The Pentewan Trail, Cornwall

We had a walk, or maybe it was more of a stroll, along the Pentewan Valley Trail.

It was a little damp under foot but all was very pleasant. We walked alongside the small river heading towards Pentewan harbour and village.

Part of the walk is a path through a wood, very attractive with the fallen leaves underfoot.

It had been raining a heck of a lot, so much water either side of the path.

The trees and reflections made some confusing views.

The trail ended for us at Pentewan harbour. The photo below shows the sluice gate built in 1872. This  controlled the water used to flush out the harbour basin. 

A few more small trees and quite a lot of water.

And then we reached the now defunct harbour at Pentewan.

From here we retraced our steps alongside the river.

I guess we walked just under three miles. So nothing very strenuous, but it's always uplifting to get out in the fresh air and amongst the trees and nature.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

A couple of random Pentewan posts:

Pentewan Harbour, Beach and Village, Cornwall

Pentewan Beach Cornwall and Seeing What is Sometimes Missed in Life

Pentewan Harbour and Beach, Cornwall

Brrr! It was a bit chilly, but the sun was out and the rain had gone away to plague somewhere else. We decided to see if anything was occurring at Pentewan.

The photo above shows part of Pentewan harbour, as does the photo below.

The harbour is no longer used and is now landlocked.

In the late 1800s, and early 1900s the harbour would have been full of tall sailing ships exporting local china clay, metals and the like all over the world.

I have a photo from 1900 with the harbour filled with sailing boats - see my post: Pentewan: How it Looked in 1900 Compared with Today.


As you wander around the harbour there are bits and pieces left over from the working days. See photo above - and below shows train rails from that period.

What looks like a wooden fence was once a bridge over the harbour inlet.

Below is what is left of the old harbour wall.

It was all a bit of a mess to the west (right) of the wall. Much had been damaged since our last visit.

The White River was still making its way across the sand to the sea.

More of the damage.

Below is a bit of an illusion as it looks like the wooden posts are supporting the sand.

On the other side of the harbour wall it was like a different world, a sandy beach and blue sky.

A few of the cliffs ...

... and a man carrying his young son on the beach.

Having had our fill of sea air we made our way to the Pentewan village ...

... and the Ship Inn. From here we were homeward bound.

Other Pentewan Posts:

An Easy Walk at Pentewan, Cornwall Taking In Trees, Sea, Sand, Cliffs and a Private Cove For Lunch

Pentewan Beach Cornwall and Seeing What is Sometimes Missed in Life

Walking to Black Head, Cornwall - With Magnificent Views of Coastline

We tried to think of somewhere we hadn't walked for quite a while and we decided a visit to Black Head would be our destination

We parked at Trenarren, there are about eight parking spots. Luckily there were only two other cars parked. 

Driving to Trenarren is fun as the lane / road is quite narrow and at times there is only room for one car. Fortunately there are a few passing points, so have to keep fingers crossed and hope you are near a passing point if a car comes in the opposite direction.

The mound of the Black Head Headland can be seen in the photo below.

Black Head is just over 150 feet high and was once the site of an ancient fort. There are also the remnants of a rifle range built in the 1880s.

 Somehow, as we were going from memory, we took a wrong path - but as it was a pleasant day it didn't really matter.

Close to the path leading to the headland there is a monument to Arthur Leslie Rowse (1903-1997) a writer, poet and historian.

He was the son of an uneducated china clay worker and was the first Cornishman to win a university scholarship, reading English at Christchurch College, Oxford. 

At last on Black Head - to the west can be seen the cliffs …

...and in the distance the beach at Pentewan.

A view to the east ...

… and the long sandy beach at Carlyon Bay can be seen.

A final view before the walk back to our car.

All very pleasant, I'm always happy walking the Cornish coastline.

Places mentioned in the post:

Looking For Lucky Shells at Carlyon Bay, Cornwall 

An Easy Walk at Pentewan, Cornwall Taking In Trees, Sea, Sand, Cliffs and a Private Cove For Lunch

Pentewan Beach Cornwall and Seeing What is Sometimes Missed in Life

We walked to Pentewan Beach, Cornwall and found we were the only people enjoying the freedom, other than someone collecting shells.

Some of the rocks were covered with mussels, and other limpet like shell creatures, waiting anxiously for the tide to turn.

We walked to the cliffs where we spotted a sunflower painted on the rocks. This reminded us to look more carefully at the abundance of wild flowers growing freely - which we may otherwise have missed.

It's strange how easily we can miss all sorts of things in life. Sometimes we need a nudge to keep us focused.

Okay, I know the next bit is way off track to my normal posts, but I had been reading an old book from the 1930s. The author Dr. Paul Brunton wrote:

The great De Beer diamond fields of South Africa were discovered through a child picking out of the wall of an old Dutch farm a small coloured pebble - out of a wall which, for years, had been passed and re-passed many thousands of times by people blind to the treasure at their elbows ...

Wonder what we may have passed by. The author in the book went deeper though as he continued:

How many people have heard the gentle whisper of the inner self or felt its faint guidance, only to brush the visitants aside without understanding; how many have dismissed as mere thoughts the early intimations of diviner life?

Free seats at Pentewan for contemplation!

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