Cornwall Part 2: Polperro and the sea cliff walk

 After a day spent lazing on the beach me and my camping buddy decided it was time to do something a bit more active. We had had the sea side town of Polperro recommended as being an excellent place to visit and so we decided to take the cliff side walk to reach it.

It was a good ten mile walk all round from where we were camped and so we started early. The views themselves were stunning as we passed dramatic rock formations, beautiful blue waters, waterfalls and stunning beaches.

The walk was also great for nature spotting as we spotted diving birds, butterflies and dramatically coloured flowers and a bird of prey hunting high above the cliffs.

The walk itself took a little bit longer then expected and we arrived in the late afternoon. The town itself was as picturesque as expected and we spent some time exploring the lovely local shops, eating ice cream and topped it all off by having an exquisite lamb stew at one of the local pubs.

We left and made it in good time back to the campsite and we stopped for a little while to take in the truly magical sunset that slowly disappeared along the horizon. I spent my final night relaxing and watching the stars. By the time the next day came I was sad to be leaving Cornwall but also glad to be making my way back from camping to the comforts of home.

Kenfig Nature Reserve

Located in the desolated and wind swept heart of the South Welsh coastline, lies Kenfig Pool Nature Reserve. This beautiful reserve is home to a wonderful selection of nature due to its impressive freshwater lake, sweeping sand dunes and expansively lovely coastline.

I volunteered at this site for a year and a half and it stills holds many good memories for me. Whether it involved sloshing through flooded reed beds hunting for elusive Waterails (a type of wading bird that squeals like a pig when it gets territorial), hunting by flashlight for the rare newts that dot its pools or (like today) exploring its beautiful beaches it really is an extraordinary home for nature.

I was there with a friend and together we stomped over the dunes, gazed across the lake, took a moment to rest in the bird hide by the lake before finally making our way to the sea. The coast stretches for miles and is made even more amazing by the fact that just over the hill lies a steel mill that seems to exist to pump clouds into the sky.

After walking a fair stretch of the beach we climbed over the now rocky shore before looping our way back the local pub The Prince of Wales to take in a pint. It really is an excellent place to relax, filled as it is with warmth, old worldly charm and some truly exquisite food. This historic pub and the reserve itself is also home to many legends of ancient apparitions and ghostly goings on. After all if you visit the reserve on a lonely night you just might hear the toiling of a church bell from far beneath the lake or feel the icy chill of the local lich that wanders Kenfig's local graveyard.

Overall I would thoroughly recommend Kenfig as a wonderful and beautiful spot for a day out.