Port Isaac to Padstow

6 May 2024

Distance on Coast Path: 17.0km; ascent: 409m

Total distance: 18.9km; ascent: 409m

Walking time: 5h 02′

Total time: 7h 07′

Overnight: The Old Ship, Padstow

Leaving Port Isaac

Having said goodbye to Di and John I took a footpath starting only a few metres from their garden gate which led me down and then along the valley straight into Port Isaac, emerging by the lifeboat station. It was a fine day; blue sky, a slight breeze and not too hot. The Path follows a tarmac road up the hill out of the harbour, passing several sites where new housing is being built before ending at the gates of two properties. Here the Path continues as a narrow footpath heading for the day’s first headland, Lobber Point.

The SWCP Guidebook is right about this leg of the trail from Port Isaac to Padstow. It’s in three different parts, with the first stretch as far as Port Quin described as “a rollercoaster … quiet, scenic but energy-sapping”. Port Quin is only six and a half kilometres from Trewetha cottage, and the first 1.5km of that is downhill to the harbour. There’s nothing particularly challenging either, just a constant series of small to moderate ups and downs, but when I finally reached Port Quin and perched on the harbour wall for a rest and a snack I was astonished to see it had taken me 2 hours.

Port Quin

Port Quin itself is typical of so many small inlets along the north coast – a narrow bay between headlands, a few buildings, no services, and in this case a rocky foreshore (sandy being the other type).

The Rumps

The next part of the walk was easier as the Path follows the cliffs with only a few valley crossings, none of them demanding, as it heads out to a sharp promontory called The Rumps. There are remains of an ancient fort on the promontory but the Path cuts across the neck of the headland and I wasn’t tempted to make the detour.

Saunas by the Sea

A kilometre further along the cliff is Pentire Point where the Path turns south and enters its third phase of the day, leaving the wild and remote cliffs, headlands and coves for the developments of New Polzeath, Polzeath and Rock. Here were streets and shops, surf schools and saunas. Saunas? Certainly!

The Path is a road walk through New Polzeath, past the villas and new developments overlooking the sands of Hayle Bay. Hoping for some refreshment I was disappointed until I reached Polzeath itself. The town was busy with families on holiday all seeming to want the same but I settled on an ice cream bar on the first street I came to. I bought an ice cream and a cold ginger beer and sat at an outside bench table which was also occupied by a family with push chairs and tattoos. In my walking gear and backpack I might as well have come from another dimension because I was obviously invisible, for which I was grateful.

Happily the Path avoids most of Polzeath, taking a broad track between the houses and the coast past narrow beaches and rocks until it has left the town behind. I was now in the estuary of the River Camel, passing the broad sands of Daymer Bay and walking close to sea level. Skirting the potential steep obstacle of Bree Hill the Path then goes alongside a golf course with frequent “Keep to the path” notices until it spills out into a car park at the edge of the village of Rock, with Padstow on the other side of the estuary a ferry-ride away.

The ferry. I’d been slightly anxious about the day: would I get to Rock in time for the last ferry at 5.45? Once I’d reached Pentire Point I stopped worrying – I had plenty of time in hand. I followed the signs down the slipway from the car park and found the ferry had just arrived. A few passengers got off, I and a few others walked on, paid the man the £3 fare, sat for a few minutes and off we set. It couldn’t have been easier. The crossing took about 10 minutes and then I was walking up the slipway into Padstow itself, only a couple of hundred metres from The Old Ship.

I was quite tired by now so I didn’t explore the town that evening, but it had a good feel to it – lively in a good way. I ate in the hotel, restoking energy reserves with cottage pie. On their specials board was a 42oz Tomahawk Steak (for 2 people) for £70; I wondered if they got many takers.