63 Par to Polruan
Beautiful coastal scenery and challenging weather all day, a conspicuous navigation mark, forts for defence against the French and a decoy site to fool German bombers, a ferry ride across a sheltered natural harbour to the historic port and shipyard town of Polruan.
The route, day 63
From the beach at Par on the coast path to Fowey, the ferry from Fowey to Polruan. 7.5 miles/12.3 km and 395 metres ascent
Vom Strand in Par am Küstenpfad nach Fowey, mit der Fähre von dort über den Fowey River nach Polruan. 12,3 km, 395 Höhenmetern.
Par Beach
Dodging the Showers
The weather played cat-and-mouse with us all day. Rainy squalls approached from the sea unpredictably and with alarming speed. Usually you can see them coming, so: take the rucksack off, find the waterproof cape and put it on, pull out the rain cover at the bottom of the rucksack and attach it, hunker down behind a hedge.
Outcome A: The wind rises suddenly, the rain hits - and two minutes later, the sun is shining. Take off the waterproof cape, but leave the cover on the rucksack, because the next squall can't be far away.
Outcome B: After three minutes behind the hedge, stand upright and look around in bewilderment. The heavy shower that was rushing straight at us is nowhere to be seen.
Polkerris
Gribbin Head
The daymark at Gribbin Head is 25 metres tall. Its conspicuous stripes warn ships' captains that they are approaching the shallow waters of St Austell Bay: "For the safety of commerce and for the preservation of mariners, this beacon was erected in the year of Our Lord 1832." The daymark is complemented by the mournful clanging of a bell that was fitted inside a buoy to ring as the buoy rocks in the waves.
Gribbin Head to St Catherine's Point
Polridmouth Cove
On one side a charming sandy bay; turn around, and the view changes completely: a lake made by damming a stream that was a decoy site in the Second World War, lights around a surface of water with the aim of diverting German air-raids away from the port of Fowey to drop bombs on the empty beach and lake.
Defence Against the French
Polruan
Crab sandwiches, anyone?
While a local joker has adorned a stone wall in Polruan, the serious-minded residents run a charming old-fashioned reading-room-cum-local-museum with lots of interesting exhibits, including historic photographs of ships and the town, as well as the ensign of the minesweeper HMS Polruan.
Between Gribbin Head and Polridmouth Cove. John Sykes was here, 12 September 2025