We decided to walk locally today as Helen and Colin only came back off holiday the day before and didn't want to travel very far. We left Holywell Bay car park at noon and wandered over the mountainous dunes until we found the coastal path. This was not so easy to find! The dunes were quite extensive and no discernable route could be seen. Surely we weren't lost even before we began. Eventually Colin saw some wooden palings leading over a dune, these were followed with hope, then we saw steps leading upwards to the cliffs. We didn't see the holy well as it is on the beach, under the cliffs and we didn't want to go down there again and get cut off by the tide.

We headed round Kelsey Head and in a little inlet we saw a lovely seal - even its spots were visible. The sun was hot but at least there was a breeze. The view was spectacular: All the green grassy headlands that we had to walk were in sight, there was so much thrift about and also sea bindweed growing in the little pockets of sand. We dropped down into the little valley of Porth Joke and then rounded West Pentire Head, there we got separated from the men as Dot met an old friend, who she hadn't seen for about five years sitting on a bench. We walked on to Crantock, passing a hotel with two donkeys in a paddock, negotiating more extensive dunes, taking a wrong path again.

Looking up The Gannel from the steps above the ferry

We finally reached the beach cafe and had a wonderful ice cream each - even Honey. After a long rest, we slid down a steep gully onto the beach where the holiday makers gave us strange looks as we plodded across the sand in walking boots and with rucksacks on! We crossed the bridge over the Gannel by the ferry and went into the little fish exhibition, then plucked up the courage to walk up the near vertical steps to Pentire. We were going to count these, but we became too hot and tired to bother. We nobly ignored the little cafe at the top and continued onwards to Fistral Bay, crossing the golf course which was crowded. We were very hot and tired when we reached the old lifeboat station where Colin had left his car and it was a real effort to drive back to Holywell Bay car park to get the other car when all we wanted to do was to go home.

A necessary stop at Pentire!

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