Efflins to Newquay

14 September 2009 - Efflins to Newquay

Distance - 10.8 miles

Weather - Warm, but sometimes overcast

We stayed at - Roma Guest House, 1 Atlantic Road, Newquay, TR7 1QJ Cost £60.00

This morning we used a different footpath to take us back to the SWCP near Pentire Steps. We arrived at Bedruthan Steps just as the tide was coming in; however, we still had time to descend the copious, dangerous looking steps down the cliff to the beach below. We spent some time looking at the caves and sea stacks. These all have their own name - Diggory's Island, Queen Bess Rock, Samaritan Rock, Redcove Island, Pendarves Island and Carnewas Island. Finally as the sea started lapping at the base of the nearest stack, we climbed back up the steps onto the clifftop. I was glad our host told us the tide times so that we could explore them.

We continued through some gorse to descend around Trenance Point, just under the village of Trenance itself. We carried on walking until we reached the hotel at Watergate Bay, where we stopped for lunch. One of the plus points about walking a long distance footpath is that you tend to bump into a regular group of people each day. One bloke we met said he always knew where he'd meet up with Alistair and myself, as it would either be the pub or an ice cream shop! This day was no exception!

Although there was no need, we decided to leave the SWCP and explore Trevelgue Head, which is actually an island, reached by a little footbridge. We covered most of the island, then walked back to the coast path and on to Newquay.

Our guide book said that it might be a good idea not to stay in Newquay and to try and get accommodation in Pentire instead. On arrival at Newquay we could see why. It is the largest town on this stretch of the SWCP and it's well served by buses and trains. There are great beaches for surfing and so it is very popular with teenagers and young adults. It is really busy, noisy and dirty. There are fast food and pub chains galore. I expect if you're young it's like paradise. As a woman of mature years, I was pleased that our hotel was on the outskirts of the town towards Pentire.

We checked into our B&B which had the biggest array of warning signs and requests I've ever come across. Don't hang wetsuits outside the window, don't let off the fire extinguishers, don't leave doors open, don't smoke in the hotel etc. Nearly every wall and surface had at least one of these notes, which gave us some idea of the usual clientele.

After a shower we left our gear and made our way down to the harbour, basically because we didn't want to go back into town. Lucky for us that we did, as the fishing boats had come in and there were three or four seals putting on a tremendous show, begging for fish and diving down after any that were thrown over the side for them. The water in the harbour was so clear, we could clearly see them torpedoing through the water. We spent a good half hour or so watching, before finding a nice pub to eat in. Then went back to the B&B, where we contemplated letting off the fire extinguishers!