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Note that all maps on this site are only indicative. You should
never set out without the correct OS map.
A hike out to the 300-foot heights at the end of the point really
does reward the walker with the sort of intense light to be found
in few other locations anywhere in the country. And this may seem
a touch ironic when you gaze down at the darkness of the deep seas
far below and know that down there the blackness hides unsolved
mystery. We're talking here of disappearing ships and lost souls,
but before we get onto all that let's begin our hike in quaint,
if not suburban, Gorran Haven...
Park the car in the village's main car park and forego the promise
of the classic Cornish fishing village a few hundred yards to seaward,
you'll be seeing all that later. This hike goes up the hill, by
road, to the edge of "villadom" as John Buchan used to call it,
and then a footpath proceeds up a steep field to reach Treveague
Farm. Past this, heading south west, the path continues across the
hilltop fields towards the National Trust owned hamlet of Penare.
You have to walk down the last few hundred metres via the narrow
lane, but this is usually pretty quiet so there isnít much traffic.
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There's a far-flung place in southern Cornwall where
you can go, like the gulls, to be lonely and where, in the intense
sea-borne light, you can recall days when kegs full of brandy galore,
rattled among the cruel rocks which guard the secrets of a dark
and brooding sea... For this is The Dodman, a bold fortress of a
peninsula dividing the bays of St Austell and Veryan like some gigantic
tooth ready and waiting to rip into the soft under-belly of any
passing ship.
Basic walk: from Gorran Haven west via footpaths
to hamlet at Penare, then
down to Hemmick Beach before returning along the coast path south
around
The Dodman peninsula.
Recommended map: OS Explorer 105.
Distance and going: five miles, steep in places
but generally easy going. |
| Now we turn right down a path that
runs alongside the lane to pass down to heavenly Hemmick Beach,
a quiet place even in summer and an ideal rest point where the weary
hiker can paddle, swim, or simply laze about on the gritty sand.
During a gale in 1838 the brig Brandywine was faring badly just
off here. She struck the rocks at nearby Greeb Point and sank with
great loss of life. All that survived was her cargo of brandy kegs,
which bobbed about among the rocks long enough for the locals to
partake in their own version of Whisky Galore. Unfortunately they
weren't as quick witted as the Scottish islanders in Compton MacKenzie's
novel and the Revenue Men got to the scene first before many Cornishmen
could enjoy the prize.
Be warned, the next part of the trek is a little on the perpendicular
side. We're heading south off the beach to ascend Dodman Point along
the South West Coast Path, which is as steep as a house roof at
times. But it's all worthwhile as the point itself offers fabulous
views first of Veryan Bay to Nare Head and beyond on a clear day
to The Lizard - and secondly, once you've reached the end, to the
east past Looe Island and on to Rame Head near Plymouth. |
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| The large concrete cross that stands
at the end of the point was erected by a local rector who thought
it would act as a navigational aid late 19th century. God however,
thought differently and blasted the thing apart with a lightening
bolt. What we see today is the original granite edifice concreted
over.
On a wild day there's no doubt that the place could make you want
to pray. Especially when you recall the mystery of the pleasure
boat Darlwin which was out on a day-trip from Mylor in the 1960's.
Returning from her visit to Fowey she disappeared somewhere in the
vicinity of The Dodman as the weather worsened. To this day no trace
of her has been found apart from just a few bodies from among the
31 who were aboard and the odd scrap from the boat itself.
With these dark thoughts it's time to turn one's back on the intense
southern light to be found out on the peninsula, and walk inland
past the medieval strip fields and the massive, ancient defensive
rampart known as The Bulwark. On the way look out for the charming
small black cows called Dexters which have been brought in to graze
this delicate environment. Dexters are a nimble, tough, strong breed
of cattle that, though tiny in size, will put up with just about
any vertiginous conditions you throw at it - mountain cattle used
to being out on steep slopes in wintry weather. Ideal then, for
places like the DodmanÖ
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| The trustís local warden Walter (known
as Wal) Eyre explains how they were helping the Dodman to keep its
good looks. ìThe complete headland is a scheduled ancient monument,î
says Wal as. ìThe suite of archaeology on the site dates from the
Bronze Age ‚ there are Iron Age defensive works, mediaeval field
systems, a Napoleonic signal station and a Victorian cross. ìThe
cliffs themselves are important for nature conservation so, working
with the tenants, we are trying get back into mixture of grassland
and scrub which supports a wide variety of wildflowers and insects.
ìWeíd been grazing the cliffs with Shetland ponies for several
years,î says Wal. ìBut Dexters are very good at grazing steep ground
because of their size and they are also browsers - they have a fairly
hard mouth so they will eat ivy and even gorse. And so, with joint
money from ourselves and English Nature, we bought an initial herd
of 20 Dexters which the tenants manage for us and breed from - they
get to keep the young stock and build up the herd."
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| The cattle are kept by Dick Crawford-Jones
and his partner Liz Letcher who are the trustís tenants on the Dodman
and who have just started selling the delicious meat to the public.
If you've done your homework and looked up The Dodman on the Internet
you'll know that the next treat is Vault Beach - highly recommended
as a nudist sunbathing paradise according to my computer guide.
All we saw was one fully clothed old chap taking two energetic dogs
for a run, so we went on past Lamledra Farm to round the little
point at Pen-a-Maene.
Lastly the coast path drops down into the attractive older part
of Gorran Haven and you can take well deserved rest on the sea wall
and perhaps watch the sand eel fishermen fighting with rapacious
seagulls for the catch in their glinting net.
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