42 St Merryn to Mawgan Porth

A spectacular coast in rainy weather – wide beaches of golden, fine-grained sand, jagged jumbles of cliff rocks, a lifeboat station that saved many sailors, two more huge, alarming, deep holes, and a famous beach at Bedruthan Steps.

The route, day 42

Down the hill from St Merryn, then all day on the Southwest Coast Path. 13.5 miles/21.5 km, 575 metres ascent. 

Harlyn Bay

Harlyn Bay to Long Cove

Harlyn Bay looking west

View back to Harlyn Bay

Beach at Long Cove

Long Cove and lifeboat station

Padstow Lifeboat Station at Long Cove

Trevose Head to Porthcothan

Trevose Head lighthouse 


Dinas Head

Constantine Bay, in better weather a surfers' beach, on this day with wind for kitesurfing


Minnows Islands

Portcothan

Two More Unnerving Holes in the Ground

A deep circular hole at Dinas Head, unfenced

The hole at Minicothan beach, with a view through a gap of the sand beyond

Porthcothan to Mawgan Porth

Bedruthan Steps, a famous beauty spot since Victorian times, but due to cliff falls the steps down to the beach were closed.

So I was unable to walk along the sands at low tide, and stayed on the cliff top, where summer flowers were turning brown.

A misty view of the cove at Mawgan Porth, not a long beach but deep, the sea receding a long way at low tide. 


The beach at Harlyn Bay. John Sykes was here, 8 September 2024.