Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Jonny Weeks

Coast to coast: snapshots of Cornwall’s new Tamar valley walk

Calstock viaduct on stage 3 of the Tamara Coast To Coast Way.
Calstock viaduct on stage 3 of the Tamara Coast To Coast Way. All photographs by Jonny Weeks/the Guardian Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian

A few minutes into a “guided” walk along the new Tamara Coast to Coast Way, which roughly traces the border of Cornwall and Devon, my guide is looking sheepish. We’re standing in a grassy field flanked by overgrown hedgerows and with no discernible exit. I was promised a panoramic view of the Tamar river stretching off into the distance.

“Are we lost?” I inquire mischievously. “Give me one moment,” comes the reply. “I walked this route in the opposite direction last time!”

Will Darwall smiles while looking at a book outdoors
Will Darwall, manager of the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme, a partnership of 21 organisations – including Cornwall Council, Devon county council, the National Trust and Historic England – which aims to promote the Tamar valley and its communities Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Will Darwall, manager of the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme, a partnership of 21 organisations – including Cornwall Council, Devon County Council, the National Trust and Historic England – which aims to promote the Tamar valley and its communities

A page of a guidebook with a man’s finger pointing out a trail
Darwall points to the guidebook, showing our direction of travel Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
A glimpse of a curving river seen between two gently rolling hills
The view of the Tamar river which we’ve been looking for Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Darwall points to the guidebook, showing our direction of travel. Eventually, we find the view of the Tamar river which we’ve been looking for

My guide is Will Darwall, manager of the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme (TLPS), the organisation that has created the 87-mile walk running from Cremyll near Plymouth in the south to Marsland Mouth, near Bude in the north. Officially opened this month and supported by £2.3m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, it joins two popular routes – the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail and the Bude Canal Trail – with existing public footpaths and a new permissive path near St Mellion, allowing people to safely walk a signposted route from coast to coast for the first time.

“People ordinarily go to the coast or Dartmoor or Bodmin Moor, and they drive straight past the Tamar Valley,” says Darwall. “We consider this the forgotten gem of the region. Some of the nicest walks I’ve ever been on are here.”

Thankfully, there’s a handy guidebook with directions. Darwall consults his, points assuredly to the other end of the field and we are soon back on track.

Xavier, 10, playing in the mudflats near Bere Ferrers at low tide.
Xavier, 10, playing in the mudflats near Bere Ferrers at low tide Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Xavier, 10, who we met prior to our walk, playing in the mudflats near Bere Ferrers at low tide

Muddy and majestic

Xavier splashes in the mud
Xavier splashes in the mud Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Xavier splashes in the mud

We’re walking a short portion of stage three – if you can call three miles of undulating terrain “short” – from a tiny bay at Hole’s Hole that’s strewn with the ruins of an old yacht, towards the majestic Edwardian viaduct at Calstock.

Hills rise and valleys fall steeply beneath our feet, while the Tamar’s mudflats are slowly swallowed by the rising tide. Around us, nature is thrumming. Bees and butterflies skitter from flower to flower, while vivid blooms and thistles sprout wherever the sun shines.

The wreck of the yacht Merganser at Hole’s Hole.
The wreck of the yacht Merganser at Hole’s Hole Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
A danger sign painted on to the side of the wreck.
A danger sign painted on to the side of the wreck Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • The wreck of the 1887 yacht Merganser at Hole’s Hole and a danger sign painted on to its side

A bee collecting pollen from riverside flowers.
A bee collecting pollen from riverside flowers Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • A bee collecting pollen from riverside flowers

A detour sign made by a local resident promising beautiful views of the river Tamar.
A detour sign made by a local resident promising beautiful views of the river Tamar Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
Animals roaming at a property near Ward Mine Farm.
Animals roaming at a property near Ward Mine Farm Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • A detour sign made by a local resident promising beautiful views of the river Tamar, and animals roaming at a property near Ward Mine Farm

Calstock viaduct which spans the Tamar river, joining Devon and Cornwall.
Calstock viaduct which spans the Tamar river, joining Devon and Cornwall Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Calstock viaduct, which spans the Tamar river, with a moored yacht flying Saint Piran’s flag

Darwall says: “There’s been phenomenal interest from people wanting to buy the guidebook and we’ve had overwhelming support from locals. Our aim is to encourage more people to come here. Hopefully visitors will use the cafes and the B&Bs en route.”

Almost three hours after we set off – and having still not passed another walker – Calstock viaduct finally comes into view. The majestic Grade II*-listed structure, built between 1904 and 1907 by John Lang, stands 37 metres (120ft) high and has 12 symmetrical arches. Calstock train station lies tantalisingly close on the opposite side of the river, but walking over the viaduct is illegal and TLPS’s plan to reinstate a local ferry crossing is still being negotiated.

The only way back to our cars is to keep walking. That is until Darwall charms a local farmer who generously gives us a lift in his ute. “I won’t be doing this for everyone,” the farmer quips.

Passengers disembarking from Cremyll ferry.
Passengers disembarking from Cremyll ferry Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Passengers disembarking from Cremyll ferry

Walkies with Ted

Phil Rendell and Ted the labradoodle admiring the view at Empacombe.
Phil Rendell and Ted the labradoodle admiring the view at Empacombe Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Phil Rendell and Ted the labradoodle admiring the view at Empacombe

The coast-to-coast walk officially begins at Cremyll, where a wooden fingerpost warns prospective hikers of the long journey ahead. I stall my departure to admire the view across Plymouth sound. The scene reminds me of living in Sydney, Australia: a super yacht, a tiny fishing boat, two Royal Navy RIBs and a tug boat all cruise past, while Royal William Yard looks resplendent in the distance. The Cremyll ferry soon pulls up and a man disembarks with a large dog in his arms.

“I was super excited when I heard about the new walk,” says Phil Rendell, as Ted the labradoodle saunters down the trail. “My dad loves walking and following the coast paths, and now we have a new route to walk, so he’s all pumped up and wants to come back over from America, where he lives, to walk a few sections with me. Maybe we can make it all the way to Bude one day if we break it up into small stages.”

We reach a property with a castle-style wall draped in ivy, formerly the kitchen garden for nearby Mount Edgcumbe estate. A local resident politely informs us we’ve strayed slightly from the path and are now walking through his front garden. “You’re not the first”, he says.

Two Royal Navy RIBs glide on Plymouth sound, with Royal William Yard in the background.
Two Royal Navy RIBs glide on Plymouth sound, with Royal William Yard in the background Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Two Royal Navy RIBs glide on Plymouth sound, with Royal William Yard in the background

A fingerpost at the start of the new Tamara Coast to Coast Way indicating that it’s 83 miles to the source of the Tamar river and 87 miles to Marsland Mouth on the north coast.
A fingerpost at the start of the new Tamara Coast to Coast Way indicating that it’s 83 miles to the source of the Tamar river and 87 miles to Marsland Mouth on the north coast Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
A view across the Tamar river from Maker Lane. The Coast to Coast Way runs through the foreground.
A view across the Tamar river from Maker Lane. The Coast to Coast Way runs through the foreground Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • A fingerpost at the start of the new Tamara Coast to Coast Way and a view across the Tamar river from Maker Lane

Yachts bobbing on the Tamar near Cremyll.
Yachts bobbing on the Tamar near Cremyll Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Yachts bobbing on the Tamar near Cremyll

A six-foot hunk of stone marking the humble source of the mighty Tamar river. In fact, there are numerous little springs nearby which all contribute.
A six-foot hunk of stone marking the humble source of the mighty Tamar river. In fact, there are numerous little springs nearby which all contribute Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • A six-foot hunk of stone marking the humble source of the mighty Tamar river

Tracing the source

The following day I head north by car, shamelessly skipping most of the walk to arrive at the source of the Tamar. I’ve missed many captivating views and historic sites, among them the stepping stones of Lopwell Dam, St Mellion church, Launceston Castle and Horse Bridge – the oldest surviving bridge across the Tamar, which dates from 1437 – but it feels apt to visit the source of this mighty watercourse. The spot is marked by a giant boulder on the side of a quiet country lane.

I amble down to Marsland Mouth, emerging on to a rugged coastal path where the Atlantic Ocean greets me. A bracing onshore wind whips through the long grass and races up the valley.

A tunnel of light in the foliage near Marsland water.
A tunnel of light in the foliage near Marsland water Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
A spider tending to its spherical web.
A spider tending to its spherical web Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • A tunnel of light in the foliage near Marsland water and a spider tending to its spherical web

Nicholas Childs on a solo walk near Marsland Mouth.
Nicholas Childs on a solo walk near Marsland Mouth Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • Nicholas Childs on a solo walk near Marsland Mouth

A sign marking the Cornish side of the wooden bridge at Marsland Mouth.
A sign marking the Cornish side of the wooden bridge at Marsland Mouth Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
A painted stone found near the beach.
A painted stone found near the beach Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • A sign marking the Cornish side of the wooden bridge at Marsland Mouth and a painted stone found near the beach

A solitary walker passes me and I tell him I’m surprised by how few walkers I’ve seen. “When the sun’s out I just seem to get drawn outside,” says Nicholas Childs. “It’s really dramatic scenery around here but it’s not always this quiet.”

My journey ends as I cross a wooden bridge which links Devon and Cornwall, metres from the shingle beach. Now I just need a farmer with a ute to help me get home again.

The Atlantic Ocean, where my journey ends.
The Atlantic Ocean, where my journey ends Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian
  • The Atlantic Ocean, where my journey ends

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.