South West Coast Path and a Seal

Monday 15th April 2013

This morning we parked at Lellizzick and did a circular walk of about 4.5 miles along the South West Coast Path.  We joined the coast at Harbour Cove and walked past the Doom Bar to Hawkers Cove and on to Stepper Quarry and Stepper Point Daymark. 

Harbour Cove

Stepper Point Daymark

The 40ft Stepper Point daymark was originally designed to hold a fire beacon and was built as a navigational aid.

The weather was mainly overcast with the odd small shower of rain and the wind was still very strong and cold.  The sea was very choppy with massive waves and the sound of the waves hitting the cliffs below sounded like thunder.  We walked on past Pepper Hole and Butter Hole.

Enormous waves crashed onto the cliffs.

Shortly after taking this photo we stopped for some lunch and noticed something amazing, a seal playing in the sea just out from where these waves were breaking.  We sat watching this seal for about 20 minutes, there only appeared to be the one and I was really pleased to have seen it as I haven't seen one for years.

During this walk we saw lots of birdlife and one particular bird obviously loved us as it used us for target practice, well they do say it's lucky to be pooed on by a bird but how lucky were we when the bird managed to target us both with one poo!  Note to self - must do the lottery this week!

We saw a pair of kestrels close up flying onto the cliff, presumably where they had a nest, fulmars, black backed gulls, skylarks, buzzards and numerous different types of little brown birds that we didn't get the chance to identify (some little brown birds just all manage to look the same).

On the circuit today we successfully found 7 caches, and had to miss out a few as they seemed to involve rock scrambling down the cliffs to look for them, not in that wind and certainly not with that drop down to the sea!

Back at our holiday cottage we planned out next wander, to look for 2 caches not far from 'home'.  It was a pleasant walk along the estuary to start with, then up onto a hill where there seemed to be a tractor fest.  How many tractors and big machines does it take to plough a field, 7 it would seem, all very busy.  Back through the wood there were many primroses and it looks like there will be great drifts of bluebells soon, it's just a shame we won't be here to see them.