See the West Country in Glorious Sunshine

Yes, Summer really is here and the good weather looks set to continue.

If you were in the West Country now, how would you be lapping up the good weather, cooling down and seeing the sights? We’ve a few suggestions.

Water sports are big in the South West and when the sun is shining, they’re even more popular than usual. Cooling down can be twinned with fun and learning a new skill, with surfing lessons at any number of popular beaches including Fistral in Newquay.

Paddle boarding is a more leisurely sport. It can be enjoyed on the sea or waterways across the region but if it’s your first go, a good place to start is with Venus Riders at Blackpool Sands in South Devon.

Any section of the South West Coast Path can be enjoyed at your own pace but an evening stroll shows it in a different light, with beautiful sunsets, seascapes and the calming down of nature all around you. See the Summer Strolls section of the South West Coast Path website for inspiration and don’t forget to take a bottle of water per person, a sun hat and sun screen, even towards the end of the day.

This is the first long heatwave since 2006 and new record temperatures are being set but forecasters have said it could continue for quite some time. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and follow guidance for keeping cool to be sure you can make the most of the good weather and see the West Country at its best.

For special offers on holiday cottage availability in the West Country for July and August, click here.

For Information call Helpful Holidays on 01647 433593. To plan your next visit to the West Country and to find a holiday home, go to http://www.helpfulholidays.com.

Photo courtesy FuturePresent.

The Great South West Walk

Can you guess which one of the West Country’s top tourist attractions we’re thinking of? It generates over £300 million for the regional economy each year, but it isn’t a theme park, a building or a shopping centre, so what could it be?

Did you guess that we’re thinking of a path? If you did, well done! But this isn’t any ordinary path – the South West Coast Path is 630 miles of glorious coastline, with rich wildlife and breath-taking scenery.

Despite its huge positive financial impact on the local economy, funding for maintenance of the path in recent years has shrunk. Improvements and upgrades to the path are continually needed to make it more accessible, attractive to different users and a surface safe to walk on all year round.

Thankfully the South West Coast Path Association is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2013 by organising the Great South West Walk, raising funds to give the path some much needed tender loving care. Through individual sponsorship, grants, corporate sponsorship and matched giving, the target is to raise £250,000. 

They hope to achieve this by organising a series of half- or full-day sponsored walks, done in relay over 56 legs, to cover the entire 630 mile path around Dorset, Devon and Cornwall (as well as the entire Exmoor coast through Somerset). Each leg or walk will be guided by local experts, rangers and path wardens.

Helpful Holidays is sponsoring several legs, including:

• Tuesday 9th April: Seatown to Lyme Regis
• Wednesday 17th April: Torcross to Prawle Point
• Tuesday 30th April: Padstow to Trevone
• Tuesday 30th April: Falmouth to Maenporth

You might like to take part in one of these legs, or any of the other stretches, or perhaps several to build a walking holiday?  If so, you must register by the beginning of March.

For more information, including details about each leg of the walk and improvement projects, please visit www.GreatSouthWestWalk.co.uk. 

You can also keep up to date by following the event on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoveSWCoastPath

100 miles along the Cornish coast...

We recently sponsored 14-year-old Abbie Underhill, who set herself the challenge of completing a 100 mile walk along the South West Coast Path, from St Ives to Bude.

Abbie is trying to raise £3,500 to fund an educational expedition to Thailand and Cambodia next summer with the World Challenge Organisation where she hopes to work on various community projects. She has already raised £1,100 by climbing Snowdon.

She recently returned from her walk (in high spirits!) and sent us this diary of her journey...

We left Kidderminster on Friday 3rd August and set up camp in St Agnes. Our first hike was from St Ives to Gwithian Bridge (11.5 miles). It was a lovely hot day and the path mainly took us across sand dunes before reaching cliffs which were quite hard to walk on but we were rewarded by seeing some seals swimming in a cove. After my first day, I ached!

Our second day was walking from Gwithian Bridge to Porthtowan (11.5 miles). We woke up to heavy rain so dug out the waterproofs. When we started walking, we could see the cliffs just disappeared into a cove, but as we walked closer we were greeted by about 100 steps climbing down into the cove - which meant about another 100 to climb up the other side! It was hard going and we had to stop every couple of steps to catch our breath. All of a sudden, a model jet fighter flew overhead and we noticed there was a model aircraft show up ahead, so we stopped for lunch and watched the display for free! 

A couple passed us and pointed to my Dad's t-shirt and said “Helpful Holidays, we've booked with them!”. We stopped for a chat to tell them about the walk. The rain didn’t let up all day but when we reached Porthtowen, the sun came out a little and we saw a double rainbow!

Day three, a rest day, my legs needed it! So far I had walked 23 miles.

Day four, we walked from Porthtowen to Ligger Point, just past Perranporth (10.5 miles). This was one of my favourite parts of the walk. The hill side was littered with tin mine chimneys and the hillside was scattered with rocks containing tin. I it was really interesting and you could climb up around the ruins. The sea was really rough and grey so it gave it quite an eerie atmosphere! We walked through St Agnes and could see our tent – it was hard to carry on and not just nip back, but we did and arrived at Ligger Point just before 6pm. When we got back to the tent our dog Jasper was limping and we could see his feet were sore from walking through gorse. We decided it was unfair to take him any further.

Day five, we walked from Ligger Point to Trevelgue Head (11 miles). We were back in the sand dunes again, they were never ending! But we saw two Peregrines hovering above us and lots of Shetland ponies roaming the cliff tops. The sun came out and it was very hot; the beaches were full of people but there was not a sole on the coastal paths.

Day six, we walked from Travelgue Head to Treyarnon Bay (10.5 miles). This was a hard section to walk, the weather wasn’t kind and the wind picked up. There were so many steps to climb and it seemed like we weren’t getting anywhere fast but it kept my spirits up knowing that, so far, I had walked 44 miles. Looking forward to a rest day tomorrow!

Day seven and eight, rest days and we moved our tent to a campsite in Bude.

Day nine, we walked from Treyarnon Bay to Stepper Point just past Padstow (10.5 miles). This was a lovely part to walk. It was fairly flat and the scenery was amazing. We saw quite a lot of landslides and we had to make our own path through the gorse because the coast path was too close to the edge for our liking! We found lots of little coves which could only be accessed by boat and you could see where the sea had carved caves into the cliff side. I was hoping we would see more seals but the waters were quiet.

Day ten, we walked from Padstow to Port Isaac (11.5 miles). The sunshine had brought everyone out on the beaches which meant we only met a couple of people on the coast path. The heather here was an amazing colour - all different pinks and purples - but it was hard to walk through! We dropped down into Port Isaac and wandered around the little fishing harbour. I just had to have my photo taken outside Doc Martin's house from the TV series!

Day eleven, we walked from Port Isaac to Tintagel (9 miles). This was the muddiest section. It had rained heavily in the night and the paths were really steep. Our walking boots were caked in mud so you just couldn’t get a grip - me and my mum took it in turns to slip over! Luckily, we were wearing our waterproof trousers but we did look a sight. We washed ourselves down at every stream we came to, ready for the next scramble. The scenery around Tintagel was amazing. Even though we didn’t go on the island, you could still see the old ruins and it all looked pretty big. It would have been the perfect spot for King Arthur's castle!

Day twelve, rest day.

Day thirteen, we walked from Tintagel to Crackington Haven (10.5 miles). This was another of my favourite sections to walk. We saw so many ruins scattered around the cliffs and lots of hidden coves. It was very muddy again but we managed to stay upright this time! We came across waterfalls and so many different types of styles to climb across - and lots of people! Walking was quite slow because we had to stop and wait for our turn to climb the styles. Just before we reached Boscastle, everyone seemed to disappear and it was just us again and the sea! Boscastle was a lovely little harbour town and we stopped for a well-earned ice cream before carrying on to Crackington Haven.

Day fourteen, we walked from Crackington Haven to Bude (9.5 miles). LAST DAY! We woke up in the night to severe gales and my Dad had to secure the tent to the car as we thought we would lose it! The rain was heavy and not what we hoped for on our last day’s walking. We started off late that morning, hoping the wind would die down, but it didn’t. After walking about two miles, the coastal path was taking us right on the cliff edge and the winds were very strong, so we decided to find an alternative route away from the cliffs. We ended our 100 mile coastal challenge by walking back to Bude along the road, which wasn’t the plan but the winds were so strong it just wasn’t safe on the cliffs. But WE DID IT!!! Just over 100 miles walking from St Ives to Bude.

Congratulations to Abbie - what a very great effort in such a short space of time and despite some terrible weather. Well done and good luck with the expedition next year. 

 
If you'd like to explore this section of the coast path, here are our holiday cottages in north cornwall. 

Autumn walks in the West Country...

There are many different routes for walkers across the West Country, and happily many of our cottages are ideally located to step out of the front door and straight on to a walking trail.

The Mariner's Way, Dartmoor

For instance the Mariners' Way on Dartmoor is a favourite among walkers, part of an ancient trackway which runs from Bideford in north Devon to Dartmouth in south Devon, taking in breathtaking views across the moor. According to legend, seafarers used to land on the south coast of Devon and trek all the way up to ports on the north coast.

As the Mariner’s Way enters Dartmoor it passes Throwleigh, where nearby you’ll find Sampsons, a beautiful, Grade II listed, detached house, one of two barn conversions in a secluded and peaceful courtyard setting. This is a much loved home from home, well-equipped and handy for exploring the open moor – and the Mariner’s Way – just half a mile away.

A path on the National Trust's Godolphin Estate

Land owned by the National Trust is home to many spectacular walking routes and dog friendly Mazeys Cottage, in the tiny village of Germoe on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula, is perfectly placed for lovely walks from the door up Tregoning Hill (with views to north and south coasts) and to the National Trust’s 555-acre Godolphin Estate. From around this wonderfully tranquil and comfortable cottage set on a 15 acre small holding there are fantastic panoramic views to the sea at Mounts Bay and the whole of this end of the peninsula.

Coastal walks are especially attractive in the region around the Slapton Sands Nature Reserve in the South Hams. Here you can join the South West Coast Path, 630miles of superb coastal walking. Deep in leafy lanes, 1½ miles north of Slapton in a sheltered wooded valley, you’ll find Cherry Cottage, one of three around a courtyard. It’s an ideal base for route-plotting and recuperation on a top notch walking holiday – your four legged friend is welcome too.

Lerryn

When moorland and coastal walks have been ticked off your list, you’ll appreciate the picturesque beauty of Lerryn Creek, halfway up the river Fowey estuary in Cornwall. It’s relatively unknown and unspoilt, surrounded by miles of wild, dense woodland and forest downstream with farmland and meadow upstream above its medieval bridge. Just 30 yards from the bridge is Mote Cottage, a smartly whitewashed, early 19th century end-of-terrace stone cottage. Careful restoration has preserved much of the cottage’s original charm with thick, knobbly walls, exposed beams and low ceilings – a charming, comfy place in a pretty location with lots to see and do nearby.

Has that inspired you to lace up those trusty walking boots ready for a trip to the West Country this autumn?

For more walking route ideas near your favourite holiday cottage, simply click on the ‘Walks’ link beneath the Explore the Area map on its details page on our website.