Gorran Haven August 30

On this day we went a bit closer to home on the south coast of the county, Gorran Haven. We had a few difficulties finding the private car park, but eventually found it and even worked out how we were meant to pay, after being chased by a man at the gate...

Again, there were lots of people about making the most of a sunny summer day. It had started out chilly, so I wore a long sleeved shirt, which I bitterly regretted almost immediately. Always wear layers! We made our way down winding streets to the water's edge. There was a tiny beach, maybe 15 metres square, jam-packed with sunbathers. We left them behind, and started heading uphill to the cliff tops.

Again, there were blackberries along the way, which we happily browsed on. This was the cause of some friction with another family with a small boy, who wanted to pick berries too, but his parents just wanted to move along. Too bad! We couldn't let them go uneaten...

We had to walk through a few fields with cows, which were supremely unconcerned with us (thank goodness.) It was very hilly, but we soldiered on gamely.

Somehow these cliffs did not seem so wild as the north coast ones, although it is hard to say why. Both were right next to farms... We walked through a bit of woodland, and through another village. People were seen picking more sloes than blackberries, which interested me. Maybe there is something else to do with them than soak them in gin... or maybe many people like a good store of sloe gin in the cupboard. Hmmm.

The last stretch of the walk we saw few people in.

We were glad of long trousers because of close brambles and rampant stinging nettles.

Then there was the most vicious uphill stretch we have ever encountered. It was all soft green turf, but only about 2-3 metres wide, so zig-zagging up it was not an option. The children actually went on hands and knees in a couple of places. Wayne decided to power up it, but I floundered up it panting like a fat labrador. Sheesh! I don't think this photo of Eleanor and me on it does it justice, although Eleanor is crawling and the foreshortening is not at all flattering to my legs. Thankfully, it was nearly the last stretch, so we did not have far to go to the car park.

This time, we did look around for a pub. Unfortunately, we could not find one that was open for lunches. At least we quenched our thirst before heading home for a feed.