ACCOMMODATION
There are plenty of places to stay all along the Cornwall coast path. It is always a good idea to book your accommodation ahead and it is absolutely essential in June, July and August. Also be aware of national holidays and any major festivals and events (see pp25-6) as you may find accommodation is in short supply during these periods.
Camping
The rewards of camping are significant, despite the hard work of carrying a heavy load, pitching and striking the tent and cooking your meals. In today’s modern age many of us forget how it feels to be truly independent and we can regain a sense of this self-reliance by carrying everything we need for our survival on our backs.
Most campsites are only open from Easter to October so camping in winter is not really practical. You will come across an enormous range of sites from a simple field on a farm with a toilet, shower and little else, to huge caravan and camping parks with washing machines, dryers, a small shop and a bulging book of rules.
Prices range from £3 to about £7 per person and reach their peak in July and August when it’s advisable to book ahead. Unfortunately some sites will only take a minimum booking of one week during these months. Walkers camping alone can occasionally be penalized financially as prices are sometimes per pitch, which assumes two people sharing a tent.
The coast path is not really suited to wild camping. If you want to camp wild you must ask permission from whoever owns the land. Finding which farmhouse owns the field you want to camp in is no easy feat; you may find yourself trudging along miles of country lanes only to be told ‘no’. Also, a lot of the coastline is owned by the National Trust who do not allow camping on their land.
Hostels
There is a reasonable scattering of hostels along the coast path providing budget accommodation for between £9 and £18 per night (less for under 18s), usually in dormitories, although double rooms are occasionally available. Hostels come in two types: youth hostels which are part of an international association, the Youth Hostel Association/Hostelling International (YHA/HI), of which you need to be a member (see box below) and independent hostels, also referred to as backpackers, which as the name suggests are independently owned and no membership is required. If you are planning to stay in hostels as often as possible you will make use of both types.
Hostels are not just for young travellers; the young at heart will be more than welcome at most places. At YHA hostels, in particular, you’ll often find more oldies than young ‘uns. If you find large groups of young people intimidating you can always check if the hostel has any double rooms.
One of the big advantages of staying in a hostel, aside from a cheap bed, is being able to cook your own food. Nearly all hostels provide well-equipped kitchens and all that is asked is that you clean up after yourself. There’s also no need to carry a sleeping bag. Youth Hostels always provide linen and don’t allow you to use a sleeping bag anyway and most independent hostels have linen available, although sometimes you have to pay an extra £1-3 for its hire.
Unfortunately, hostels aren’t numerous enough or well-enough spaced to provide accommodation for every night of your walk so you will inevitably have to stay in B&Bs on several nights. The long stretch between Penzance and Falmouth is particularly barren with only two hostels (Lizard and Coverack).
Most YHA hostels (but not independent hostels) close between November and April. If you are walking the coast path at this time of year you will only be able to stay in a hostel for about five nights of your walk.
Bed and breakfast
B&Bs are a great British institution. For anyone unfamiliar with the concept you get a bedroom in someone’s home along with a cooked breakfast the following morning; in many respects it is like being a guest of the family. It is a brilliant way to walk in Cornwall as you can travel with a light pack and gain a fascinating insight into the local culture. One night you may be staying in a suburban bungalow, the next in a cliff-top farmhouse.
What to expect For the long-distance walker tourist-board recommendations and star-rating systems have little meaning. At the end of a long day you will simply be glad of the closest place with hot water and a smiling face to welcome you. If they have somewhere to hang your wet and muddy clothes so much the better. It is these criteria that have been used for places included in this guide, rather than whether a room has tea- and coffee-making facilities, a shaver point or colour TV.
Bed and breakfast owners are often proud to boast that all rooms are en suite. This enthusiasm for private facilities has led proprietors to squeeze a cramped shower and loo cubicle into the last spare corner of the bedroom. Establishments without en suite rooms are sometimes just as satisfactory as you may get sole use of a bathroom across the corridor and a hot bath is just what you need after a hard day on the trail. Single rooms are usually poky ‘box’ rooms with barely enough room for the bed. Twin rooms have two single beds, while a double is supposed to have one double bed, although just to confuse things, twins are often called doubles. Family rooms sleep three or more.
Occasionally B&Bs will provide an evening meal, particularly if there is no pub or restaurant nearby. Others may offer you a lift to a local eatery, while some will expect you to have eaten before you arrive. Check what the procedure is when you book.
All accommodation listed should be open year-round (unless stated otherwise). Remember, however, that B&B owners can, and do, change their minds at a moment’s notice, putting prices up when it’s busy, deciding to re-decorate when it’s quiet, or closing the business when they want to go away on holiday.
Prices B&B prices are usually quoted as per person per night and range from £18 for a simple room with a shared bathroom to over £30 for a very comfortable en suite room with all mod cons. Most places listed in this guide are £20-25. In the large towns prices tend to be cheaper off season, but in many small places they stay the same year-round. Prices quoted in the text are a rough guide to what the owner is charging and if there is a significant seasonal difference this is mentioned. In general B&B accommodation is cheaper if you are travelling as a pair. Single room rates are often higher than double or twin rates and if you take a double or twin room on your own you may be charged a single person’s supplement of between £5 and £10, or even be expected to pay the full rate for two people.
Inns and pubs
Putting up at an inn is a British tradition that goes back centuries and still appeals to many walkers. However, just because it’s called an inn doesn’t mean it will have old oak beams and a roaring log fire. Although there are some delightful traditional pubs, many places have been refurbished and have lost some of their character and charm. Inns tend to be more expensive than simple B&Bs with prices around £30 to £40 per person with breakfast included.
The biggest advantage of staying at an inn is convenience. Accommodation, meals and a bar are all provided under the same roof. If you’ve had a few too many pints of wonderful Cornish ale you don’t have far to stagger at closing time. On the other hand if you want an early night you may find the noise from the bar keeps you awake.
Guesthouses
Guesthouses are purpose-built, upmarket B&Bs filling the gap between B&Bs and hotels. They are usually less personal and slightly more expensive (£30-40 per person) but do offer more space and often an evening meal and a comfortable lounge for guests.
Hotels
Most hotels along the coast are classier and more expensive than inns or guest- houses and therefore put many walkers off. The other problem for the walker is having suitable smart clothes to wear in the evening, unless of course, you have the panache to carry off designer fleece and walking boots in the restaurant. Once in a while you may feel you deserve a treat and at the end of a long day that Jacuzzi could be well worth paying extra for!
Self-catering holiday cottages
It is possible to walk a considerable amount of the coast path from a fixed base using public transport to get to and from the trail each day; see p27 for more information and ideas. Renting a self-catering cottage makes a lot of sense for a group of walkers who intend to do this as it will work out a lot cheaper than staying in B&Bs and you won’t have the headache of booking accommodation for lots of people. Holiday cottages are normally let on a weekly basis with prices starting from about £120 for those sleeping four to six people. Cottages haven’t been listed in this book; contact the tourist information centre in the area you want to stay for further details (see p36).
WHEN TO GO
The decision of when to go may be out of your hands. However, if you are in a position to choose which time of the year to come, make your plans carefully. Do you prefer the vibrant colours of springtime wildflowers, or the rich tones of autumnal foliage and heather? Do you want weather warm enough for swimming? Do you like the buzz of big crowds, or do you prefer to walk in solitude? The following information should help you decide when is best for you.
SEASONS
Spring and early summer
April, May and June are possibly the best months to go walking in Cornwall. The weather is warm enough without being too hot, the days are getting longer, the holiday crowds have yet to arrive and this is the driest time of the year. Perhaps the most beautiful advantage is the abundance of wild flowers which reach their height in May. Cornwall starts to get busier in June as by now the sun is making an average appearance of seven hours a day.
Summer
July and August are the hottest months and also the busiest. This is the time of the school summer holidays when families and holidaymakers flock in their thousands to Cornwall. Demand for accommodation is high and many B&B owners and some campsites will only take weekly bookings. Surprisingly most of the coast path itself is not that busy, but you’ll encounter the crowds at beaches, car parks and in towns, especially if the sun is out. The weather is generally good in July, although during particularly settled periods it can be too hot for walking. August can be wetter and overcast.
Autumn
September is often a wonderful month for walking. The days are still long, the temperature has not dropped noticeably and the summer crowds have long disappeared.
The first signs of winter will be felt in October but there’s nothing really to deter the walker. In fact there’s still much to entice you, such as the colours of the heathland, which come into their own in autumn; a magnificent blaze of brilliant purples and pinks, splashed with the yellow flowers of gorse.
Winter
November can bring crisp clear days which are ideal for walking, although you’ll definitely feel the chill when you stop on the cliff tops for a break. Winter temperatures rarely fall below freezing but the incidence of gales and storms definitely increases.
You need to be fairly hardy to walk in December and January and you may have to alter your plans because of the weather. By February the daffodils and primroses are already appearing but even into March it can still be decidedly chilly if the sun is not out.
While winter is definitely the low season with many places closed, this can be more of an advantage than a disadvantage. Very few people walk at this time of year, giving you long stretches of the trail to yourself. When you do stumble across other walkers they are as happy as you to stop and chat. Finding B&B accommodation is easier as you will rarely have to book more than a night ahead (though it is still worth checking in advance as some B&Bs close out of season), but if you are camping, or on a small budget, you will find places to stay much more limited. Few campsites bother to stay open all year and many hostels will be closed.
WEATHER
The Cornish climate is considerably milder than in the rest of Britain because of its southerly location and the influence of the Gulf Stream.
Winter temperatures rarely fall below freezing and the mean maximum in summer is around 19°C. Sea temperatures range from about 9°C in February to about 17°C in August.
Rainfall is highest in the winter due to the regular procession of weather fronts moving east across the Atlantic. In the summer these fronts are weaker, less frequent and take a more northerly track.
Mean wind speeds are force 3-4 in summer and 4-5 in winter. Gales can be expected around ten days per month between December and February and less than one day per month from May to August.
Daylight hours
If you are walking in autumn, winter or early spring you must take into account how far you can walk in the available light. It may not be possible to cover as many miles as you would in the summer.
The sunrise and sunset times in the table (see opposite) are based on information for the town of Penzance on the 15th of each month. This gives a rough picture for the rest of Cornwall. Please also bear in mind that you will get a further 30-45 minutes of usable light before sunrise and after sunset depending on the weather.
|
