My monthly walking roundup and journal for September 2023.
The kids are heading back to school after the long school holidays and, just so typical, the weather changes for the better. In fact, there was a mini heatwave. A local weather presenter told us that September had been the warmest recorded since around the 1820s. There was still a good amount of rain throughout the month and the grass grew like crazy in the warm dampness.
My wife and I got out for a walk along along Seaton and Downderry beaches. I also managed a new shorter walk that I have written about, and then a longer walk I’ve done many times near the end of the month.
Country and Coast – September
The wildflower meadows have gone to seed and hadn’t been cut back at the end of September. Maybe they just leave them.
Although warm, there is a definite look of autumn with tree leaves turning brown and the berries ripening earlier. There are already plenty of leaves on the ground to kick through.
The ground has been fairly damp for much of September aside from the week of warmth when the kids when back to school. There are still plenty of nettles and plants thriving that you would typically see in the summer months. Although, the ferns are turning to bracken now.
Many fields have been ploughed ready for the winter crops to be sewn. A new one on me, there was a ploughing competition just up the road from St Germans. As I was driving out it became quite difficult to get past all the tractors and their ploughing gear. Where it had been raining, the whole area, including the roads, looked like a quagmire.
Walks
Bodmin Parkway to Lostwithiel
Around the 2nd week in September, I headed off on the train from St Germans to Bodmin Parkway. I then set off on a 7-mile walk that gets very near to the Lanhydrock estate and then veers off to Lostwithiel. Much of the walk follows the River Fowey. It was a fantastic little walk that can easily be done in an afternoon, as I did, to catch the train home from Lostwithiel. It could be extended for a whole day out, taking in Lanhydrock and, maybe, Restormel Castle. So good it was, I wrote about it: Train and Walk – Bodmin Parkway to Lostwithiel.
Local Walks
At the start of September, my wife and I headed out to Seaton and Downderry beaches for a stroll. We had been indoors with the sniffles for a few days and needed some fresh air. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon with plenty of people already set up on the beach making the most of the last days of the holidays. I was pleased that I captured a few good shots along the way.
I managed to get a walk on the seafront at Plymouth on my way to meet a friend for a few drinks. It’s always a pleasure to walk out to Plymouth Hoe along and into the Barbican to capture the amazing views.
At the end of September, I walked from home in St Germans to Looe via Seaton. Aside from getting a cramp or possibly a pulled muscle in my leg, it was a great afternoon out. It was also a full moon – the Harvest Moon – which makes for higher spring tides. The sea conditions were great for some south-coast surfers in the early afternoon. There were far fewer people on the beaches now that the school holidays were a distant memory. There were a few swimmers, but they all had wetsuits on. I wondered if the sea temperature had already started going down.
Getting into Looe, there were some great scenes along the river and out to the Banjo Pier with the tide being so high. There were plenty of holiday-makers around. As a local DJ described the autumn visitors – the newly weds and nearly deads. That’s probably not PC, but I’m just relaying what he said! They are all very welcome and they do wonders for our local economy. However, they don’t do me any favours when my wife met me at Looe and we tried to get a table in local restaurants and found them fully booked. Oh well, back to a trusted favourite – The Harbour Moon.
Until next time.
