Читать книгу Short Walks in Cornwall - Collins Maps - Страница 7

Cornwall is one of Britain’s principal holiday destinations. The county occupies the most southwesterly part of England, a peninsula bounded to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean and warmed by the waters of the Gulf Stream to an extent that mild winters allow exotic plants to flourish in sheltered places. The sea is never more than 20 miles away and the coast is the main attraction of the county for most visitors. Inland, both the rugged landscape of moorland and the gentler scenery of woodland, valleys and farmland – as well as the remains of over 5000 years of history – are all worthy of exploration. There could be no better way to experience these landscapes than to follow one or more of the routes in this guide. The walks have been carefully chosen to introduce a cross section of countryside, with a selection of places of interest along the way.

Many of the walks include coastal sections and are well signposted for the South West Coast Path. In its entirety this National Trail runs for 630 miles (1014km) around the peninsula from Minehead in Somerset to Poole Harbour in Dorset. To enable the walker to experience selected sections of this path a few of the walks in this guide are planned using public transport to avoid a return journey on foot. In these cases the suggestion is to park your car at the destination and take the bus to the start point of your walk. Always check bus timetables carefully before setting out. Timetables are available locally and online.

Bus: www.westerngreyhound.com covers the Porthcothan to Mawgan Porth walk, the Penzance and St Michael’s Mount walk and the Polperro to Looe walk.

www.cornwallpublictransport.info and www.hopleyscoaches.com covers the Hopleys Coaches service between St Agnes and Porthtowan.

Train: as part of the St Ives walk www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk has the timetable for the St Ives Bay Line.

Ferry: it is essential to check ahead for the seasonally operated Tamar Passenger Ferry for the Cotehele and Calstock route. The timetable is available at www.calstock-ferry.com

A tide timetable gives details of high and low water at various points so you can plan your walks, beach visits and ferry trips accordingly. A visit to Kynance Cove, for example, will be best at low tide when the rock formations are visible, and if you want to walk the causeway to St Michael’s Mount then it is essential to visit at low tide. Buy a timetable locally in newsagents or garages, or check out times on the Internet.

Walking is a pastime which can fulfil the needs of everyone. You can adapt it to suit your own preferences and it is one of the healthiest of activities. This guide is for those who just want to walk a few miles. It really doesn’t take long to find yourself in some lovely countryside. All the walks are five miles or less so should easily be completed in under three hours. Walking can be anything from an individual pastime to a family stroll, or maybe a group of friends enjoying the fresh air and open spaces of our countryside. There is no need for walking to be competitive and, to get the most from a walk, it shouldn’t be regarded simply as a means of covering a given distance in the shortest possible time.