Living in Falmouth makes for a good life: we have an abundance of pasty shops, the most aggression we witness on the streets is generally between seagulls, and when anything gets a little too stressful, we can unwind on a beautiful beach all afternoon. Adventure is right on our doorstep, whether it be through sailing or surfing, paddle boarding, or even just hiking.
In fact, one of the best things about living here is that we’re pretty much sat on the South West coast path and, even if walking isn’t your thing, a short wander down the trail will give you access to really brilliant beaches and some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK – which also makes for some really cracking Instagram pictures that will, without a doubt, make all your followers question why they live anywhere that isn’t Cornwall.
Because, as we all know, Cornwall is the greatest.
You can pick up the coast path anywhere you like, but it’s probably easiest to start off at Gylly, and you can reach anywhere from Swanpool to Maenporth Beach, and even all the way to the Helford Passage. Above is my photograph of Swanpool (featuring a significant amount of seaweed), which was where I started off my coast walk this weekend.
The walk from Swanpool to Maenporth is full of hidden viewpoints, and they offer some truly spectacular views and/or Instagram picture opportunities. They’re especially stunning when the sun is shining, just like it was when I took this photo – thank you, Falifornia!
One of the best things about living around so much beautiful nature is that we get to experience it in all the seasons. While on this coast walk, I remembered just how satisfyingly autumnal it feels to walk through crisp, freshly fallen leaves. Autumn is well and truly underway, folks. Bring on the knitwear!
Rosemullion Head is one of my favourite spots: on one side of the headland, you can see right out to Famouth, with Pendennis Castle in the distance, and on the otherside you can see the Helford Estuary. There is a pretty fab circular walk around the headland, but Rosemullion is also a great place to have a break – if you’ve walked from Fal, you definitely deserve one! You might decide to turn back here, or, if you’re feeling energetic, you can walk on to the Helford River.
I stumbled across these stepping stones between Rosemullion and Helford, and I thought they were kind of ridiculously adorable. There were also some rather dark and somewhat creepy woods on this stretch of the path that reminded me of the Forbidden Forest from Harry Potter – walking through them was definitely one way to get in the mood for Halloween!
It’s a long journey but ultimately very satisfying, and the Helford River is pretty enough that it’s totally worth it. Also, there’s a ferry that runs between Falmouth and Helford between April and late October, so you can always hitch a ride back if you can’t face the long trek home.
Most of us are only going to be in Cornwall for around three or four years while we complete our degrees, so I think that it’s really important to make the most of our beautiful surroundings while we have the opportunity to. Coast walking is a free, fun way to get exercise and enjoy the weekend or the nice weather, and having some good company with you makes it even better. And, better still, you could even take a picnic with you…
Just remember to wear some decent shoes, take some blister plasters and a water bottle, and you’ll be good to go! The South West Coast Path is your oyster.