Day 4 - Hayle to Portreath

Day 4 - Hayle to Portreath - 12.2 miles

April 13, 2022

Sharon had very kindly offered to give us a lift to avoid our having to walk along the road across the busy Hayle causeway. So, by 9:30, we'd been dropped at North Quay in Hayle just across the estuary from St. Uny's church where we'd finished our walk yesterday afternoon.

After a few false starts, my being distacted by some construction sites and not seeing the footpath diversion signs, we eventually negotiated our way on to the beach without plummeting from the rightly named "Black Cliffs" .

We'd checked the tide times yesterday and decided we could safely walk the three miles along Hayle beach without risk of being cut off by the tide at Strap Rocks.

After a couple of hours' walking we celebrated our safe arrival at St Gothian sands with a coffee at the Hungry Horsebox cafe

where we met Piran, a RNLI lifeguard.(...the second Piran we'd met in as many days!)

He told us that following his training, this was his first day on duty and within ten minutes of his shift starting he'd already rescued a surfer who'd dislocated his shoulder on his first ride of the morning.

Then on to Godrevy Point where we looked across at the lighthouse and way down below us at a gathering of seals "relaxing" on the beach at Mutton Cove.

Further along the coast there are a number of coves, promising non-too pleasant prospects! Just beyong The Knavocks we gazed down in to gaping jaws of "Hell's Mouth"

and when we stopped for our picnic lunch we had a perfect view of Deadman's Cove.

This section of the cliffs crosses the intriguingly named Reskajeage Downs. Along the way, the air was filled with the sound of wrens, blackbirds, goldfinches, skylarks and stonechats. A delight.!

This all helped to complete today's walk more quickly than we'd anticipated and so by the time we arrived at Portreath and checked in to we decided we had time for a quick (...very quick !!) swim off the beach.