A Cornish Adventure

The Social Swim Group, based in North Devon, was set up at the start of the first lockdown by Danielle, who loves swimming and cold water dipping and wanted to find more people who could join her on her adventures in the local area. ›

By The Social Swim Group at Saunton (Karen Scott, Danielle Ash, Rachel Dalton, Louise Round, Becky Davis, Claire Peebles, Adie Sidford, Lucy Davies, Kym Storkey, Katie Robb, Kim Barber and Jo Carter)

She wanted to create a safe place for people of all ages and genders to connect with others who wish to enjoy the water – significant both then and now in terms of physical and mental health.

Within the Facebook group, which now has nearly 600 members, many small tribes of like-minded individuals quickly formed with a shared love of the ocean, bringing people together and developing friendships.

One such tribe is this group of welcoming. These adventurous women regularly come together to share various adventures along the South West Coast Path, from local salty dips to trips to Exmoor and Dartmoor for new swimming opportunities.

Our passion for cold water dipping has helped us form a tight-knit group, and the diversity of our backgrounds, careers, and life experiences has united us and given us a combined strength we didn’t know we possessed. This non-judgemental support network has proved that any of us can push well beyond our comfort zones and achieve whatever we set our minds to (albeit with a bit of advanced planning on occasions!). Earlier in the year, Karen came up with an idea to travel further afield to discover new swim spots and suggested travelling down the coast to Cornwall to explore and dip. So it was that at the start of October, 10 of us packed up our cars and campervans and headed to Porthtowan. Fortunately, one of the group, Rachel, was a previous resident of the area, and so her local knowledge meant we had an experienced guide for the weekend.

We stayed at Mount Pleasant Eco Park mpecopark.co.uk about in a mixture of shepherds’ huts and motorhomes. Set in 42 acres of organic farmland in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the site also has a vegan café and outdoor amphitheatre. The different spaces are well laid-out and used to host events such as theatre shows, markets and workshops. But even with so much going on, the campsite is still incredibly restful with so much space. The far-reaching sea views lend a fantastic sense of space to the surroundings, and the facilities have a friendly, laidback vibe. There’s also a footpath from the campsite leading directly down to Porthtowan Beach.

We arrived on a glorious Friday afternoon and made straight for the Porthtowan Tidal Pool, as the tide was coming in, and we only had a limited window in >

which to go for a dip. After clambering up the rocks to the hidden pool, we had fun jumping in and cooling down after the drive down, but the waves were too much to resist, and we quickly made our way across the expanse of sand to the rolling waves.

Unfortunately, just as we were enjoying some body surfing and white water jumping, one of the group stepped on a weaver fish (note to swimmers, it’s a good idea to wear wetsuit boots), cue a quick exit and everyone running up the beach. Luckily, we had some hot water on hand to treat the sting – and the chocolate cake brought by Claire definitely helped to ease the pain… The next stop was the charming beach at St Agnes, where the massive waves proved to be a big hit with everyone, resulting in us all spending over 45 minutes body surfing, laughing and playing in the white water, as well as watching the surfers. Fortunately, we’d put our bags high up the slipway, as we spent so long having fun that, by the time we got out, the sea was right up to the top of the bay. We quickly dressed, sipped our hot drinks and decided to warm up further by making the most of the remaining sunshine and walking along the coast path above the village to get a better view of the impressive vista before returning to the campsite and grabbing food at one of the local pubs.

The Saturday morning saw us up bright and early (thanks for the cockerel impersonation, Danielle) and driving down to Treen to join the South West Coast Path, which would take us to our first swim of the day. Our excitement was increased by the words of a lovely local couple who told us stories of going to the first bay on our itinerary with their children when they were younger and said we were about to visit ‘the best beach in the world’. They weren’t wrong. As we walked along the coast path, we all went silent (quite unusual for a group of chatty women) as we peered over the edge and saw a beautiful slice of paradise, with glistening sand and turquoise water below us. There was just one set of footprints and a lone man lying down, sunbathing. We all hoped the beach we were heading for would be as beautiful, not realising that the path was about to double back on itself and lead us to that same destination.

The descent to Pedn Vounder was perilous, to say the least, but its near inaccessibility is part of its charm. In fact, most of the party made it down safely (sorry, Kym, but thanks for all the fantastic photos). >

The golden slither of sand we stepped onto was dominated by jagged headlands of granite cliffs and rocky outcrops and made us feel as if we were on a desert island cut off from the rest of the world. We were there just after high tide but, just before or after low tide (around 90 minutes on either side), a sandbar is revealed, creating a shallow crystal-clear lagoon just off the main beach, transforming the cove into something altogether more Caribbean. We were all so eager to get into the water that, when someone mentioned it was, in fact, a nudist beach, we didn’t need telling twice and stripped off to run naked into the sea. After splashing about in the surf, we decided to swim out to the sandbank to see if we could stand on it. We could. Local knowledge was essential here, and the man on the beach, who turned out to be a regular swimmer there, told us to stick to the middle of the cove and be careful not to get caught in the rips closer to the rocks, as there had been a tragic incident there the previous year. This was a sobering reminder to us all of the dangers of the sea and how important it is to be aware and not take any unnecessary risks.

We would have liked to stay in the water a lot longer, but reluctantly came out before we got too cold and scrambled our way back up to the path and then to our cars, where we consumed more cake, this time a homemade spiced rum fruit cake.

The next stop was Porthgwarra Cove to start the second adventure of the day – Walk 13 in Wild Swimming Walks Cornwall wildthingspublishing.com/ product/wild-swimming-walks-cornwall. However, our tummies were still rumbling after all the excitement, so we stopped for lunch at the Porthgwarra Cove Café staubynestatescottages.co.uk/porthgwarracove-cafe. This really is a hidden gem of a place to eat, with a delicious and mouth-watering array of dishes on offer. We’ve no idea how they create such excellent food in such a tiny kitchen.

So, sufficiently refuelled, we started walking. The weather was most definitely on our side, and the sun blazed down on us as we made our way up the cliffs along with the hitherto described ‘Dartmoor on sea.’ Some of us were brave enough to approach the edge of the funnel hole – a giant blowhole which gave the headland its original name, Tol-Pedn-Penwith (translated from the Cornish to The Holed Headland of Penwith).

The sea washes up dramatically through an underwater cave and up through the blowhole at high tide. The whole area is also a nature reserve for the once-rare Cornish choughs, not that we saw any, sadly.

Those of us without a head for heights scrambled past and made our way quickly back to the coast path and walked towards two giant cones on top of the headland (somewhat reminiscent of two giant gnomes guarding the peninsula). These aid shipping and mark the Runnel Stone, a hazardous rock pinnacle. Apparently, as long as mariners can see the black and white cone, they are fine, but if the red one obscures the black and white one, then they’re in trouble. We were fine as we could see both. >

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We walked past the National Coastwatch Institution and marvelled at the dramatic granite cliffs below and in front of us. As we tasted the salty air whipping up from the sea below us, we all felt a fantastic sense of freedom and wonder at the spectacular landscape around us. The rock structures and formations are impressive and a proper sight to behold.

Louise, who is a Marine Mammal Medic for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (bdmlr.org.uk) was on hand to point out all the seals hauled out on the beaches below and swimming in the sea in the bays and spoke to us all about the importance of observing from a safe distance and not disturbing them. Coincidentally, a couple of weeks after our trip, an injured seal pup was picked up by medics from Pedn Vounder and taken to a rehabilitation unit.

After another pitstop for water and snacks, the final spot of the circular walk was Nanjizal Beach (also known as Mill Bay). Following a brief encounter with some wild ponies, we descended the wooden staircase leading to the picturesque boulder-strewn cove. One of the intriguing aspects of the bay is its everchanging sand levels, washed in and away with the tide. We were lucky enough to have sand to walk on as we made our way to the left of the beach towards the natural slit-like arch in the rock face, with its high cave and crystalclear waters.

We clambered over rocks to reach a small sandy area at the entrance to the cave, and all the effort to get there was most definitely worth it, as before us was a magical blue inlet, with its dramatic, elegant archway towering above.

We swam through the diaphanous turquoise water in front of us and climbed over more boulders to reach the cave, known as Zawn Pyg, or the Song of the Sea, with its cathedral-like ceiling. The water below was teeming with Cushion Starfish and anemones, and the whole Disney-like ambience was magnified by the cartoon-coloured pink rocks and boulders. A particular treat was the discovery of a sizeable Spiny Starfish. All in all, a truly magical, if not to say, surreal, experience.

Becky decided she wanted to complete the experience at such an intriguing and unique part of the Cornish landscape with a quick dip in the sea; so, we all headed out across the rocks and seaweed and into the rolling waves, where we were delighted to be joined by a couple of seals.

To complete the circular walk, we cut across the countryside, through farms and fields, and were >

soon back at our cars. It had been a running joke of the weekend that every time Lucy sat down and got her flask out for a hot drink, we all started to pack up and move on, leaving her to slurp the burning liquid too fast and, unfortunately, this pitstop was no different! We probably moved on quicker than planned as we decided not to dip at Porthgwarra due to the amount of seaweed. Thanks to the local knowledge of our guide, however, we went to Porthcurno instead, just below the Minack Theatre.

As we marched down the track to the beach in our cossies, Dryrobes (other brands are available), flip flops and sliders, we walked past fully dressed families and couples enjoying the crisp autumnal sunshine. Once again, the waves were extremely lively, and we entertained ourselves in the shoreline break, body surfing and face planting on the beach – much to the amusement, if not bemusement, of everyone watching. We’re not sure if the screeching and hysterical laughter of 10 women added much to the calm, peaceful evening everyone else was hoping for.

A swift return to the Eco Park for hot showers and a change of clothes, and we headed back out to The Unicorn at Porthtowan (theunicornonthebeach.com) for an evening meal. We were glad we’d booked, as the place was clearly a popular destination. And, after the most fantastic food (which satisfied even the fussiest vegan and gluten intolerant) and cocktails, we could see why it was so busy. To end the evening we had even more cake, this time an impressive celebration one for Katie’s birthday.

Back at the campsite, we heard music, and so a few of us headed over to the bar to join some of the other holidaymakers, locals and staff and warm ourselves up by the fire pits. However, we were too tired to stay up too late and, as the evening was winding down, we all headed back to our huts and camper vans to get our heads down.

It was another early start for us all on the Sunday morning, the last day of the trip, as we packed up and then headed back down to Porthtowan for an early dip for World Mental Health Day. The tide was up over the rocks and the wind was whistling around, making for a very different swim to the last time we were in the sea there, just a couple of days before. It was indeed very refreshing – and somewhat bracing.

A highly-recommended breakfast at the Porthtowan Beach Café (porthtowanbeachcafe.com) followed and, once we’d eaten our fill of bacon sarnies, avocado and poached eggs and full (and vegan) breakfasts, we knew it was time to start heading back home to North Devon. But not without a couple of swim stops on the way, as well as meeting up with two more of our swim tribe, Kim and Jo.

We all met up at Trebarwith Strand, which has a milelong sandy beach at low tide, but it was high tide for us, so we walked down over the rocky slipway and perched on a couple of boulders to get changed. A tiny slither of sand was revealed and, after dunking in the rock pools, we headed into the surf to jump over and dive under waves. After bobbing in the sea together we decided to play in the stream which cuts through the centre of the bay in a rock gully, complete with little waterfalls and inlets. We really do take any opportunity to get into the water.

Our final stop of the weekend was Crackington Haven for roast dinners and ice creams and the last swim of our big adventure. It has a fascinating history as it began life as a small port importing limestone and coal and exporting slate from local quarries. Traces of a donkey path can even still be seen going down to Stangle Beach. Crackington Haven also has a fascinating geological history, but landslides are common here, and you can see the remains of past slips in the angled ledges and platforms of the cliff slopes. However, we were most impressed with Adie’s driving as she manoeuvred her enormous motorhome down the narrow roads.

Again, a couple of helpful locals told us which bits of the sea to avoid due to large rock formations jutting out into the water. Once again, we made the most of the still sunny weather and stayed in for as long as possible. Eventually, however, we made our way out of the ocean for the final time, got dressed, pulled on our woolly hats, said goodbye to each other and then climbed back into our vehicles to go home to our families.

It was a jam-packed, fast-paced weekend full of walking, swimming, eating, laughing and camaraderie, and we think all of us felt enriched and fulfilled (as well as exhausted) by our shared experiences in such a beautiful part of the South West. Now, where shall we go for our next adventure?