Travel Diaries: Hiking To A Secluded Beach In North Cornwall

It’s been quite a while since I’ve published a travel diaries post. But with a combination of the pandemic, work and other responsibilities I haven’t been able to travel as much as I’d have liked for the last two years or so. Also, the few trips I have taken, I chose not to share them online just because I like to keep a few things for myself and document them in a more personal way. So, in the light of this I’d thought I’d share a few snippets with you all of my recent trip to Cornwall with my husband.

Our first full day in Cornwall was pretty horrendous as far as the British weather goes. But we both feel like we’re pretty hardy and still decided to go on a hike down to a small secluded beach. The beach itself is quite a ways off the beaten track. You need to park in a small farm car park with a honesty payment system in place. Then you have to walk through the farm, through a few gates and follow the signs that say “to the beach”.

There are no set pathways as such just a bit of a muddy well trodden track which can get quite stony in some places. I was very grateful for my trusty Karimoors with their sturdy ankle supports. The start of the path is quite tame with a gentle slope down towards the beach. You can to see an array of beautiful native vegetation and alot of small birds flitting about the bushes. We were the only ones using the track going down to the beach which made it really romantic and peaceful even if the rain was horizontal at this point. But that wouldn’t dampen our spirits or stop us in our quest for glorious Cornish coastline views.

The further down the path we went, the steeper the decline became with large stones and rocks fashioning stairs. It’s quite slippery, especially in the bad weather but if you’ve been on your fair share of hikes, you’ll make quick work of the descent. As they say, it’s always easier to go down than to go up.

There were quite a few signs to watch out for Adders on the way down, which, for those of you who are unfamiliar, are one of the UK’s native snakes. They are actually currently protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and personally I have never seen one in the wild. Contrary to popular belief Adders are not usually aggressive - typically they’d rather slither off than deal with a confrontation with a human. I desperately did hope to see one but unfortunately, probably due to the extreme rain and wind, we didn’t manage to get a glimpse of any

The track we took down to the beach seemed to lead us into a small valley that was steeper on the opposite side to the one we were walking along. It always amazes me how nature - particularly rock faces form. In the middle of the valley you could hear the sound of water trickling down. It was difficult to see though through the masses of shrubbery.

The rocks became larger and the trickles of water seemed to turn into small streams and waterfalls, the closer we got the the beach. The entire feeling of the hike would have been very different if we had some sunshine, but I actually found that the rain made it that more special. It was a real treat to watch the rain feed the plants and wildlife. It made us see the entire landscape in a completely different way - not only was it a beautiful piece of countryside but it was also a carefully balanced ecosystem home to plants, insects and wildlife that otherwise couldn’t be sustained if it wasn’t for the rain.

I didn’t get the chance to take too many photos, as the rain was truly relentless and getting my camera and phone extremely wet. However you wouldn’t know from the photos - it doesn’t look to be raining at all, it just looks like a typically grey day in the English countryside.

The further down we got there were more signs showing the various Cornish wildlife you may encounter at the beach - various sea birds and even seals. Unfortunately the latter was nowhere in site. There was however a small wooden bridge crossing the stream to take you to a walk over the headland and to the western side of the beach. On this particular day though, we just decided to head down to the beach to get a better look. After all, the beach was the entire purpose of our adventure.

Once we got down to the beach we decided to just sit on the rocks and listen to the waves slapping against the cliffs. The beach was a beautiful combination of rock and sand. There were only about one or two sets of footprints on the beach suggesting it’s not that popular. Or perhaps the long walk in the bad weather was just putting people off on this particular day?

We didn’t make it down onto the sand itself - some of the rocks that were supposed to be forming the stairs had worn down and fallen away making it a bit tricky and slippery to get down onto the sand. We figured that as the beach was so remote, we better not hurt ourselves before being able to make our way back. There wasn’t anyone around if we got ourselves in trouble and of course, there was no phone signal.

I was grateful to have the beach to myself along with my husband though. It was so peaceful and tranquil. Just the two of us sitting there in the wind and rain.

There is just something so calming about being beside the ocean and listening to it. It makes me feel instantly calm and clear-minded. Everything I was ever worrying or stressing about is instantly stripped away and I just know that everything is going to be okay.

Sometimes we think life is so chaotic, but after spending some time in nature we realise that all of these worries are stresses are but a drop in the ocean. Everything you are meant to do, you’ll do. Everything you’re meant to have will make it’s way to you. And ultimately, everything that is meant to be will always find its way. Just make sure you stop and take some time to yourself to appreciate the little things in life - the smell of the rain, the sound of the ocean and those special moments like this hike that you get to keep forever in your memories.