0:00:02 > 0:00:05The South West Coast Path is one of the world's best-loved walks.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10At 630 miles, it's also England's longest national trail.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12It's not for the faint-hearted.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15This can be challenging walking.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17But, boy, is it worth it.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I'm Paul Rose and I've explored the world.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24But although I love the South West coast,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27I've never actually walked its path.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Until now.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30Run, run, run...
0:00:30 > 0:00:33In this series, I'll be discovering adventure at every turn.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Wow! We're flying, buddy!
0:00:39 > 0:00:41How big of a cliff is it?
0:00:41 > 0:00:43High enough to make your knees wobble!
0:00:45 > 0:00:49I'll be discovering wildlife and wild traditions.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Now that's what you call an entrance!
0:00:53 > 0:00:56This is where land and sea collide.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01It really is the walk of a lifetime.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18This week, I'm heading into a new county
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and it's one I can't wait to explore.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29This river, which runs right under the coast path here
0:01:29 > 0:01:31at Marsland Mouth, marks the northern county boundary
0:01:31 > 0:01:35between Devon on this side and Cornwall over there.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42For many natives, Cornwall is more than a county.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44It's a Celtic country.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45And however you feel about that,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48it's certainly a singular place with an otherworldly feel.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Especially the section that's ahead of me,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55the rugged and mysterious North Cornish coast.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00In this episode, I'm going to be exploring the coast path
0:02:00 > 0:02:05as it skims the Atlantic Ocean from Marsland, to Padstow,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08through the surfing town of Newquay and right down the heritage
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Tin Coast, ending at Sennen Cove on the Land's End Peninsula.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22My first stop is Morwenstow, the most northerly parish in Cornwall.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27'I'm here with National Trust ranger, Jeff Cherrington.'
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Amazing. Can you imagine those people?
0:02:31 > 0:02:34'Because somewhere around here is their very smallest property.'
0:02:38 > 0:02:39Here it is!
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Well, no wonder I couldn't see it!
0:02:42 > 0:02:45It's tiny and it's half buried in the cliff side!
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Look at it. Isn't it great?
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- Is it all right to go in? - Yeah, you go first.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52All right, I'm in. Thank you.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Oh, yeah!
0:02:54 > 0:02:57'Hawkers Hut was built in the 1840s by the vicar of Morwenstow,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01'Reverend Hawker, from the timbers of shipwrecks.'
0:03:02 > 0:03:05So, what's the story behind this Reverend Hawker?
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Reverend Hawker, what an English eccentric.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12He used to come out here in big cassocks, sea boots,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15clay pipe, smoke his opium
0:03:15 > 0:03:18writing poetry and Trelawny.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20He wrote Trelawny, the Cornish anthem.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25# And shall Trelawny live
0:03:25 > 0:03:30# Or shall Trelawny die
0:03:32 > 0:03:36# Here's 20,000 Cornish men
0:03:36 > 0:03:41# Will know the reason why. #
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I had no idea it was influenced by drugs.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49"Inspired" by opium. Who'd have thought it?!
0:03:53 > 0:03:56In the spirit of Hawker, visitors to the hut have been moved
0:03:56 > 0:03:59to create their own kind of poetry here.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01It's covered in graffiti.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- You don't stop people from doing graffiti in here.- No, not really.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I mean, people find their own thing here.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- It's a lovely thing just to come and read.- Why not?
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- I expect he'd have loved it. - It's a beautiful thing.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21It's time to move on.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33The coast path now takes me across a series of dramatic headlands,
0:04:33 > 0:04:39crowned by my next stop, the mighty Tintagel Castle.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Legend has it that this is the birthplace of King Arthur.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51But Tintagel Castle was actually built 500 years after the real
0:04:51 > 0:04:54or, dare I say it, fictitious Arthur would have existed.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58But, legend aside, this site has been a stronghold for Cornwall's
0:04:58 > 0:05:01most powerful rulers since the Dark Ages.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Matt Ward from English Heritage is going to give me the grand tour.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Here we go.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- Welcome to Tintagel Castle, this is it.- Oh, yes!
0:05:19 > 0:05:22We're now standing in the courtyard of the medieval castle.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25This was built in 1236 by Earl Richard of Cornwall.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28And what he wanted to do was build a castle, in what he thought was,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31King Arthur's birthplace to make himself look really powerful.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33It had no strategic value.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37There was no reason to build a castle here apart from the legend of King Arthur.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- But did King Arthur really exist? - Do you know what?
0:05:42 > 0:05:45People have been writing about King Arthur for centuries and if
0:05:45 > 0:05:48we walk on, I can show you some of the real history from that period.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51'I think that's a no, or maybe a maybe.'
0:05:56 > 0:06:01In the Dark Ages, a bustling community lived in Tintagel,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04right at the very top of the rocky outcrop.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07The remains of more than 150 buildings are still here.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Between 450 and 700,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Tintagel was a major trading port with the Mediterranean.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17They were bringing amphoras full of olive oils and spices and,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19North Africa, you've got this fine red tableware
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and early glass from Southern Spain.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25They were bringing it all around the coast from the Mediterranean to Tintagel.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26But what's interesting for me
0:06:26 > 0:06:29is the amount of pottery they've found at Tintagel.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31It makes it one of the most important archaeological sites
0:06:31 > 0:06:33in western Europe.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38Only around 10% of the site has been excavated but already
0:06:38 > 0:06:42more Mediterranean pottery has been found here than in the whole of
0:06:42 > 0:06:43western Europe.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50I mean, it is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country for that reason.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57According to Matt, there is a sacred spot nearby
0:06:57 > 0:07:00where these powerful Cornish leaders would have gathered
0:07:00 > 0:07:03for festivals like midsummer's Beltane.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06On an evening like this,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09it's not difficult to imagine the scene of Beltane in full swing.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13People are out of their huts celebrating, drinking wine,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16fires are burning, wild boar roasting on the spits
0:07:16 > 0:07:19and their great leader would be standing right here
0:07:19 > 0:07:23in this auspicious place, looking out over everything he owned.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25It must have been quite something.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34For a moment, I'm king of the castle.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40A castle where the real story is every bit as awe-inspiring
0:07:40 > 0:07:42as its legends.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And there's more in the way of Cornish folklore ahead of me,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00as I continue south west on the path.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02GULL CRIES
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Padstow is famed for its food, but I'm not here for the haute cuisine.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16It's Mayday today and in Padstow that can only mean one thing,
0:08:16 > 0:08:17the Obby Oss Festival!
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Obby Oss is the biggest event in Padstow's festival calendar.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26The Osses are stylised types of horses.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28There are two.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30The Blue Oss and the Old Oss.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34I'm meeting up with supporters of the Old Oss.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36It's part of our family.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38It gets passed down from father to son
0:08:38 > 0:08:43and that's the way it's been for a long, long time.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- What can I do to help? I can't join in, can I?- Just keep out of the way!
0:08:46 > 0:08:47OK!
0:08:47 > 0:08:50'Well, that's me told!
0:08:51 > 0:08:54'It might be a serious business for some,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57'but for the crowd it's a chance to let it all hang out.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Well, the atmosphere's building now.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06In a few moments, this whopping great oss is going to come
0:09:06 > 0:09:09flying out of there, and I understand it comes out with a burst.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12So we're all waiting, great sense of excitement.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14And we're ready, aren't we, Stanley?
0:09:14 > 0:09:16We're ready.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18PEOPLE CHEER
0:09:23 > 0:09:27As the oss dances, it's taunted and prodded by the teaser.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Now that's what you call an entrance!
0:09:36 > 0:09:38A bit tribal, in a way.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44These two head up a procession of dancers and musicians.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51The osses now work their way towards the country house of Prideaux Place.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04The Blue Oss is invited to dance by Peter Prideaux-Brune.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15His family have lived here for over 400 years.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21I'm 71 years old and I've known it since I was a baby,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and it still sends prickles down my back.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28There's something so wonderful about it.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32But the Padstonians regard it as being something very,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34very special to them.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41So, there is a terrific sense of ownership and pride about the
0:10:41 > 0:10:43- Obby Oss Festival? - Yes! Very much so.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49SINGING
0:10:49 > 0:10:53It's tradition for Peter himself to take the stage as teaser.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04THEY ALL CHEER
0:11:08 > 0:11:10That was great.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Hello!
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Now that was a great performance.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Tremendous in there.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19The acoustics are great, the sound is overwhelming
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and the whole experience is just tribal,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24traditional and very beautiful indeed.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31So far, North Cornwall has been full of history and tradition.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36But my next stop is all about future generations.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I'm heading to surf central, Newquay's Fistral Beach.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Newquay's beaches are the most visited in Cornwall.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Which means that the local lifeguards have really got
0:11:56 > 0:11:58their work cut out keeping bathers safe.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Luckily, there's no shortage of new recruits.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08These are Newquay Surf Life Saving Club's Nippers.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11Ash Mann is their trainer.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Going to love you to get involved with this, but what I've got
0:12:16 > 0:12:18to get you to do at first, as you see behind me,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20these guys have little hats on.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24- They're red, yellow and blue and you're going to have to wear one to get involved.- Sounds great.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28- Oh, yeah.- The toggle slips behind the chin and we tighten that one up.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- This feels good. What do you reckon? - You're looking the part already.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Can I have a go? CHILDREN: Yes!
0:12:36 > 0:12:37We're going to get Paul involved
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and we're going to have an understanding of flags.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42I want to drop Paul right into the middle of the mix.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- How do we reckon? - In here? There we go.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Thank you, I'm in!
0:12:47 > 0:12:50What I would like everyone to do is lay down flat on to their bellies
0:12:50 > 0:12:53with their hands in front of them.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Heels together.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59WHISTLE Oh, blimey!
0:12:59 > 0:13:01The aim of the game is to get a blue rod.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03If you don't, you're out.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Got it! I got it.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Heads down! WHISTLE
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Oh, no!
0:13:17 > 0:13:18Argh!
0:13:18 > 0:13:20No!
0:13:20 > 0:13:22I didn't get one!
0:13:23 > 0:13:26These guys are so quick! So what does that mean? I'm out!
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Are you out as well? Me too.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34WHISTLE
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Well, let's face it, I didn't really stand a chance against this lot.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41MUSIC: Glory Box by Portishead
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Oh!
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Well done.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01OK, Paul, you've experienced flags, how do you fancy coming with
0:14:01 > 0:14:04my youth now, and let's get wet in the sea and experience a bit
0:14:04 > 0:14:08- of tube or board rescue? - Absolutely. Yes, please. - Let's go for it then, mate.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11In this exercise, I'm going to attempt to rescue a swimmer
0:14:11 > 0:14:13"stranded" at sea.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Swimmers...
0:14:16 > 0:14:17..set...
0:14:17 > 0:14:19..go!
0:14:19 > 0:14:22MUSIC: Song 2 by Blur
0:14:24 > 0:14:26The swimmers are in position.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Wave everyone.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29Time to jump in and bring them back.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Are we happy? Let's go!
0:14:31 > 0:14:33# Woo-hoo
0:14:34 > 0:14:36# Woo-hoo... #
0:14:38 > 0:14:41It's not as easy as these young life-savers make it look.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Got it.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Righto, everybody, back to the beach.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54# Yeah, yeah!
0:14:56 > 0:14:58# Oh, yeah. #
0:14:58 > 0:15:00In terms of the rescue technique,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03I don't think you did a bad job for your first go.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05- But you're blowing a little! - I'm blowing a bit.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- I felt like I needed me fins! - You certainly did.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- And me diving gear, you know? - Well done.- Look.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15I've had a ball in Newquay.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25But I'm back on the path and heading south.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28There are plenty of sandy beaches on this stretch,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30but few can compete with St Ives.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37It's a scene often captured on canvas,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and I'm here to see how the unique light and alternative spirit
0:15:41 > 0:15:45of St Ives have attracted so many ground-breaking artists.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59- TELEVISION REPORTER:- Barbara Hepworth came from the cool,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03grey north, seeking to find herself in Cornwall,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and Cornwall in herself.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Barbara Hepworth was one of Britain's greatest sculptors.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15She lived and worked at Trewin Studios in the centre of town
0:16:15 > 0:16:17for more than 20 years.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- BARBARA:- I came, actually, accidentally.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27That is, I came for a holiday and I stayed.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31But as soon as I got here, I began to realise very, very swiftly
0:16:31 > 0:16:36why it was there'd been artists working here for 75, 80 years.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Her beloved studio has been preserved and is now a museum.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48MUSIC: Agua De Beber by Antonio Carlos Jobim
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Hepworth spearheaded the St Ives School Of Art,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56based at Porthmeor Studios overlooking the beach.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03It's still very much a hub for local artists,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06like Hillary Gibson from the Porthmeor School Of Painting.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Is it true about the light?
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Yes, even on a dull day the light here is astonishing.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19And it is the reason that many artists have gravitated to St Ives.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22It's almost like looking through rose-tinted glasses.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27What are you and the group doing today?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- Today is a sketch and stroll. - Sketch and stroll?
0:17:29 > 0:17:33It's something we do through the summer months, come rain or shine.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38And for artists, really, we like to work outside in the elements,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40just like Turner did.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42It sounds like a lot of fun, I'd love to have a go.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Well, it just so happens, Paul, that I've actually brought you
0:17:46 > 0:17:48- a sketchbook...- Yes! - ..from the school of painting
0:17:48 > 0:17:50and a couple of pencils.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- One day this might be worth a lot of money.- I'm sure it will!
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Not sure Hillary's convinced. And with good reason - I'm no artist.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05But if this vista doesn't bring out the Turner in me, nothing will.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07OK, gang, right. We're going to do a drawing.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09But before we do it,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I just wanted to talk to you about Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16This is Eight Lines, Porthmeor.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17It has been in the Tate here.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22And what it is, really, is it's a sort of simplification.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Each time a wave has come in,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31she has drawn that wave in its simplest possible form.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36And it's when they die that I think they're so beautiful because,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39look at that one now, it's just going back underneath
0:18:39 > 0:18:41the next one coming in.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44They're constantly overlapping each other.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49So our task is Eight Lines, Porthmeor.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- You're looking a bit worried there! - I am, terrified.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- I've got to draw something now.- OK.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57MUSIC
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Drawing is 99% looking.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10- Yeah.- Mm-hm.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- 99% looking.- Mm.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- And 1% putting things on the paper. - Yeah, in the right place!
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- Try and get them overlapping. - Ah, overlapping.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27I like that. Hang on.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29That's it. You're done. That's great.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Look at that.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- That's all right, that, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40If you squint a little bit!
0:19:44 > 0:19:47OK, so perhaps I won't quit the day job just yet.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51But this has been the perfect way to experience the magic of St Ives.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03It's time to leave those aquamarine waters behind.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09I'm heading to Cornwall's oldest mining district, the Tin Coast.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23The engine houses perched along this stretch are some of the most
0:20:23 > 0:20:25photographed features in Cornwall.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33But these structures aren't just photo opportunities.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37They're surface evidence of pioneering submarine mining
0:20:37 > 0:20:40that extends over a mile out to sea.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50The coast path brings you to the doorstep of Levant Mine.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Like all of Cornwall's tin mines, it's now closed.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57But its original beam engine is still working.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Anthony Power looks after it.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- OK, Anthony, we're at the beating heart of the mine.- It is, yes.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- We're just about ready to get it running.- Come on, I'm excited.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- That's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?- It is.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25'In the 1850s there were up to 60 tin and copper mines along
0:21:25 > 0:21:27'this stretch of Cornish coast.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29'Levant was one of the biggest.'
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Cornwall was one of the beating hearts
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- for the Industrial Revolution. - It was, it was.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37The steam engines were developed originally to pump water out.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41And it's that technology which then goes into factories and into
0:21:41 > 0:21:45steam locomotives, so that really you could argue, and I might
0:21:45 > 0:21:49sometimes, the whole Industrial Revolution starts in Cornwall.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57It was a revolution built on hard graft,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59and I'm about to get an idea of how hard.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07I'm heading down into the belly of Levant Mine.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13How did they go up and down every day for work?
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Well, we're standing in the shaft where they did that.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Coming down through here from up there to about 550 metres
0:22:21 > 0:22:26down below was a single rod worked by a steam engine at the top there.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28But on that rod there were steps.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30To make your way down,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34you'd be standing here and the rod would lift up and you'd step on.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Down you go 12 feet, step over.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Next one. Then the rod moves up again and you step onto the second.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Fantastic.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43So they went up and down this thing on the terrific man engine.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45It's not here now, what are we going to do?
0:22:45 > 0:22:49- We're going to go down this ladder way, which is just behind us.- OK.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55It's a formidable descent.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57In the mine's heyday,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00600 men and boys would have made this journey every day.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04This is great, Anthony.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I'm beginning to get a sense of what it's like underground here.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09But what was it like for the men that were working?
0:23:09 > 0:23:12You're looking at temperatures of 35-40 degrees centigrade.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Then, what you're doing is physically very tough.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19You are hand drilling holes into the rock.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Put your explosive in, fire your charge and then you go back in
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and you pick out the valuable stuff.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- Then you follow that by climbing all the way back up.- Yes.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Which is, of course, why the man engine was such a boon, if you like.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Because at least it took that effort of that climb back up.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47But that boon led to one of Cornwall's worst ever mining accidents.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53As the day shift were making their way to the surface
0:23:53 > 0:23:57on the man engine, one of the metal straps that secured
0:23:57 > 0:24:00the top of the rod to the beam above us broke.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03The rod swung from side to side,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07this is with about 100 men on the step.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Then part of it broke away below us and this whole top section,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14probably about 150 feet of rod, plunged like an arrow 500 feet
0:24:14 > 0:24:18down the shaft and just crushed everything in its path.
0:24:20 > 0:24:2331 men were killed, another 19 seriously injured here.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Levant never fully recovered.
0:24:34 > 0:24:40Shortly after, tin prices crashed and in 1931 the mine closed.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47The conditions the miners endured were gruelling.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50But their legacy is this atmospheric landscape.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55A centrepiece of the South West Coast Path.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07My walk through North Cornwall is coming to an end.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11I'm only a stone's throw away from my final stop of this stretch -
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Sennen Cove on the Land's End Peninsula.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23This is Mayon Lookout above Sennen Cove,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and over there is Land's End itself.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29But, for me, this is as good a viewpoint from
0:25:29 > 0:25:32the southwestern tip of Britain as we are ever likely to get.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34So this is my personal Land's End.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38As well as killer views, the cliffs above Sennen
0:25:38 > 0:25:41offer some of the very best climbing in the south-west.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44So, I've got your helmet here. Put that on your head, please.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Thank you. Yeah, helmet.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48'The Royal Marines come here every year to train.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51'And today they've invited me to join them.'
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- Your harness. All ready?- Yeah.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58'Colour Sergeant Mac McMillan is their chief climbing instructor.'
0:25:58 > 0:26:01This is the descent route here. It's called Ash Can Gully.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04It's a fairly moderate scramble dissent.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08We going to move round to the front of the cliff to the actual climb itself.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12'Mac was shot in the throat while serving in Afghanistan.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15'So, he's not the loudest marine I've ever met,
0:26:15 > 0:26:16'but he is one of the most agile.'
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Right, so we're coming on to our route somewhere.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24We start here by this block.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Beneath the hanging block. That's the obvious one.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Oh, yeah, the hanging block.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31We take the line to the right of that block
0:26:31 > 0:26:32pretty much straight to the top.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37'It's a big climb.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40'Even Mac struggles!'
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- Let's do that again.- Not easy to hang around there, is it?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49'Second time lucky.'
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- What do you reckon, Mac?- Yeah, good.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56'Mac prepares the anchors for the top rope.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58'That's what will save me if I lose my grip.'
0:27:05 > 0:27:07That's me, Mac!
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Woo!
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Climbing, buddy.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I'm off the ground, Mac. Like a miracle!
0:27:20 > 0:27:23'It's been over ten years since I last climbed here,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27'but it's every bit as beautiful and hard going as I remember.'
0:27:32 > 0:27:35There's nothing very easy about the top, either, is there?
0:27:40 > 0:27:43What a terrific climb. Thank you very much, Mac.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45You made it look easy!
0:27:45 > 0:27:48- I don't know about that. - I followed every one of your steps.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50- Look, thank you very much.- Yeah.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52I feel like I'm back at Sennen Cove.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I really am back!
0:27:57 > 0:28:00This has always been a very special place to me.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04To reconnect to it via rock climbing couldn't be better,
0:28:04 > 0:28:08and it's the perfect end to my walk in North Cornwall.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Next week on Coastal Path -
0:28:15 > 0:28:17I'll be exploring South Cornwall,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20where I'll be taking a leap of faith off the Lizard...
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Three, two, one. Go!
0:28:22 > 0:28:23Yeeeees!
0:28:24 > 0:28:25Firing the gun!
0:28:25 > 0:28:28..and having a blast in Falmouth.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29EXPLOSION
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Fantastic!