Rebecca and I wanted to do a coastal hike with a beach, and we chose to go to the north coast of Cornwall and the village of Crackington Haven. This village is near the north border of Cornwall.
I was interested in this stretch of coast because I had heard from my landlord, Steven, that the geology up here was fantastic. We drove west, Rebecca navigating and me driving, with Christine and Gwendolyn in the backseat wondering where we were headed. We arrived in Crackington Haven to a steep downhill stretch and a huge cliff in front of us: Crackington Haven is literally in a narrow valley resembling a crack in the earth. Unfortunately, it was raining hard and the wind was blowing. We retreated to the warmth of a cafe for a cream tea, some coffee, and hope that the weather would break. By the time we finished our tea, the rain had let up. The sun wasn't out, but it was acceptable for a hike.
We decided to check out the beach and the rock outcrops before heading south along yet another stretch of the South West Coast Path. The geology was up to its billing with recumbent folds, storm beaches, a 400-foot cliff, groundwater discharge to the beach, and tide pools. I was snapping pictures like crazy, hoping for great pictures to show to my classes at Appalachian this fall. I looked at the pictures on the screen to see how they were turning out, and I was horrified. This is what they looked like:
It was unbelievable! The best geology of our trip to England and our camera had broken! It had worked fine the day before at Buckland Abbey. I have no idea what happened to it, but it was toast.
We proceeded on the hike sans camera. I was crying inside. We saw some of the highest coastal relief that we had yet seen in England, some of it as high as the celebrated Cliffs of Moher in western Ireland. By the time we reached the southernmost extent of our route, we climbed nearly 500 feet down to the water. It was a storm beach covered with huge boulders. These boulders are tossed around during large storm events. It was definitely a beach that sees big waves.
We retreated from the rising tide, reclimbed the 500-foot cliff, and did a nice loop hike back to Crackington Haven. The loop took us across some pastures and through a wooded valley along a pretty stream. We arrived back in the village to a completely different scene than the one in which we had arrived. When we left for our hike, we were the only car in the car park and it was an ugly, gray, drizzly day. When we returned, it was warm and sunny, and the car park was overrun. On our hike, however, we saw only a handful of people. Just like in the US, if you walk a bit, you get away from the crowds.
To give you an idea of what Crackington Haven itself looks like, I've taken a couple of pictures of postcards we purchased. Here is the village
and here is the cliff on the north side of the beach.
Christine and I will definitely be coming here again before we leave Cornwall.
So sorry about the camera. I'd have been crying too - but on the outside!!
ReplyDeleteI just have to say how fortunate Gwendolyn and Rebecca are to have you all for parents!! What amazing adventures you all have had - and the surprise trips just add to the fun!