D127: PENPOL to MAWNAN
Sunday 28th April 2024
Today miles: 19.0 Total miles: 2106.3
It rained for several hours during the night, however when I woke this morning to my pleasant surprise the sky was blue once again. I left my accommodation just before seven and immediately made my way towards Perrin, where I was finally able to cross over Restronguet Creek. Due to it being early on a Sunday morning the roads were very quiet. There’s a steep climb and then an equally steep descent down towards Mylor Bridge. On reaching the village I sat down on a damp wooden bench next to the church and made myself a coffee and some porridge for breakfast. I then walked a further mile along Mylor Creek and was able to leave the minor roads behind at Mylor Churchtown marina. Despite the overnight rain there’s a nice solid, dry path. Fifteen minutes later I reached Trefusis Point where I got a spectacular view of Falmouth and Pendennis Castle. I thought to myself, I should be standing there in around two hours. It’s a breezy trek along the edge of Falmouth Harbour and then further on towards Penryn River. Several times my attention was diverted away from walking by many good examples of WW2 defensive fortifications on the approach into Falmouth harbour. I spent a little bit of time looking around each one as I came across it.
It was close to lunchtime when I arrived on the outskirts of Penryn, a small town which lies at the head of Falmouth harbour. There’s plenty of options to pick up some extra food, this included at least one Co-op store, several chip shops and even more cafes.
The four miles of walking from Penryn to Falmouth and then Pendennis Castle was along the edge of the B3292 and the A39 until I reached Falmouth docks, I was then able to walk through a narrow copse of trees until I reached the large visitors car park. It’s then only a short walk to Pendennis Point. As was expected, it’s busy with hundreds of visitors but I still managed to find a vacant bench looking out towards Falmouth Bay. I spent around an hour sat on the bench, studying my maps and wondering how much further I should go today. I felt good so decided to continue towards the campsite at Pennance Mill, about five miles away.
Not long after leaving Pendennis Point I came across a row of shops including a reasonably sized Mountain Warehouse. I was sad to give up my three year old Peter Storm shoes. Despite the poor condition I still found them to be comfortable and said goodbye to them with some sadness. I left them behind and strode confidently out of the shop in my brand new shoes, praying they’d be just as comfortable and blister free.
There’s a further mile of road walking before the route turns towards Pennance Point and then skirts around the edge of Falmouth golf course. It was then a further two miles until I turned away from the coast and headed inland for Pennance Mill campsite. It’s a great site only quarter of a mile from the coast. The campsite has a small bar so after pitching my tent and getting cleaned up I treat myself to two pints of local beer and some enjoyable banter with a couple of other guests. A good day.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 