Aftet lunch Terry was up to Falmouth Cricket Club and Joy, Al and I set off to drive to Portreath on the North Coast through Redruth.

We were parked, kitted out and ready to go from the Portreath car park just above the beach to head east along the north cornish coast for a short 4 mile cliff walk hoping to return to Portreath by bus or taxi.

Portreath is an unusual little coastal village with the old harbour standing separate but alongside the sandy beach to the west of the old fishing harbour protected from the sea with apparently two inner harbours.

As we walked around the the old harbour we soon found the sign to the coastal path and we were soon off the road and onto the path itself for the realtively easy climb up to the relatively flat path.

the north Cornish coastal section is rather different to the South Coast path in that although the cliffs are higher and more dramatic, there are long sections of relatively easy flat walks interposed with steep descents and ascents into and out of the valleys usually carrying streams.

As we were making our way up to the top of the cliff we passed an unusual memorial to those who died in first world war.

It looks rather like a squat lighthouse but it is in fact a memorial.

As we reached the top of the cliff we found that the whole of the inland area was fenced off from the public with plenty of MOD sign, keep out.

The fencing extended along the coast for virtually the whole of the coastal path from Portreath to Porthtowans.Why I wondered? It was once the location of a second world war airfield, called RAF Portreath but the airfield had not been used in a half century.

I later found out that RAF Portreath was still in use but now as a communincations centre and of course it also houses the site of the old nerve gas military centre of Nanscuck, still highly sensitive even today.

Although the military installation was decidedly bleak and uninspiring, flanked with the wire fencing and derelict buildings the view on the coastal side more than made up for it.

To our left were magnificent cliffs with innaccessible beaches below the sheer cliffs. Great views but those with vertigo are advised not to stray near the edge.

We made good progress around the top of the cliff overlooking Gooden Heane Cove, a beautifully symmetric curved cove with a beach and around the point which bears the same name.

300 metres further along we met our first steep descent and ascent again, these sharp valleys are the reason why the north coastal path is often graded as strenuous.

It looks worse than it really is, steps are cut into the path to ease the walking and we were soon at the top again at the other side and making good progress after the climb.

Once again the views from the path along the top of the cliff were good.

The heathers were just beginning to show their colours and we could see numerous headlands right around to St Agnes Head, way past our destination of Porthtowans for this afternoon walk.

The next half a mile of walking was again flat and easy passing strange named points and small rocks with names like Hayle Ulla, Diamond and Sheep Rock.

We approached a sandy bay broken into twin sandy coves by Gullyn Rock.

There was evidence of severe erosion as we looked down to Gullyn Rock but we noticed a largle black head in the water just off the beach.

It was a large black seal, just off the beach, after a few minutes a second head appeared and we watched as the two seals played together just off the beach.

It was good to see such animals completely free in a bay quite innaccessible to man other than by boat.

We finally stopped watching the seals and continued passing the second bay, strangely called Sally's Bottom.

Just beyond the bay we faced another steep descent into a valley with clear evidence of mine workings at the bottom, inside the MOD fence which continued unbroken down into the valley and up the other side.

This valley was much steeper and a harder descent and climb than the earlier one and the steps on the up side soon stopped being edge by wood and were edge by slabs of granite.

Those who maintained the path were making sure that the steps would not need further attention for a long time to come.

After a short sharp ascent and a couple of breaks to look back to Sally's Bottom and the beach we were at the top once again.

The map indicated that there were no more valleys to descend into until we reach Porthtowans.

As we walked along, once again on the flat there was lots of evidence of the mine workings which took place in the area.

One in particular caught our eye, it was just near the headland before Porthtowans and the large and deep shaft had been tastefully enclosed.

It is called Kite Shaft and it is very wide and very deep, no wonder the authorities decided to make a landmark of it. This are also marked the end of the wire fence which had been with us ever since the top ofthe ascent from Portreath, a couple of hours earlier.

Either RAF Portreath is still a very large station or someone is not too keen for people to visit the area just inland of the cliffs. Nancekuke, nerve gas and contamination immediately spring to mind.

Shortly afterwards we were up by the large chimney on the headland above and overlooking Porthtowan, yes there is certainly plenty to remind the walker of Cornwalls recent and older industries on this section of the North Cornish coastal path.

We left the chimney after admiring the views and commenced or descent down towards the beach and beach village of Porthtowan.

The path descended gradually down and we had time to stop and watch the many surfers as they hunted for the very weak surf that was around, or not, as the case may be, at the time.

Soon enough we were down by the road and hunting forlornly for a taxi.

We stopped by a bus station but couldn't see on the timetable a bus back to Portreath.

Into the Commodore Inn and they had a phone number for a taxi from Redruth and they promised ten minutes and they would be with us.

Just then a bus came by and the driver explained we would have to go first to Redruth and wait there for the bus to Portreath, it would be a lot quicker and cheaper to take a taxi, especially for 3 people.

Just then the taxi arrived and 10 mins later and £8 lighter we arrived by our car at the car park we had left a couple of hours earlier.

Quite a good start to our walking bank holiday break on the north coast.

That was the taster, the next day, Saturday, was to be rather longer and more of a test at 12 to 13 miles from Portreath to Hayle and graded as strenuous in the book!!