Dodging the storm
Friday 9 November, 2018
Thursday was an easy day, walking just over 10 km between Coverack and Porthallow, but the path was steep and the forecast was for rain. I took every precaution, so it was rain pants and cover on pack and that sort of thing, and so – of course – it didn’t rain. I was sitting in the Five Pilchards at Porthallow (Praalla to the locals, apparently) by 1 pm. Just like that, I was half-way on the Path.
The sign is worth reading, because it explains why this place has a unique history as it’s the closest village to the dreaded Manacles (Meyn Eglos, meaning church stones, because the key navigation mark in the old days was the Church Steeple at St Keverne). I’ve been reading a bit about the wrecks on this stretch of coast and the whole section from Mousehole to Falmouth is a mariner’s nightmare. The bar at Loe is bad enough, but over 100 ships have been wrecked on the Manacles. They are quite visible from the shore and a divers’ Mecca, but they are apparently just in the wrong place at the wrong time for ships coming in or out of Falmouth, especially when the visibility is low or the wind is up. A list of 19th Century wrecks on this coast is depressing, especially when you look at some of the ones with great loss of life.
The idea of this pub has always been a motivation for the first half of the trip: it’s written up as a proper pub with lots of nautical bits – some from the wrecks. The food is good: like lots of the pubs around the coast, they are part of a “fish fight”, to use only sustainable fish and shellfish sourced locally, and here, all the other main ingredients are local too. I can give a thumbs up for the publican’s own lamb! What’s equally fabulous is the mussels, which are increasingly popular, and they are among the best I’ve ever tasted
The whole purpose of this stay was to have a break from the path, but my planning was a bit awry. I knew that I had to get a ferry across the Helford on the way to Falmouth, but forgot to check when the ferry finished – 31 October! I had intended to take the bus to Helford, but that doesn’t run on Saturday from the beach here. Oh well, the secret is flexibility, so I took it easy yesterday afternoon and then went exploring, sans pack, towards the Helford estuary.
I was out for about two-and-a-half hours and, unladen, walked 11.5 kms along the coast and then back inland to Porthallow for a bit of lunch. I did a fairly brisk pace (so nice after all the plodding on the path) because the forecast for this afternoon was for gale for winds and heavy rain.
Walking along the estuary was a complete change from the cliff path, walking along wooded paths and down onto the river bank when I was seeing if the stepping stones were dry enough to walk. I wasn’t taking risks, though: as I walked out of Gillan village along the lanes, the clouds were scudding across and the first of the gusts were starting to come through. As I walked though the gate of the pub, the first patters of rain were starting, and its howled and rattled the window all afternoon.
Tomorrow could be interesting as I have to walk to St Keverne’s to get the bus, which then takes two hours of meandering to get to Falmouth, but I want to get there as early as possible so I can explore the famous harbour and have a look at the maritime museum. There is rugby on in the evening, but I’m going to disguise my identity until after the first half. If the Aussies are looking good, I will come out of the rugby closet!
The “Manacles”
