Chapel Porth

Chapel Porth circular.

Wildlife sightings : 1 seal & 1 buzzard (that turned out to be a radio controlled buzzard look alike……only identified when it turned a perfect loop-the-loop……is this a new RAF economy version drone I ask myself?)

Swan Alerts: none

New word of the walk : vertiginous……

A long (for me) haul up out of Chapel Porth and a breath taking view back along the coast as far as St Ives.

That’s the only benefit of these North Westerlies we’ve been having – the visibility is crystal clear.

A beautiful time of year for Coast Path walking. Our resident flower expert Sue Edgeler pointed out (and named) lots of wild flowers like the Spring Squill.

We continued along the coast towards St Agnes in the sunshine past the Wheal Coates engine house.

The Wheal Coates mine opened in 1802 and was worked until its closure in 1889. The site is most notable for its three engine houses and in particular the iconic Towanroath Shaft engine house, which is now a Grade II listed building. Built in 1872 the Towanroath engine house was responsible for keeping the water out of the shaft 600 feet below.There is also evidence of prehistoric mine workings here too.

We paused at the National Coastwatch lookout for a drink and to admire the flowers.

Then we had a quick dash back down (well not that quick) for Coffee and bacon butties at the cafe.

Perfick way to spend a Saturday morning…….