Padstow to Rumps Point
A ferry across a beautiful estuary, a pilgrimage to the grave of a poet laureate, big waves for surfers and a boiling sea around the jagged rocks of Rump Point,
where an ancient fort stood at the tip of the windswept peninsula. An exhilarating and moving walk.
Photo left, Rumps Point: spot the crocodile!
The Route, Day 40
A circular walk, starting with the ferry from Padstow across the Camel estuary to Rock, to St Enodoc's Church and the sands of Daymer Bay, the surfers' beach at Polzeath, via Pentreglaze to The Rumps, returning via Pentire Point.
13 miles, 20.5 km, 509 metres ascent.
A word of explanation: the original plan was to walk the coast path without interruption, but the stages Tintagel - Port Isaac and Port Isaac - Padstow were not possible, as no accommodation was available in Port Isaac and the bus service to and from Port Isaac was not operating in the week when I was there. The gap will be closed at a later date.
Padstow Harbour
The Padstow - Rock Ferry
Rock and Daymer Bay
Sir John Betjeman, Poet Laureate, 1906 - 1984
St Enodoc's Church
In the middle of a golf course and surrounded by a tamarisk hedge to keep sand out of the graveyard
Because we're experienced, reliable, and focused on results, we've had the privilege of working with a host of fantastic clients.
Polzeath Bay
Around Rumps Point
Walk carefully here!
Walk very, very carefully!
Approach to Rumps Point
View back from Rumps Point
Memorial in St Enodoc's Church to the crew of the Maria Asumpta, wrecked at Rumps Point
Route of the coast path south-west from Rumps Point
Back to Polzeath and the Camel estuary
Back to Padstow
I wanted to stay here forever, watching the waves as they crashed on the rocks
... but the ferry takes a break at low tide, so it was time to head back to Polzeath
and the beach at Rock, with the tide receding
The ferry was still operating
Vanilla Ice-Cream with Sea Salt?
Padstow is firmly in the hands of Rick Stein, the chef credited with reviving the art of cooking seafood in England. He runs a fine-dining restaurant, a bistro, a fish and chip shop, a fish shop and a cookery school there. The fish and chips were good. A second big presence in the town were Kelly's ice-cream vans, causing a traffic jam in the narrow lanes and venturing onto the beach at Polzeath. A few days after I left Cornwall, a Kelly's van made news headlines when the driver was ambushed by the incoming tide nearby at Harlyn, which produced some entertaining pictures in the media, e.g. at www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ice-cream-van-swept-out-33195135 and
www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3g9j33g22jo
Daymer Bay.
John Sykes was here, 28 June 2024
