Cremyll to Cawsand

 It was a hot sunny bank holiday Monday,  I knew the roads would be busy and car parks full so I decided to stay local and walk along the South West Coast path from Cremyll to Cawsand.   I was out early enough to park in the overflow car park at Admiral's Hard and caught the 9.15 ferry to Cremyll.  There were a few other people on the ferry but not so crowded we couldn't social distance.

I started by  walking through Mount Edgecumbe Park.  The flower beds outside the Orangery  had been planted for the summer but were not yet making a show.  Further along the coastal path there were the camelias from the National Camelia collection, but these were past their best and only a few flowers remained.  Most of the bluebells had also finished flowering, although there were some in the woodlands.  There were however rhododendrons giving bright splashes of colour and I saw the first foxgloves of the season.

After we had climbed the long flight of steps which is the worse part of this walk, we expected a gentle downhill walk into Kingsand.  However, there was a fallen tree and the South West Coast path was diverted up through the deer park and then down a steep path through trees.  The ground was very dry with loose earth and stones so this was not easy walking and I was glad when we returned to the normal path.

It was high tide so Kingsand and Cawsand were busy with people who could not sit on the beach.  I thought about returning to Cremyll immediately by bus and arrived at the bus stop just when the bus was due.  After waiting for 20 minutes I realised the bus must have been early and I had missed it. So I walked back into Cawsand and found a seat on the terrace of The Bay restaurant and had a fish and chip lunch.  I then returned to the bus stop some time before the bus was due to make sure I did not miss it again.  The bus was late so I thought I would miss the ferry, but there were so many people wanting to return to Plymouth that they had put on an extra, large, boat and I was able to catch that one.

The section of the South West Coast Path from Cremyll to Cawsand is one of my favourite and I have done it many times.  It never ceases to delight with the wonderful sea views. Hopefully the fallen tree will soon be dealt with and it will be the easy walk that it has been in the past.