Originally posted by kernelbogey
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I have just come across this thread for the first time (and, hence, have not read previous posts).
A couple of weeks ago a friend and I walked about 20 miles of one of the wildest parts of the Cornwall Coast Path, the north coast of Penwith, from Cape Cornwall to St Ives, taking three days. For much of this section, the path is remote from any habitation, although at times the road is not far away. I was reminded that the Cornwall coast has many tiny beaches, revealed only at low tide, which look almost or completely inaccessible from above, due to the steepness of the cliffs. Ocasionally one comes across a beach remote enough to be known by, presumably, mainly locals. I'm away from my maps as I write, but we came across one such, where a lone couple were enjoying walking over the beach, newly washed by the tide.
Owning a 1:25,000 OS map, and having the necessary skills to decode the visual signals into walkable/inaccessible mental images is the key to finding such litoral treasures. Few tourists (aka visitors, grockles, emmets) in the county have the motivation to move beyond the obvious beaches. (I grew up there, but now enjoy honorary emmet status
.)
Nearer my home, Hengistbury Head, just east of Bournemouth, provides a wonderfully wild bit of beach (mostly shingle, little sand even at low tide) which even at the height of the summer season remains lightly populated, as most people prefer to stay close to the western end, and to the very efficient cafe, the Hungry Hiker. You can park your car at this western end, walk the mile or so along the shingle beach to a stretch of well-known and popular sandy beach and another beach cafe. Whence, sated, one can either walk back to the car over the cliff-top or take the 'land train', which services the many semi-residential beach huts at the eastern end. An extraordinary bit of Britain, resting slightly, I feel, in a time-warp.
A couple of weeks ago a friend and I walked about 20 miles of one of the wildest parts of the Cornwall Coast Path, the north coast of Penwith, from Cape Cornwall to St Ives, taking three days. For much of this section, the path is remote from any habitation, although at times the road is not far away. I was reminded that the Cornwall coast has many tiny beaches, revealed only at low tide, which look almost or completely inaccessible from above, due to the steepness of the cliffs. Ocasionally one comes across a beach remote enough to be known by, presumably, mainly locals. I'm away from my maps as I write, but we came across one such, where a lone couple were enjoying walking over the beach, newly washed by the tide.
Owning a 1:25,000 OS map, and having the necessary skills to decode the visual signals into walkable/inaccessible mental images is the key to finding such litoral treasures. Few tourists (aka visitors, grockles, emmets) in the county have the motivation to move beyond the obvious beaches. (I grew up there, but now enjoy honorary emmet status
.)Nearer my home, Hengistbury Head, just east of Bournemouth, provides a wonderfully wild bit of beach (mostly shingle, little sand even at low tide) which even at the height of the summer season remains lightly populated, as most people prefer to stay close to the western end, and to the very efficient cafe, the Hungry Hiker. You can park your car at this western end, walk the mile or so along the shingle beach to a stretch of well-known and popular sandy beach and another beach cafe. Whence, sated, one can either walk back to the car over the cliff-top or take the 'land train', which services the many semi-residential beach huts at the eastern end. An extraordinary bit of Britain, resting slightly, I feel, in a time-warp.
*The year of Kula Shaker's album.
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