Starting, of course, from our holiday cottage we intended to take a little stroll of about five miles but, after walking for three and a half hours we encountered a sign which informed us we were still five miles from our destination, Portmellon.
I must say the facilities at the start of this walk are far better than usual;
Distance; about nine miles but that doesn’t count the times we got lost. Took five and a half hours.
Route; from Portmellon up to the Gorran Woodland Reserve and through Sanctuary wood, to Gorran Churchtown and then towards the headland of Dodman Point. From there it is a straightforward, give or take a detour or two through Gorran Haven, walk along the coastal path back to Portmellon.
Facilities; if you are not lucky enough to stay in our cottage; there are pubs etc in Gorran Haven and the Rising Sun in Portmellon.
The first half of the walk takes you through an oak strewn woodland and past this mill pond;
After climbing up through the woods and out over the hills, through Gorran Churchtown (a pleasant little village which links with Gorran Haven) we decided to strike out for Dodman Point and the Iron Age Fort sited there.
The route back to Portmellon along the coastal path is easy to follow (except for a weird detour through Gorran Haven. I would ignore the footpath signs at this point and from this direction and find Cliff Road. If you turn down Cliff Road towards the coast you will soon see a sign that says ‘Access only for the Coastal Path’. This takes you back over fields until you see the cliffs again.
It was a hard walk with lots of climbing and uneven downhill sections which were very tough on the knees but, as spouse said when we got back to the cottage ‘I’m glad we didn’t do the 11 mile walk!’
When you gorra go, you gorra get going... 