Date: Thursday 24th March
Distance: 6 miles (or possibly 6.5, signposts are a bit inconsistent)
Route: Coastal path all the way!
This is a walk that we've been putting off for a while - the Cornwall Coast Path book calls it "the toughest six miles of the coast path", which is pretty off-putting - in our humble opinion, it certainly didn't feel as tough as the Pendeen to Zennor stretch.
Where the book redeems itself, however, is in referring to it as "amongst the most stunning" - this is mainly due to the walk seeming to be closer to the sea than some of the other stretches, some outstanding cliffs and rocks and a well-maintained path.
Although there are obviously lots of people heading along the path from St Ives, there didn't seem to be as many of us heading in the other direction from Zennor. Going this way means that you end up in St Ives, with its many attractions (shops! cream teas! pasties! the Tate!); going the other way has the advantage of a potential pub stop at the Tinners Arms.
We started the walk from Zennor village - there are infrequent buses out here from St Ives (more in summer, obviously) or you can get a taxi out here. It's a short walk down to Zennor Head, then the path "hugs the coastline sending you on an endless series of ups and downs". The good - and surprising thing - about this walk, was that there were actually quite a few flat stretches between the ups and the downs, so at least there was some recovery time built in. I would still recommend a stick, though.
Given the proximity to St Ives and the glorious sunshine, there were plenty of people out and about on the path - from the charity walker with the messed-up feet who had started his coastal path walk in Minehead to the chatty Welsh people who had missed the bus in St Ives and most memorably, the topless man listening to Radio 3 on a transistor radio (not an image you would necessarily want in your head, I'll admit). We also spotted a solitary seal diving around in one of the bays - a slightly more welcome sight!
Once you get within a mile of St Ives, it is clear where your destination is - the path brings you out near the Tate and Porthmeor Sands, although it only takes a few minutes longer to cut through to the busy streets of Wharf Road and Fore Street and the vast expanse of Harbour Beach.
I wish we hadn't been swayed by the guide book on this walk and put it off, however I'm pleased that we managed to do it today. It's also a milestone walk for us, as it means we have now walked the whole path from St Ives to Penzance in various chunks over the past few years - obviously at 40 miles in total, it's not exactly a huge distance but the many ups and downs along the route do make it feel like an achievement and have got us wondering "what next?." It's difficult to top the Cornwall Coast Path for scenery, weather (most of the time) and ease of use (most of the time, again). This won't be the last time we walk down here, I'm sure.
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