Thursday 21 September 2017

Wild camping on the north coast.

Guess who went camping in a tent during Storm Aileen? If I had seen the Storm warnings, I would have stayed at home, but the most recent weather forecast I'd heard was for strong winds on Sunday evening, dying out by Monday lunchtime. 
So I arrived at this site on the north coast of Cornwall at 1pm on Monday, then took Benji for a walk while waiting for the wind to calm down.  However, a walk along the coastal path had to be aborted because the strength of the wind was enough to pluck us off the cliff edge.

By 6pm I had set up the tent and transferred all the gear from the car in slightly calmer conditions, but that first night was horrendous with the tent material flapping and banging as gusts of 60mph pounded in straight from the sea. It was impossible to sleep because of the noise and because I was unsure if the tent would stand up to such a ferocious wind.
However, Benji had no such concerns - he slept soundly in his bed at the side of mine all night!
Next day I was admiring the lovely colours of the heather which covers the cliff tops and the song of skylarks as they soared high above.

 From the coves at the foot of the cliffs, the roar of the sea as big waves crashed onshore

 Overlooking Mawgan Porth beach. That morning, warnings were broadcast about the danger of Portuguese Men'O'War that had been washed up on the beach; their stings are extremely painful and can actually cause death.  Later the beach was closed, as was Perranporth Beach further along the coast until the danger was past.



I'd seen reports of Crantock Beach being threatened by the River Gannel changing course and washing away the sand, so I had to go and see for myself. I was there just a few weeks ago and it had certainly changed; the river had switched sides and washed away a huge area of the beach, making access to the beach difficult (or even impossible) for the lifeguards' vehicles or of the regular ice cream van. Below the lifeguards' hut, rocks that had previously been under the sand were now exposed. 


 Bedruthan Steps  




 Benji leading the way along the clifftop coast path



 This section of the coastal path was a work of art - and a labour of love by National Trust volunteers.

 The cosy cafe at Bedruthan Steps which serves the most wonderful Bacon Baps - hot, seeded rolls with 3 - THREE - rashers of very tasty bacon inside it. Mmmmm.  
That's my niece waiting at the counter; we were able to spend a couple of days together while she was down on holiday from her home in Leicestershire.
Funnily enough, we turned up for another bacon bap the next day as well.

And after stretching our legs along the coastal path again, we also had our tea, this time at an outdoor table in the sunshine.
 On Wednesday I took advantage of yet another National Trust car park (free to me because I'm a member) and followed this footpath.  




Beautiful stone walling 

 One tired little dog



 Despite the fierce winds at night we had a couple of lovely sunny days together, but after a third stormy night I'd had enough.  I decided to pack up the tent the next day while it was dry and head home again.
I hope you've enjoyed the photos.


23 comments:

  1. Such a shame about the weather, looks like a wonderful place to visit. I certainly did enjoy the photos.

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    1. It was definitely a thorough test of my new tent - and of Benji. Both passed with flying colours. I will definitely be renewing my subs to the Camping & Caravanning Club and looking forward to plenty of camping trips next year.

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  2. Lovely photos, we adore Cornwall.

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    1. Thank you - I've lived here for more than 30 years but still love exploring and visiting all these beautiful places.

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  3. Lovely photos, hopefully you can visit again in calmer weather.

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    1. Oh yes, I'll be back there again next year; it's only about 30 miles away from my home.

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  4. Great photos. We must have been on holiday in Cornwall (from Nottinghamshire ) around the same time - w/c 9th Sept). We were in a static and had a very rainy, windy week near Mevagissey - but it didn't deter us - we still love Cornwall. We had a horrendous journey home though on the M5, just a junction away from a really bad crash that killed 4 plus a dog. Our several hour wait was nothing compared to what happened for those poor people.

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    1. Yes, that was the week - stormy nights, weren't they? What an awful journey to end your holiday, though; so very sad about that crash.

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  5. That looks wonderful, glad Benji has taken to camping, he is looking fit. I recently walked all along Studland, right round to the ferry, there were even proper waves there, it is usually a very calm beach.

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    1. I had real doubts about Benji before I set off - I thought he would be yapping at every strange sound and I would have to give up on camping altogether. Considering it was all very new to him, we were under the flight path of the jets taking off from St Mawgan airport, there was a rookery in the conifers very close to our tent - and of course, That Storm . . . he was a complete star!
      I love Studland, Shell Bay, Brownsea Island . . . in fact Dorset in general - my honeymoon was in Swanage - and as you say, most unusual to see waves in Studland Bay. You've set me off now - I must put that on my agenda of camping trips next year.

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  6. You are brave camping in such a bad storm! Benji must have enjoyed the walk although he did look exhausted!

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    1. Not sure whether I'm brave or mad! As for Benji - he loved every minute, but he has the ability to switch off and sleep at every chance. We had sat down on a handy, sheltered bench, out of the wind, so Benji took the chance of forty winks. However at the first sign of movement he was up, shook himself and was raring to get going again. He has MUSCLES now instead of fat!

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  7. You wore the wee little dog out. I'll bet he had a blast. Love those shots of the heather.

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    1. He still had enough energy to tear round on the grass with a young Cocker Spaniel when we returned to the cafe! The colours of the heather were stunning, right across the cliff tops.

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  8. You're terribly brave camping in those winds, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in the caravan so close to the cliff!

    Congratulations to Benji for sleeping soundly through the gale; you're turning him into an outdoors dog, something which destiny did not have in mind for him in his early years. What lovely dreams he must have at the end of a day with you :-)

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    1. It wasn't a caravan, although that would have been rocking in those winds - I was in my tent. It was quite frightening at times, wondering if it would be torn from the ground and destroyed - but we all survived and I'm very happy to go camping in that tent again, knowing how well it performed under such adverse conditions. And - knowing that Benji has taken to camping so well.

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  9. love the north coast, great pics, thanks for sharing.

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    1. Yes, I love the wildness and bracing winds off the sea on the north coast too. I live in south-east Cornwall and my nearest beaches on the south coast are so much quieter and calmer. Both have their attractions, though, so my camping trips vary according to my mood.

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  10. When I was 24 I spent 6 months in Australia. When my friend and I arrived at Marooychdore (sp?) we hesitated between camp site and youth hostel. We chose the youth hostel (thankfully). That night a tornado came through the town, hit the camp site and lifted a young man in his tent and dumped him a couple of hundred yards down the road (he was ok thankfully). Wow. But I love the colours of the heather and the stonewalling is beautiful. We get strong winds here in Geneva too and people think I am mad because I just love it. It certainly blows all the cobwebs away doesn't it. Anna

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  11. Oh yes! I don't think there were any cobwebs or their occupants left after Storm Aileen visited us! Scary story about the young man lifted by the tornado - and how lucky were you to be in the Hostel that night.

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  12. What beautiful photos, and it sounds like a trip to remember. Benji must trust you completely to sleep so well through the wind!

    That stone wall is simply lovely. I've never seen anything like it before.

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    1. Lots of stone walls to see with a variety of patterns - all very picturesque as well as being practical. Unfortunately the art of stone-walling seems to be dying out because there aren't enough youngsters who are interested in learning.

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