, which included a nap, I eventually moved off to cover the remaining three miles to Tregony. On the road into Tregony, which runs parallel with the River Fal there’s a generic ‘Road Closed’ sign, several cones and an accompanying yellow Diversion’ sign. I guessed this was intended for cars so just continued along the road, praying that I wouldn’t be turned around before reaching Tregony.
There’s several side roads with closures, meaning I can walk in the middle of the road without fear of becoming road kill. On entering Tregony I passed more signs but didn’t spot any reason for the closure, no road collapse or road works. The bus back to Portscatho is due in forty minutes so I took the opportunity to look around the town. There’s a decent sized shop, a pub, primary school and a church. I visited the shop and then sat waiting for the bus. It was three thirty and I was joined at the bus stop by dozens of (well behaved) Cornish children. The weather is expected to turn wet overnight and I should be back in Tregony around 8am.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 