Pad stow to Port Isaac - Day 11

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Today was a perfect day for hiking, with lots of sun, cool temperatures and no wind.

We started our 7 mile hike in Harlyn, basically circumventing the Camel Estuary and following the coastline.

We ended our hike in Padstow, where some from our party spent the morning.

Along the way, we crossed pastures where cows were grazing, walked through fields, bordered the shoreline with its native grasses, walked along beaches and marveled at more of the amazing cliffs that are representative of Cornwall. Here is a little album of photos from the hike:

This is a "day mark" to help sailors navigate during the day. It is not a lighthouse.

A late bloomer. Not sure what it is.

These are the old coast guard cottages on the right and the captain's cottages on the left, now private housing.

View of Padstow.

The trail took us directly into Padstow and was our lunch stop. It has a long history as a port and once thrived as a center for the fishing industry, the export of copper ore and slate, and the export of grain. Although all these industries have declined, Padstow still has some fishing industry. In recent years it has become famous because it is the home of Michelin-starred celebrity chef Rick Stein, who has several restaurants in the town.

At 2:30 we took the Black Tor Ferry (which has been in continuous operation since 1337) across the Camel River to Rock, an upscale village on the coast.

From there our bus took us to Trevathan Farm where we were treated to "cream tea." This is basically tea and a scone with jam and clotted cream (which resembles thick whipped butter).

We finished our day with a stop in Port Isaac, made famous as the fictional Port Wenn in the Doc Martin TV series.

All of the episodes are filmed here. 

The small house in the middle with the orange trim is Doc Martin's.  

It is a very tiny village with many buildings dating back hundreds of years, but it was fun to see for an hour.

We arrived back at 5:30 and had dinner at 7.  Roger, the owner, made Pimm's Cups for several of us which were very good. A great ending to another great day.

Here's a PS for today. Photo of the hiking part of the group on a beach near Padstow.