Episode 3 Coastal Path

The South West Coast Path is one of the world's best-loved walks.

At 630 miles, it's also England's longest National Trail.

It's not for the faint-hearted. This can be challenging walking.

But, boy, is it worth it! I'm Paul Rose and I've explored the world.

But although I love the South West coast,

I've never actually walked its path...until now.

Run, run, run, run, run, run!

In this series, I'll be discovering adventure at every turn.

Wow! We're flying, buddy!

How big of a cliff is it?

High enough to make your knees wobble!

SCREAMING

I'll be discovering wildlife... and wild traditions.

Now, that's what you call an entrance! Ha!

This is where land and sea collide.

It really is the walk of a lifetime.

In this episode, I'm going to be exploring south Cornwall.

This is a walk of contrasts,

from rugged cliffs to tranquil rivers and lush, rolling fields.

I'm starting my journey at Porthcurno,

just south of Land's End.

It may well be that all the world's a stage,

but this one takes some beating.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this amphitheatre was carved

out of the granite cliffs 2,000 years ago by some wandering Greeks.

In fact, the Minack was painstakingly built by one

extraordinary lady and her loyal gardener.

Theatre enthusiast Rowena Cade moved to Porthcurno in the 1920s.

When she arrived,

there was nothing here except a sloping gully of gorse and heather.

The theatre that she created is now in the hands of Philip Jackson.

Phil, you actually knew Rowena Cade but she still must have been

-a tough act to follow, I think!

-Yeah.

Well, I've been here a few years now and I knew her as a child.

She was a hard lady.

I mean, you have to work down here in the winter, building this place,

so she was out here in all weathers, mixing concrete with her hands.

And what's it like following in her footsteps, then?

We always think, "What would Rowena have done?"

And I think that's a natural thing with a place like this.

This is her theatre and it's still her theatre.

The setting is just world-class, isn't it?

On a day like this, it's absolutely amazing, isn't it?

What do you do when the weather's bad?

A lot of the time, we just get wet.

We're on the Atlantic - you know, next stop, New York over there.

There's not much to stop the weather coming in.

When the south-westerly gales and storms come in, we know about them.

But on a day like this,

everybody will be collapsing in the heat,

cos we've got a big house coming in this afternoon,

and they'll be pretty warm down here.

I'm joining the audience for a sell-out performance of

The Mousehole Cat.

And on Sundays, they made stargazy pie with prime pilchards in pastry.

De-licious!

GUITAR PLAYING AND SINGING

That's it!

Here we go! Through the gap in the harbour wall.

APPLAUSE

The Minack's a showstopper but I'm ducking out early and taking

the short scrabble down the cliff to Porthcurno village.

Its beach is one of the finest in Cornwall,

but there's more to these sands than meets the eye.

In the pre-digital age, before computers and mobile phones,

how did people get in touch, fast?

They sent a telegram - a technology that, believe it or not,

was born right here in what was once the biggest communications

centre anywhere on the planet.

In 1870, Porthcurno was chosen as the landing point for one of

the first submarine telegraph cables.

It would form part of an international link that

stretched all the way to India.

'I'm meeting telecommunication expert Rudy Topsey.'

How significant of a moment was it when this cable was laid?

It was the first time that the actual British Empire was

connected together.

They were able to send a message from here to India in nine minutes.

Previously, it took more than two weeks.

Now, you take sending messages all over the world for granted

but, in those days, it was quite the thing to send

a message from this country to any part of the Empire.

Over the next 100 years, a further 14 cables were laid from

Porthcurno, reaching to every corner of the globe.

The main offices were built just off the beach

but, during World War II, Porthcurno became an enemy target,

so the whole outfit was moved underground.

Wowee! What an impressive place!

These machines once sent messages that saved lives.

-So, can I have a go?

-You can.

-I'd love to send a message to the front line!

-Go ahead.

-OK.

Here we go.

Done it. Now what?

Then they lowered it onto this machine,

which would read the holes in the tape and convert it into electrical

signals, and it would be sent down the cable to its destination.

I mean, there you go, Rudy.

I've just sent a message to the planet that says,

"Hello from the Coastal Path!"

It's a bit of fun for me but I am reminded that, in wartime,

these would have been life-and-death messages.

They would have been very important messages that were vital to

the Allies and the war effort all around the world.

The station closed in 1970 but the Telegraph Company,

by now known as Cable & Wireless, turned into a training centre.

Rudy himself came here from Belize.

I was brought here by Cable & Wireless to learn the trade

in 1972, as a 21-year-old man.

It was a multicultural place.

We had people from all over the world coming to this very

place to learn about telecommunications.

The Telegraph building is now a museum.

Rudy returned here to work as a guide.

People comment that I'm back where I started in life, and so, yeah,

I've been here,

working at the museum for some seven years now, and it is

a delight to show people around the museum and telling them what

Porthcurno was all about.

Porthcurno has been full of surprises.

But it's time to continue my journey through south Cornwall.

My next stop is the most southerly point in the country -

the spectacular Lizard Peninsula.

This stretch of coast path is wild, rugged and exceptionally beautiful

but it's not the only reason it's a walker's paradise.

The Lizard is a magnet for marine wildlife

and you never know what you might get a glimpse of walking here.

I'm heading to the tip of Lizard Point

and some of the best wildlife-spotting opportunities

in Britain.

Cat Lee from the National Trust runs the watchpoint here.

-All right, Cat? I've made it to the southern point.

-Good morning!

How you doing? All right? What a fantastic watchpoint this is.

It's really special.

It's a fantastic place to see seabirds on passage

to their breeding grounds.

You can just feel the power. I mean, there's the Western Approaches.

You can just feel the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift.

The whole power of the Atlantic Ocean whizzing around here.

-And quite often, we feel it!

-I bet you do, yeah.

The volunteers are here whatever the weather,

watching and recording wildlife.

Whatever you spot as you're walking, you can tell the volunteers

and they'll record it into a national database.

-You can sit here and have a cup of tea just behind us...

-Yeah.

-..and contribute to science.

-Exactly, nice and easy.

And, on a day like this, what's better?!

I've seen some fantastic wildlife so far

but there is one bird that I'm really hoping to spot.

The chough is a symbolic bird in Cornwall

but, due to habitat loss and persecution,

they completely disappeared from the county in the 1970s.

That was until a breeding pair appeared out of the blue,

on the Lizard, in 2001.

Numbers have been increasing ever since.

The secret nesting sites are watched over by dedicated volunteers,

like Rosie Bowman.

Hiya, Rosie, how are you doing?

All right. Not so bad. How are you doing?

-What a great place this is.

-I know.

-Not too shabby a day at the office for me.

-Yeah, no kidding.

-How does it feel to be the custodian over these birds?

-Really good.

Really rewarding use of time, I think.

And it's brilliant to be a part of their natural comeback.

They've done it themselves and we now have the moral obligation,

almost, to protect that.

-So, here we are.

-Oh, OK.

-Hang on.

-Speak of the devils.

Oh, that is them, is it?

-Yep, this is our pair.

-Oh!

Flipping fantastic.

After all that build-up, I'm so pleased to actually see them.

Oh, good. Yeah, you can tell them from a jackdaw just because of their

really distinct red features.

It's hard to get a sense of the red legs when they're flying, isn't it?

-Yeah, they have them tucked back under.

-Oh, yes, of course.

I knew that!

THEY BOTH LAUGH

And their call is so distinctive, isn't it?

Yeah, really different to any of the other corvids.

It's kind of like "cheow".

-Yes.

-It's how they got their name, basically, yeah.

-Well, they're beautiful birds, aren't they?

-Really nice.

Really good to watch. You never get tired of it.

The clifftops of the Lizard have been perfect for wildlife-watching,

but it's time to shake a leg and pretty much everything else, too!

John-Paul Eatock is taking me coasteering.

I'm not exactly sure what I've signed up for,

except that I'm ready for it. So, what is coasteering?

Coasteering, here on the Lizard, is amazing.

It's going down to where the sea meets the cliff

and just seeing the world from a different point of view.

From scrambling, to going to visit little islands,

to doing a bit of cliff-jumping and have a whole load of fun.

Well, it sounds absolutely fantastic. What's next?

So, we're going to just go down the cliffs

to where the sea meets the cliffs, and get in there and go coasteering.

Let's get wet.

OK, team, what we're going to do first is go into the water

just behind me and get used to the temperature of it

because it's only 10 degrees C.

Get acclimatised, work our way a little way,

see how we go and then keep on moving after that.

And just gently...float.

It's your go, Paul.

Oh, yeah. Beautiful.

THEY ALL CHATTER

-This is a safe place.

-OK.

And we wait...we wait to look for a wave behind us.

The waves will come from here.

-HE LAUGHS

-Yeah!

'Scrambling ashore takes some practice...'

-I want my wave!

-There it is!

-There it is.

'..especially when the waves keep pulling you back down.'

Use your knees.

PAUL LAUGHS

There you go! Bye!

-How are you feeling?

-For me, this is living.

You know, we're in the sea. We're on the sea.

We're feeling the power of the water. Yeah.

-There's an island over there. I want us to get to it.

-Oh, ideal.

-Let's head that way.

-Oh, this one?

-That one.

-OK.

-Yeah, that one!

-OK.

-Let's go.

-I thought you were pointing to the Scilly Isles.

-No, no - France.

LAUGHTER

Ready? Whoo!

All right, let's go to that island over there.

And...there we go.

We're going to make our way that way along this ledge.

All right, cool.

Just keep on looking after the person behind you.

I'll tell you what, just sit down here.

'Sit down?

'There's something fishy going on.'

Perfect!

Coasteering has been such a buzz, and it's not over yet.

We've got one more thing to do,

and that's to do a spot of cliff-jumping.

-Are you up for it?

-Yes!

-Yes.

How big of a cliff is it?

High enough to make your knees wobble.

-Are you OK with that?

-Dead right. Yes, please.

-Come on, then.

-Come on. I could use a bit of knee-wobbling.

Here goes!

Three, two, one... Go!

Three, two, one... Go!

Yeah!

-Go!

-Yeah!

-Go!

-Yeah!

It's been an action-packed day,

and as the sun sets on the Lizard, I'm ready for some R and R.

CHOIR SINGS

So, I've come to the village of Cadgwith.

# And the beauty of Kashmir lay drooping its head

-# Then away

-Then away... #

There's a real buzz in here tonight,

and it's not just down to the local beer.

It's Friday night, and at the Cadgwith Inn,

that can only mean one thing.

A good old-fashioned singsong.

# To those caves in yonder mountains

# Where the robbers retreat. #

APPLAUSE

They've been happening in this pub for 35 years.

Fisherman David Muirhead has been here since the beginning.

I feel like I've come on the right night.

-Yeah.

-I've come in here and there's all this fantastic singing.

What's it all about?

Well, it's a special night, all right,

but every Friday is a special night at Cadgwith,

and we all get together and have a really good sing.

It's a great tradition, and we're pleased to keep it going.

What are the songs all about?

Some are about the sea, some are traditional Cornish songs.

Occasionally we'll sing an old pop song.

So now that's it, it's all done, or are you going to have another go?

No, we're going to give it another crack now,

-and sing another dozen or so songs.

-Fantastic!

I hope you're going to join in!

-Do you know what? I will join in.

-Brilliant.

Stand by, Paul. Stand by.

Right, I'm ready.

'There's no getting out of it now.'

-Right, here we go then.

-OK, I'll follow you.

# Oh, a good sword and a trusty hand

# A merry heart and true

# King James' men will understand

# What Cornish lads can do

# And have they fixed the where and when?

# And shall Trelawney die?

# Here's 20,000 Cornish bold!

# Will know the reason why

# And shall Trelawney live?

# Or shall Trelawney die?

# Here's 20,000 Cornish men

# Will know the reason why

# The reason

# Why. #

-Oggy, oggy, oggy!

-Oi, oi, oi!

-Oggy!

-Oi!

-Oggy!

-Oi!

-Oggy, oggy, oggy!

-Oi, oi, oi!

-ALL:

-Come on, Cornwall, give them hell!

Give them broccoli!

Kernow bys vyken!

Cornwall forever!

Well done, Paul. We'll make a Cadgwith singer of you yet.

With those proud voices still ringing in my ears,

I'm continuing eastwards.

The scenery starts to change.

Wild coastline gives way to sheltered woodland

and subtropical plants,

as I cross the peaceful inlets of the Helford River.

One of the treats of walking this section

is you can save your legs a little by hopping on a water taxi,

cutting out the long route around the estuary.

Now, I can see he's on the other side at the moment,

so I just have to do this, and hope he sees me.

A water taxi's been ferrying people across this stretch

for more than 300 years.

It's the perfect way to soak up the tranquil beauty of the area.

Great service, thank you!

The next major attraction on the coast path is the port of Falmouth.

I'm following the path to Pendennis Castle, above the town.

It was built by Henry VIII to protect Cornwall from pirates,

plunderers and Europeans.

Just come and have a look at this view.

Oh, yes.

'Wendy Amer is the castle's manager.'

Now we get to the top of this keep,

you can really appreciate why Henry decided to build a castle here.

It's on a little peninsula that's sticking out into the ocean.

At the time, he was in a lot of trouble

with his European neighbours.

France and Spain, he was expecting them to invade at any time,

so it was really important that this was fortified,

and that continues on through history as well.

Every time there was another threat,

they put in new fortifications and new guns,

and there's evidence of that all around the castle -

different guns from different times.

-Would you like to come and have a look?

-Yes, please.

OK, let's go and look at some guns.

Wendy's got a bit of a thing for guns.

In fact, she's the Master Gunner of Pendennis Castle.

Here we've got a Saker cannon from the Tudor period.

This is a replica, but the beauty about having

a replica is that we can still fire them.

-So would you like a go at that?

-Oh, heaven!

-I'd love to fire it.

-OK.

-The first thing we need is some gunpowder.

-OK.

I've got a packet of it here.

I'll just empty some out of the bag into your hand

-so you can have a look.

-Great stuff.

It's funny, isn't it?

It's called gunpowder, so you'd tend to think, "Ah, it's a fine powder."

-But, look, it's coarse-grained.

-No, it's quite big pieces.

-OK, you hold on to the gunpowder.

-Yes, please.

-I'll get the ramrod.

-All right, it's a deal.

It's pretty big.

-So, put that into the...

-Straight in, OK, will do.

You're going to push the bag of powder down the barrel,

all the way down to the end.

We now have a loaded weapon.

So, the next thing we need is a powder horn,

and that is filled with fine powder.

Are you feeling very Tudor now?

-Absolutely, it's beautiful, this thing.

-Great.

-OK.

-OK. What do I do?

OK, so, it's got a little button you press in,

-and then you put the fine powder into the hole.

-I get it, OK.

-Here it comes.

-A little bit more.

So it creates a little mound on top.

-We need to health-and-safety up, OK?

-Sounds good to me.

It's going to be loud, so let's put some ear defenders on.

-Right, OK.

-OK, let's get those on.

-Yeah.

-OK, Wendy.

-OK. Are we ready?

-Yeah, ready.

-OK.

Firing the gun!

CANNON BOOMS

THEY BOTH LAUGH

Fantastic!

I love a gun.

Falmouth's been a blast, but I'm moving on.

I'm heading towards Polperro, in south-east Cornwall.

The path here is fringed by wild flowers.

It's a pretty walk, but for food foragers like Rachel Lambert,

it can be a very fruitful one too.

We've been walking along all this wonderful white, bell-shaped flower.

Yeah, I've seen thousands of them on the path.

I know, it's full of it. Really pretty, isn't it?

And if you look at the end there, the shape of the stem,

so this is a three-cornered leek.

-Is it all right to have some?

-Yes, it's good.

-Oh, yeah, it's sweet.

-It is, yeah.

The flower stem is the sweetest part of it.

I thought it was going to be harsh,

because it's quite a strong smell, isn't it?

If you wanted a stronger part, you can eat the flowers.

-They're a bit more punchy.

-Oh, wow. Yeah?

-Go ahead.

-OK.

That's really good!

Pizza.

That will be great on pizza.

This is exciting business. Thank you. What's next?

-Let's go and find out.

-OK.

Here we've got pennywort.

-It's also known as navelwort, which is like an innie belly button.

-OK.

-Umbilicus is the Latin.

-Ah, hence the name.

-Navel, yes.

-Belly button wort!

-Yes!

And what do you do with them?

It's great for salads, actually.

It's a real thirst-quencher of the hedgerow.

It's full of water, very succulent.

-Is it all right to have a go?

-Yeah, yeah, go ahead.

That's... That's great.

-Do you feel quenched?

-I had no idea... Absolutely!

-This is a revelation, this kind of thing.

-Great.

You'll start to be able to pick out different plants,

different flavours...

I've been walking this path for some time now, Rachel,

but you've brought it to life, so thank you so much.

Oh, you're welcome. It's really nice to share it with people and have

-a munch as we walk as well.

-Yes, please! Yes, thank you.

'My walk along the edge of south Cornwall

'has been a treat for the senses.'

But as I round the Rame Peninsula, it's coming to a close.

The path leads through the twin villages of Cawsand and Kingsand.

It's hard to tell where one starts and the other ends,

but there is one important difference.

Cawsand has always been in Cornwall,

but, until the county boundaries were changed in 1844,

Kingsand was in Devon,

and this house marks the old county boundary - Devon, Cornwall.

Here goes.

'Next time on Coastal Path,

'I'll be exploring south Devon.

'I'll be diving for treasure at Burgh Island...'

Well done, I knew you'd find the first one!

TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

'..and travelling full steam ahead in Paignton.'

I'm driving a steam train!