SWCP Day 48 – 11 Oct 2018

Freathy – Plymouth

I know I said I’d rest up, but on one of the days in Plymouth I’d have to backtrack to fill in the gap and Friday’s weather looked much worse than Thursday, so away I went, thanks to the power of cold and flu meds, on the bus back to Freathy.

Under the miserable gloom of soggy and blustery skies,…

…I plodded for what felt like hours along Freathy Cliff, then Wiggle Cliff (whoever named some of these places deserves a prize), past Ninney Rock and Captain Blake’s Point, all the way to Rame Head,…

…where the wind seemed to magically pick up the clouds and spurn them out to sea. Phew! For a while the clouds looked like upside-down waves rolling south-west in the sky.

I was happy to trade the rain for the wind, but it made for a tricky walk along the exposed path between Rame Head and Penlee Point – both on a promontory shaped a bit like an axe head.

I love when the wind shapes trees like this.

Rounding Penlee Point brought a welcome reprieve from the wind as the path droped slowly down into sheltered woods.

By the time I got to the twin villages of Cawsands and Kingsand I was more than ready for a break and a bite to eat. Luckily the Cross Keys Inn obliged with a delicious seafood chowder, warm crusty bread, and a half pint of delicious cider. Mmmmm. I hung out there for a good hour, but since the path doesn’t walk itself I eventually had to get going. I had 5 km to walk before reaching the Cremyll ferry across the Tamar River, first passing these weirdly wonderful rock formations along Martin’s Cove,…

…taking in views of The Sound (Plymouth’s enormous bay),…

…and doing my best not to trip on the bazillion sweet chestnut seed cases (apparently these are called cupules) along the woodland path. I stupidly tried to pick one up. They look so cute and fluffy. But those are seriously sharp spikes!

Many a squirrel kept me company, and I’m sure a whole tribe must have lived in this amazing tree.

Nearing the end of this stretch the path rounds a deer park attached to Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, where there are all sorts of grottos and temples and garden vistas.

I didn’t stay to explore though since I could see the Cremyll ferry loading passengers at the slipway and was keen to bring the day to a close. I could almost feel the bliss of a hot shower and my bed, not far away near the Barbican area of Plymouth.

Tomorrow I will rest, for sure – zzzzz.

Stats: 33266 steps; 146 floors; 23.09 km

Sightings: wild ponies stubbornly blocking the path