Tintagel to Port Isaac

5 May 2024

Distance on Coast Path: 14.0km; ascent: 538m

Total distance: 15.0km; ascent: 612m

Walking time: 4h 19′

Total time: 6h 51′

Overnight: Trewetha Cottage B&B

Old slate quarry and residual rock stack

My 9.15 taxi from Boscastle dropped me off at the top of the road leading down to the castle and the coast in Tintagel. If Bude to Crackington Haven had been a day of Big Mud, leaving Tintagel definitely brought me into the world of Big Slate. Although there is little left of any buildings the scars on the cliffs are obvious. In places the whole cliff has been cut away; elsewhere, peering down into tiny coves I could see man-made caves and holes. Rock which wasn’t slatey enough had been left unquarried, sometimes in great spoil heaps sliding down to the sea.

Heavy cloud warning of rain – Port William [sic], aka Trebarwith, with Gull Rock.

There was rain forecast for an hour or two around mid-day and the heavy cloud building up confirmed it was on its way so I put on my waterproofs as the first drops blew in on the wind. The official SWCP guidebook rates this leg as ‘Severe’, citing six “sometimes precipitously steep” valleys cutting into the route and overall being “remote, lonely and often tough”.

I managed to get into a mindset of steady progress, taking the descents into the valleys carefully and the climbs up the far side slowly, mentally ticking off the down-and-ups until I lost count at number 4 or 5. The rain arrived, heavy for twenty minutes then lighter until clearing away as forecast after about 90 minutes.

Throughout my planning for this trip I’d had problems finding affordable accommodation along the route for a solo traveller. In some places a two-night stay combined with bus journeys was feasible. At other times I had to book somewhere a little way inland, and Port Isaac was one of those; my B&B was a kilometre out of the centre up a hill. But I was making good progress and it looked as if I would get to Port Isaac with time to spare.

The footpath to Trewetha Cottage left the Path at Port Gaverne, a village which precedes but merges with Port Isaac. I was promising myself a drink and a rest there before heading out but there were no facilities or cafés and the Port Gaverne Hotel was out-of-season silent. It was a dreary place.

In contrast I couldn’t have had a warmer welcome at the cottage from the hosts Di and John. No problem about early arrival, cup of tea offered and accepted, pleasant room. Even more, John said he would drive me into Port Isaac so I could have a meal, and pick me up afterwards.

I didn’t know that Port Isaac was the location for the Doc Martin TV series – I’d never watched it – nor that it is the home of the sea shanty-singing Fisherman’s Friends. I hadn’t expected it to be squeezed in to such a tight valley, with narrow higgledy-piggeldy streets in the centre by the harbour. At six o’clock on a fine Bank Holiday Sunday everywhere was busy. John had suggested The Golden Lion down by the harbour as a good local pub which did food, so I went there in search of a beer and possibly some food. It was packed both inside and outside on the small terrace overlooking the harbour. Most people seemed to be local as they all appeared to know each other. I stayed long enough to have a beer but I wasn’t comfortable so I moved on.

Port Isaac harbour

I spent ten minutes wandering the central streets near the harbour and decided I liked the look (and the menu) of a seafood restaurant just behind the Golden Lion called The Mote. There were a few tables outside, all occupied, but I could see there were empty tables inside so I went in and got a table on the understanding I would finish by 8.15, which I happily agreed to. The meal was good – a starter followed by an excellent dish of crab linguine with a glass of white wine.

With time to spare before John was due to pick me up I had a second glass of wine in The Slipway, which was less crowded than the Golden Lion had been. John was on time , so I was back at Trewetha Cottage by 8.30.