One slightly cloudy, rain threatened day on our Cornwall holiday, we decided to take a stroll along part of the South West Coast Path.  Originally created by coastguards on patrol, the 630 mile path runs from Minehead in Somerset, round the Cornish peninsula to Poole Harbour in Dorset.  Our walk was to be much shorter, from Mawgan Porth to Bedruthan Steps and back again.

We parked for free in a small car park a stone’s throw from the beach at Mawgan Porth and, leaving Gangan to relax with Fudge (she was struggling arthritis in her knees), we made our way to the peaceful, dog friendly beach.  The start of our walk was some steps on the right hand side of the bay and after a short steep climb that certainly got the lungs going, we found ourselves on the top of the cliff wishing we’d left our coats in the car.  The path ahead was clear with lovely purple flowers on one side and the sea on the other.

There were no doubts to navigation as we were basically keeping the cliff to our left.  The proximity of the sheer drop to the sea also ensured we kept the dogs on their leads.  Rocky and Pebble have managed to fall in the local canal a couple of times of each on one short walk, so we weren’t taking any chances.  As we left the vicinity of Mawgan Porth, the vegetation changed to brambly shrubs lining our way.  The views to the sea were lovely, and the sky, though still threatening, was a lovely contrast to the yellow of the plants either side of us.  At this point however, the air was full of flies intent on dive bombing all of us.  Rowan was not at all happy with them and it was a case of hoods up to stop them flying in ears and hair.

We soldiered through and were soon free of the winged devils.  Presently, the magnificent Bedruthan Steps came into view.  It really is a stunning section of beach, with jagged rocks jutting out of the sand making for a spectacular place to admire.  The legend of Bedruthan the giant using the rock stacks as a short cut across the bay dates back to Victorian times.  Anma slightly modified this story to the giant chasing a little boy called Rowan, who obviously escaped.  This cheered Rowan up no end as he was still a little distraught over Battle of The Flies.

After some coffee and cakes at the National Trust tea shop a short stroll across the field, we made our way back along the cliff tops to Mawgan Porth.  The beach looked inviting, and as the dogs had been on their leads all day, we decided to take them down for a run.

It was a great little beach to explore, with a little waterfall and lots of caves to poke around in.  There were rocks to collect and pools to splash in.

The dogs certainly enjoyed their freedom, running around after each other.

And Anma and Rowan’s beach art summed it all up.

This was a short but enjoyable outing.  There and back the walk was just over two and a half miles, the route of which can be found here.  Bedruthan Steps is certainly a place I would like to go back and explore.  There is more information about the beach, including some important safety information, on the National Trust website here.