Mappiman's Real Ale Walks: 24/04/14 - What a way to earn a living

Distance - 5 Miles
Geocaches - 8
Walk from - Lets walk in West Cornwall Route Card 43

Last Night
Sonia came over all Lusty Glaze. This is a fine private beach with a restaurant. In the summer, Bellowhead and the Feeling are playing on the beach. This would be a fine event. Last night we made do with a quiet restaurant, fine food, Japanese lager and waited until 8:30pm for a perfect sunset. Back home for Crib. We know how to holiday.

The Walk
Portreath at EveryTrail

This is the furthest south we are walking, so a half hour drive to Portreath, passing some mining museums along the way. Park up and once again, we are met with a stunning start to the coast path.

Another great start to a walk - Portreath Beach

Once again, a clamber up the headland. We are getting used to these steep ups and downs. Once again, we are rewarded with superb views.

Headland

Three caches are present on the cliffs. The first one is the best, involving a detour from the main path and a return that shows off the stream waterfalling into the sea. On the penultimate day, I find my first TB of the week in cache number 3. It has been driving me mad finding caches marked with TBs but bereft on inspection.

Cache 1 GZ. Note the Zig Zag Path up to the headland

The coast walking is over. We head inland. There is a policeman lurking around on the side of the road. I think he has a hand held speed camera, but as we can hear music, Sonia thinks there is some sort of festival going on. We cross the road and find the footpath. Then it all becomes clear.

There is a tractor with a strange carousel contraption. On the carousel are a number of cauliflowers. There are three men, armed with machetes, lopping the leaves off the vegetables. Whilst content in their work, the tractor radio is belting out Dolly Parton. Working 9-5.

For some reason, this sets Sonia off into uncontrollable giggles. I just wave at my farmer friends and pretend we are not together.

The footpath brings us into Tehidy Country Park, the largest area of woodland in West Cornwall. It offers a different vista to what we have experienced so far this week.

Trees and Bluebells

There are a handful of caches. The first one is ignored. Remember where we are. And the clue is "base of tree". The next one has a better clue but we are the fifth people to DNF. When we see a sign for a tea shop, we knock the caching on the head.

Our first dog unfriendly location. We smuggled scone out to her

A permissive path gets us back to where we need to me. A superb cache just off Cot Road (and another TB) and then we follow a Miner's path back to the village.