After many years of starting walks from the Lansallos Car Park, I know it well and also several ways of getting to it. Although it is easy to me now, I remember many years ago when I drove around country lanes between Polperro and Polruan, quite unable to locate it. Since then I've probably walked from it getting on for 10 times.

The last time we walked from Lansallos to Polruan with the Sunday group of Ramblers was almost four years ago so time really does fly when you are having fun. Since the walk in September 1999 followed a slightly different return to the route Rod and Gill Seymour had offered to lead the walk on Sunday bank holiday weekend on 24th August 2003, I'll keep the original description of the 1999 route on the web site in addition to this one.

Rod and Gill had anticipated that about 15 walkers might turn up for this 9 mile walk because of the distance from Plymouth. Much to their surprise on the day, which was very warm (26 degrees C), very sunny, with virtually no wind 32 walkers were gathered in the large National Trust car park at Lansallos ready for the off.

So perhaps the group are becoming better travellers down into Cornwall these days.........

Upon reflection, not really, 38 ramblers had made it to the start of the two short/long walks four years ago from Frogmore and Lansallos, although the group of walkers in 2003 was a very different group to the 1999 group of walkers showing just how the group has changed over the years.

You are strongly advised to relate this route to a good 1:25000 OS map of the region to work out just where we did walk on the very hot day on the return leg.

There are toilets in Lansallos about 350 metres down the hill from the car park just a few metres along from the beautiful old Lansallos church.

Rod therefore decided perhaps the best place to start the walk might be down by the church to save walkers the need for a lengthy stroll to the toilets and back before the start.

After the customary briefing we walked down a narrow road just to the east of the church and a few yards down followed a footpath finger sign which directed us downhill along a track, enclosed by trees right down a long valley called West Coombe leading to the sea just under a kilometre to the south west of us.

Downhill it is easy going down this track, returning up it after a long walk it is a completely different matter.

We soon emerged out of the tree enclosed track through a gate and could see the sea dead ahead with the small beach, already with people on it ready to enjoy the beautiful weather on this bank holiday weekend.

We made our way down to overlook the beach, across a small bridge and over the first of several stiles, some quite big too, which we were to encounter on the walk.

Once across the stile there was a steep little ascent up the coastal path, again the first of several ups and downs we encountered on the SW coastal path to Polruan and the river Fowey.

It was only a short climb out of the valley and looking back we could see just how nice the beach is on such a calm sunny day.

It is known as Lansallos Beach and one of a few along this small section of coast called Lantivet Bay.

It was fairly low tide when we walked by it, I can imagine how crowded it might become at high tide, but it is accessible and possibly the most accessible beach between Polruan and Polperro.

I well recall a walk earlier in the year when we walked from Lansallos east along the coast to Polperro, steep, it most certainly was, and even the books of the SWW grade that section as strenuous.

Lantivet Bay stretches west from south of Lansallos right across to Pencarrow Head, Rods planned spot for the morning break.

It is about 2 km from Lansallos Beach across west to Pencarrow Head but after the first uphill section it is relatively flat and easy walking.

The photograph on the right shows the area of coast right across to Pencarrow Head and really beautiful section of rocky coast it is too. The going is easy along this section, relatively flat in comparison to what is ahead west of Pencarrow Head.

We made good progress along the relatively level wide coastal path and before long we had reached Pencarrow Headland where the views both east and west on a day with good visibility are quite magnificent.  

Although it was a lovely sunny day it was a little hazy and we could see only for about 5 miles in either direction.

Nevertheless the sea looked wonderfully inviting, a flat calm and many, many boats out from Fowey harbour to enjoy the calm conditions. The Yachting fraternity were out and exercising their boat engines, in the absence of any wind to speak of.

We climbed up around the rocky Pencarrow headland to get a steep little climb over before a 10 minute morning break. It had taken us about 45 minutes to walk from Lansallos to this point, an estimated 2 miles by the way so we were making steady progress along this section of coast.

It was getting hotter by the minute as we approached midday and the break was very welcome and the views outstanding.

After the break we made our way north following the coast as it curved along the eastern edge of Lantic Bay to a high point 400 feet above the wonderful beach way below us.

On a lovely day such as this we could have easily been on a Greek Island with the many boats moored up just offshore from the wide sandy beach with many on it swimming and enjoying themselves to the full.

It was a truly memorable 15 minutes as we skirted our way around Lantic Bay with the many different vistas the bay below us offered.

Whereas the section of coast in the Lantivet Bay area was relatively level, the coast path around Lantic Bay most certainly was not.

From Pencarrow head we climbed up from 150 ft to approaching 400 ft then from the high point we descended down to just 100 ft above Lantic Beach and then up again to a height of 360 ft above Blackbottle Rock and from there more or less down again into Polruan and right down to sea level.

By the time we reached Polruan we had certainly heated up a good deal with these major ups and downs.

The descent from the highest point high above the east end of Lantic Beach down to the middle of the beach was exceedingly steep and I can recall times of the year when it was a very slippery descent indeed.

Although the climb up to the second high point above Blackbottle Rock was very hot going it was rather less steep than the descent preceeding it.

As we climbed up so the views of Lantic Bay changed but brilliant they most certainly were and left lasting memories in the minds of the walkers out.

At the top we had a second rest and we were looking for shade, any shade under trees to enable us to cool down before continuing.

It was almost all downhill from there into Polruan, but not quite.

We descended down to go round the headland leading to the entrance to the River Fowey and we had a short sharp climb of 130 feet ascent from crossing a stream to walking across a grassy sward and the houses at the south east end of Polruan.

The entrance to Fowey harbour is quite narrow and after going along a narrow lane we walked along in front of what once was a coastguard lookout, now manned by worthy volunteers from the National Coastwatch Institution who keep local lookouts at various points along the coast.

As far as I can see the next Coastwatch point east along the coast is at Rame Head, some 15 miles away.

Across the entrance to the river Fowey on the other side we could see Readymoney Beach, I wonder just how it got that name.

The coastal town of Fowey sits on the far bank of the river with the quiet village of Polruan on the East Bank and we descended down into the village itself.

Once again a wonderful panorama of Fowey deep water harbour and the hundreds of boats moored up in the harbour opened up before us, wonderful views.

It had been the well known Fowey Regatta week all the previous week and there were many visiting boats there.

We walked down right to the small harbour of Polruan and sat on the quay with kids leaping into the river to cool off and a number of boats plying their trade in taking passengers for a trip up the river as well as the Polruan to Fowey passenger ferry which runs regularly across the river.

It was about 12.50 PM when we reached our lunch point and we had covered about 5 miles of our estimated 9 mile walk.

It had been a hot morning but a lovely walk so far and the rest would be cooler, we felt sure. But first we had a well earned 35 minute lunch break to enjoy and to rest awhile with all the other tourists in the area.

After lunch we followed and inland route back, but an interesting one nevertheless.

We walked up the street from the quay for a few metres then turned left and followed signs marked as Hall's Walk.

A few metres of level walking we were soon walking uphill, up some quite steep steps, thankfully the steps grew less steep quite quickly and before long we were leaving the houses of Polruan behind and walking gently uphill through a wooded and consequently nicely shaded area.

We were in fact walking along the southern slopes of a tidal inlet, shown on the map as Pont Pill with the lower reaches full of boats.

From time to time the local council had cut back the trees to give nice views of Pont Pill and across to Fowey.

We continued to enjoy the shade of the trees along the side of the wooded valley until we emerged out onto a road with a fork ahead.

One country road led downhill to the lovely village called Pont with the right hand fork across to the very old Lanteglos Church and a farm on the right hand side, aptly named Churchdown Farm.

This church is over 500 yrs old and is full of history as you might expect.

These days it is best known as the church where Daphne Du Maurier was married in 1934.

Daphne du Maurier loved this area and it is not difficult to see why, she lived and wrote some of her best novels at Menabilly on the Fowey side of this lovely estuary and river.

We took the opportunity of calling into the church and looking at the many religious artifacts it contained.

There was a lovely old carved granite standing stone just outside the entrance to the farm which caught the eye of some.

We left the church and walked by Churchdown Farm on down a dip and then another sharp climb up the narrow country road.

This is where the walk differed from the walk in the same area in 1999. On that walk we followed the road uphill to a T junction and then left, on the road to and from Polruan, all the way back to Frogmore, about 2.5 km of road walking most of it along the road very busy in the summer, the only road into Polruan in fact.

On this walk after a short distance of uphill, we left the road and followed a footpath sign which led us north east initially along a roughish track and then along an earth track and through fields, very much better, and quieter than the road walking route back, in my opinion.

The track descended steeply for a short distance and this section could be quite difficult when wet, but it was far from that on this Sunday.

We passed by a couple of houses and then out onto a road which runs down from Frogmore down to Pont.

We had about 0.5 km of road walking at this point uphill to a road junction and then right and up by Frogmore Farm and to the Frogmore NT car park.

This NT car park has it's own toilet and grassy seating area and it was a nice point to have a short afternoon break.

After the short 10 minute afternoon break we crossed the road, followed a short track across towards a path which led on across to another road and beyond that down to Lantivet Bay.

The first short track simply cut the corner between two country lanes.

At the end of the track, we turn left onto the narrow land and didn't follow the track on down to the coast.

We walked east along the narrow road for about 0.5 km until we came to a right of way sign and stone steps on the right hand side of the the road cut into a steep bank which led us up and over into a field.

We walked by Trevarder Farm off to our left and came to a gate which led us to a very short but steep descent down into a wooded valley.

At the bottom of the track it turned left for a few yards and there was a small wooden bridge over a stream and then uphill again and out of the wooded valley through a gate and into a field.

We kept to the side of a field and ahead we could see the tower of Lansallos Church, a few hundred metres ahead.

Over another stile or two and we were crossing over a stile with the church to our right hand side.

We skirted around by a national trust camping site and over a stile and onto the road at the point by the church where we had gathered at 10.30 AM. It was approaching 3.30 PM five hours later and many of us a few pounds lighter through our exertions in the hot sunshine.

Turning left onto the road we had soon covered the 300 metres of uphill and back to the entrance of the Lansallos NT car park, much fuller than when we had left it in the morning, I guess the majority of the car owners and passengers were down at Lansallos Beach down over the hill.

It had been an excellent walk, and a hot and sweaty one to boot.

We all heartedly thanked the leaders for their efforts in putting the walk together, I, for one, knew that they had reccied the walk at least twice over the previous 4 months, and it showed in their knowledge of the route.

All we had to to was to drive the 25 miles back to Plymouth and a shower.

I wonder how many of the group decided to go for a swim to round the day off, I'm sure some did.