On a crisp winter’s day, there’s nothing quite like a Cornish coastal walk to snap your synapses into gear: wind stippling the waves, seabirds wheeling overhead and the immensity of the Atlantic stretching out to the horizon. The Gregorian calendar might be a manmade construct, but there’s still something about the early months of the year that feel laden with opportunity. And when you’re gazing out to sea, your face being flecked by saltwater and your jacket being buffeted by the breeze, you feel this sense of promise more keenly than usual.
The walk listed here is perfect for a half-day hike. It’s neither too long or too short, and the route itself begins and ends at YHA Treyarnon Bay. The hostel itself is much-loved — 287 customer ratings with an average score of 91% can’t be wrong — and sits so close to the sea that you’ll almost get your feet wet getting out of bed. It occupies a sturdy 1930s building that was once a holiday home but has since been reinvented as a cosy, smartly decorated hostel for seaside-lovers. There’s a bar, too. The place is, in other words, exactly what you’d wish for from a walking base.
And what a location. Like everywhere along this most ravishing of coastlines, it sits on the peerless South West Coast Path, a National Trail that stretches for more than 630 miles around the entire peninsula. In this instance, however, the path simply guides you along the opening section of a walk that covers just five miles but packs in plenty. Among myriad other points of interest, you’ll pass the mysterious, 80ft-deep Round Hole — a naturally formed blowhole or an alien crater? you decide — and the iconic whitewashed bulk of Trevose Head Lighthouse, first lit in 1847.
It’s said that in the winter of 1846, during its construction, gales came in that ripped the scaffolding clean off the tower. Don’t let this put you off the walk — after all, what’s a winter hike without a blast of the elements? — but do take it as a sign that extra layers, waterproofs and proper footwear should be treated as essential. And most of all, enjoy the trail. Sea views like this are to be cherished year-round.
Photo credit: Adobestock – Matthew.
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