Before autumn, the north coast of Cornwall is the destination for a last glimpse of the summery seaside. Through undulating pastoral land, across headstreams of the meandering River Ottery, narrow lanes are overwhelmed in drab ferns, meadowsweet, hemp agrimony and seeding vegetation, all entwined in late honeysuckle.
The prehistoric hillfort of Warbstow Bury should give the first sight of the sea, but its panorama is part obscured by drizzling cloud. Like the flock of sward‑maintaining sheep, we huddle alongside one of the encircling banks, sheltering from wet gusts of wind. Adjacent turbines spin and generate power, and the distant ocean is a grey blur apart from gleams of light on the huge white dishes of Morwenstow’s satellite tracking station.
