Day: 97 1/8/93 St Mawes to Bohortha

Distance: 16 km (9.9 miles)    Total Distance:   1269 miles

Time for another family holiday with my very understanding wife who is happy to happy to drop me off at the start of the days walk and meet up with me later in the day. We stayed just outside Mevegissay in a self-catering cottage inside the grounds of a sizable house which used to be a vicarage but was now converted into a hotel.  The grounds themselves were fairly extensive and the cottage itself had a patio and large lawn of its own to the rear.  Due to the age of the cottage however the windows were small and the light inside was restricted which meant that although the weather was good for most of the week there was always a feeling of damp inside, particularly after it rained.

The cottage was situated close to the hotel which meant that occasionally we could venture to the hotel bar with baby alarm in hand. One night we got talking to a couple who were into making dolls houses.  He was a water engineer and very enthusiastic about his fascinating job unblocking drains and climbing down into the sewage system, though maybe it wasn't the best conversation to have whilst eating.

The first days walking started at St Mawes. It was one of those walks where I made little progress eastwards as it was around the Percuil Estuary peninsular.  There was a nice mix of road, estuary and coastal path walking. 

From St Mawes I found the path that took me northwards along the Percuil River through some boat yards.  The footpath up the river bank soon ended and instead turned inland and a steep climb led me back up onto the main road.  From here there were excellent views back over the River Fal to Falmouth.  The road stayed flat until the grandly named village of St Just In Roseland, most of which was bypassed by the road.  After that it became a bit hillier.  Once across the river, I took to a path through fields until the village of Gerrans, which was quite busy with holiday-makers buying things from the local shops. 

Looking across the Percuil River to St Mawes from near St Anthony
(Photo: Trevor Rickard on Geograph)

The road became narrow and quieter after the village and I kept to it for another mile or so before finding a path down to the estuary just after Froe.  At the end of this section the path goes up a small estuary to the hamlet of St Anthony and across to the church at Place before heading back to the coast again.  At St Anthony's Head the path passes below the car park initially where a lot of visitors were evident.  At the far end the path climbs and then keeps high onto the coast proper.  It was then only a short stroll to the point at Bohortha where I cut off the path and through the field to the road and over into the village where my wife was loyally waiting for me.  They had spent some time in St Mawes on the harbour front before going to St Anthony's Head for lunch and a short walk along the coast path.

St Anthony Head looking over to Falmouth
(Photo: Chris Dixon - Geograph)

In the afternoon we drove back to Mevegissay and went down to the village. Our son came close to having a finger bitten off by a hungry seagull.  The owner of the cottage we were staying at had described how he had an annual battle with the gulls and ended up shooting them.  I was beginning to understand why now.