The South West Coast Path. Paddy Dillon
might be seen on a trek as long as this is pointless, but plenty of species can be observed with reference to information boards at various points around the coast – particularly at nature reserves. Flowering coastal plants that should be spotted on a day-to-day basis include sea campion and sea pinks, also known as thrift.
A cow goes down to drink from the stream at rocky Porth Mear (Stage 14)
Walkers see a lot of farm livestock along the Coast Path, usually confined to fields but occasionally grazing on rugged coastal slopes or grassy saltmarshes. Expect to see plenty of sheep, rather fewer cows and occasional horses. Very rarely, feral goats might be spotted. Small mammals such as rabbits are common, while amphibians and reptiles tend to be furtive and are seldom spotted. Take note of path-side information boards that indicate species that might otherwise be missed. The sea teems with animal life, from shellfish to all kinds of fish, with the largest likely to be basking shark. There are colonies of seals and dolphins, but these are rarely spotted.
Birdwatchers will find hundreds of species to distract them along the Coast Path, and there are plenty of information boards along the trail highlighting what might be spotted. Bird hides are occasionally available, especially at nature reserves, or where the RSPB manage areas of the coast. In very general terms, many breeding species, residents and migrants can be observed rearing young during the summer. Overwintering wildfowl are likely to congregate on mudflats, saltmarshes and lagoons. The Abbotsbury Swannery has been pampering mute swans since 1393!
Gulls are seen on a daily basis, ranging from herring gulls to the uncommon common gulls. It takes more patience to spot various divers, skuas and auks, while trips to specific locations at the right time will reveal puffins, gannets, petrels and shearwaters. Mudflats and saltmarshes are good places to spot oystercatchers, avocets, plovers, sandpipers, knots, godwits, redshanks and greenshanks. Terns favour high storm beaches, where their eggs are camouflaged among pebbles. Choughs, a rare red-legged crow, are only rarely spotted along sea cliffs, while other species of crows prefer to stay further inland. There are reedy marshes, woodlands, fields and rivers near the coast, so other birds spotted include warblers, wagtails, flycatchers, owls, woodpeckers, treecreepers, nuthatches, thrushes, pipits, wrens, larks, tits, starlings, sparrows, blackbirds, cuckoos, herons, egrets and maybe a quick blue flash of a kingfisher. Birds of prey include buzzards, hawks, kestrels, falcons and harriers.
Culture
There’s a certain historic rivalry between inhabitants of Devon and Cornwall, but it can be difficult for visiting tourists to understand the nuances. Taking pasties as an example, the Cornish crimp the edge of the pastry, while in Devon they crimp it along the top. With cream teas in Devon, the cream goes on the scone, then the jam goes on top; in Cornwall the jam goes on the scone, then the cream goes on top. Both camps are prone to get a bit weary when over-run by hordes of visiting tourists. In Devon, tourists may be disparagingly referred to as ‘grockles’, while in Cornwall they may be referred to as ‘emmets’. The counties of Somerset and Dorset also have their own strong identities and county pride.
Of all the counties in the south-west, Cornwall boasts a strong identity tending almost towards nationalism. The Cornish language, which died out centuries ago, is enjoying a revival and is spoken to some extent by a few thousand inhabitants. It has some similarity with Breton, closely followed by Welsh, as they are all Brythonic tongues. Cornwall has flown the flag of St Piran for about two centuries, and its design, a white cross on a black background, has been in use for much longer. Neighbouring Devon, Somerset and Dorset all scrambled to design their own specific county flags only in the past few years.
Whatever else happens in the south-west, Cornwall tends to go a step further. There’s a greater awareness of cultural identity, reflected in everything from language, literature, song, dance and traditions, to a revival in Celtic Christianity and old Pagan practices. A glance at a map reveals a bewildering number of ‘saints’ in place names. There are Cornish sports and games, along with plenty of Cornish societies and groups. In fact, there’s a Cornish diaspora, dating from a time when miners were sent to mining operations around the world, where they retained their identity and close family ties even to this day.
Coastal walking through history
Man has been active along Britain’s coasts since Neolithic times. The earliest settlers were hunter-gatherers who lived in the valleys and on the coastal margins, at a time when most of the inland areas were heavily forested wilderness. These people may have initiated some vague paths along the coast, and maybe you will walk partly in their footsteps. Bronze Age fortifications and Iron Age promontory forts along the South West coast signify a level of social unrest and strife as waves of settlers came from Europe. In more peaceful interludes, people surely trod along the coastline.
Boats hauled out of the sea at the little fishing cove of Penberth (Stage 20)
Fishing and seafaring have always been important activities. There are dozens of natural sheltered harbours with deep-water channels. Villages and towns grew up around these, and fortifications were built to afford them protection from raiders. A lookout for unfamiliar vessels would have been maintained from the clifftops. Fishermen also manned cliff-top lookouts to spot shoals of pilchards, mackerel or herrings, and would raise a ‘hue’ to let their comrades know where to make a good catch.
Fishermen and sailors were ideally positioned for wheeler-dealing with foreign vessels, and when heavy duties were slapped onto imported goods early in the 18th century, they used their intimate knowledge of the coastline to land all manner of goods at remote spots. The government responded by administering harsh penalties and punishments, but the smugglers simply became more devious. The government retaliated by establishing the Coastguard Service in 1822.
Coastguards were stationed at intervals along the coast to patrol the cliffs and coves, keep an eye on any suspicious activities, and clamp down on the smuggling trade. They tramped back and forth along their coastal beats, treading out clear paths with unrivalled views of the rugged coast. The coastal path largely came into being from that time.
As the coastguards were suppressing an illegal activity that local people felt was important to their survival, they were most unwelcome. It was almost impossible to procure accommodation for them, so they were obliged to live in specially constructed coastguard cottages, often well away from towns and villages. Even after renovation into holiday homes, some coastguard cottages still resemble military barracks. Over the years, coastguards became less involved in watching smugglers, and switched to scanning the seas to ensure the safety of passing ships. Often they were stationed in lonely lookouts on prominent headlands, with binoculars, telescopes and notepads. The modern Coastguard Service is now centrally administered.
A cliff-edge cottage is passed on the way from Thorncombe Beacon to Eype’s Mouth (Stage 40)
Many old coastguard lookouts have been reopened by the National Coastwatch Institution, www.nci.org.uk, a charity made up of volunteers who take on the role of the former coastguards. They keep an eye on shipping, and also on Coast Path walkers, and are now recognised as an important part of the emergency response network along the coast.
Today, use of the Coast Path is rather different. Almost everyone who walks on the path does so for exercise and enjoyment. Ramblers may walk from one town or village to the next, while long-distance walkers simply keep going day after day while the infinite variety of the route unfolds before them: beaches and bays; cliffs and coves; sea stacks and sand dunes; fishing villages and holiday resorts. With all its ups and downs and ins and outs, the route is often like a monstrous rollercoaster and leads walkers through history and heritage, scenic splendour and the wonders of the natural world. It has been estimated that anyone completing the whole trail will climb four times the height of Everest!
Many towns and villages along the