Posted By auntie on May 16, 2019

11.2 miles; Cornwall, UK

Today was the first day of a 3-day hiking trip along the coast of Cornwall in the UK with my 19-year-old niece. It was HARD. I am totally not used to hiking like this! Deep ravines cut through the high cliffs on the coast, with eroded stairways climbing and descending. But the view! It was drop dead gorgeous, every hill we crested and every turn we took it took our breath away. And speaking of gasping for breath and dropping dead… oof!

Sunrise over the Atlantic

The trip started with a long flight over the ocean, followed by a short train ride, a long train ride, and a long bus ride. It was a LOOOONNNG day of traveling, is what I’m saying. Worth it, though.

First waymarker

The trail was very well marked; we never really had any trouble finding our way. The acorn markers were so cool.

Overlooking the bay at Crackington Haven

Because of some accommodation issues, our excursion company booked us two nights in Bude, and the first morning a taxi took us from our b&b to Crackington Haven. We hiked back to Bude from there. It was the longest hike of the 3 days. This shot was the first climb of the hike, and we were already blown away by the views.

Onward!

This was where I was in the hike order for pretty much the whole trip. It’s tough following a 19-year-old dance student. She’s got good legs and great cardio-vascular fitness. AND SHE’S NINETEEN, so there’s that, too. Just sayin’.

Wild primrose

Like the scenery was not spectacular enough, we also apparently hit peak wildflower season. We saw primroses, bluebells, rose campion, sea pink (the flowers in the foreground of the shot at the top of this post), and many more. Fields of bluebells… breathtaking!

Dartmoor Ponies

And if the scenery and the flowers weren’t enough for us, there was livestock. We saw cows, sheep, goats, horses, and these ponies. The fellow on the left was lying down when we approached, and we felt kind of badly that we made him get up.

Along The Path

It was a truly wonderful trek. Just past the spot above, we entered a little seaside beach town called Widemouth Bay. There were many, many surfers, and a lovely little coffee shop where we took a break and had lattes. Hikes with lattes! Does it even get better than that? No. No it does not.

Snails

And hey! Wildlife!

Track (click for details)

For more information about the Southwest Coast path, visit here. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Categories: Overseas Hikes, UK, Walks and Hikes
Tags: Cornwall UK, Over 10 miles, UK