Enjoy this 5 mile circular walk around Nare Head and Veryan with a cream tea reward at the beautiful Nare Hotel!
This walk offers stunning views of Gerrans Bay, an opportunity to see the famous round houses at Veryan and a scrumptious cream tea to finish.
INFORMATION
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 3 hours
Parking & facilities: NT car park by the Nare Hotel
Start in the NT car park off beach road next to the Nare Hotel and Carne beach (TR2 5PF)
Turn left at the beach and follow the coast path up the hill to steps and a wooden gate leading through a field overlooking the beach. Cross a stone stile to a wooden stile and follow the well defined path towards Nare Head.
Cross a wooden stile and descend to Paradoe Cove. Cross the stile and footbridge to ascend, passing a disused stone building on your right, the ruins of Thomas Mallett’s cottage. (He was a fisherman who kept a boat in the cove and lived here during the week, taking his catch home to Veryan at weekends. He emigrated to Australia in 1840 , leaving his wife behind!)
At the top cross a wooden stile after a wooden bench on the right. Continue straight ahead to reach a waymark post and proceed to a fork where a right turn leads through gorse bushes to Nare Head with splendid views across Gerrans Bay with Gull Rock just offshore.
Retrace your steps back to the coast path through the gorse bushes, ignoring the path leading off to the right. When you come to the corner of a wire fence follow the obvious route through the gorse and notice the green painted manhole about 3ft high.ย
The underground Royal Observer Corps post was built here in 1963. It was opened in July of that year with the role of taking observations of nuclear bursts and monitoring radioactive fallout, it was fully equipped with radiological equipment to do so. Above ground you can see the access hatch and ventilator turret. The Royal Observer Corps was stood down in 1991, making this and all ROC posts redundant. However, the ‘bunker’ is now opened a few times a year, giving a rare opportunity to see a fully-restored cold-war observation post
Continue to the gate ahead crossing a cattle grid on a farm trackย and leave the coast path behind. The track skirts the edge of the field and exits over a cattle grid and passes theย NT car park and signs for Kiberick Cove.
Proceed along the metalled road ahead, pass a slate hung farmhouse and just after an โSโ bend in the road turn left up some slate steps in a hedge. (if you reach the sign Caragloose farm, you have gone too far) Keep to the left hand side of to cross a stile in the hedge ahead.
Turn right, keeping the field boundary on your immediate right. After a short distance turn left across the field to pass through a metal gate and keeping the field boundary on your right, walk to the top right hand corner of the field. Pass over a step stile onto the road, turn left and head for the farm buildings. At the ‘s’ bend cross a wooden stile on the right next to a gate. Cross the field in the direction of a tree that appears to,be at the left hand edge of the hedge and pass over the stone stile to the right of the tree.
Continue diagonally across the field keeping the telegraph pole to your right. A stone stile in the hedge at the bottom of the field leads to a path adjacent to a wire fence. Head for the gate at the bottom right of the field situated by some houses. At the main road, turn left. Leaving Veryan village behind, continue past a large farmhouse on the left to take a left turn across a stone stile and follow a public footpath signed to Carne.
Once in the field proceed with the hedge to your immediate left continuing around the field boundary before leaving via a stile next to a wooden gate. Do not proceed onto the lane, instead cross a stone and wooden stile on your immediate left. Cross the field keeping Carne Beacon ( a tree covered hillock which is an ancient burial site) to your left before leaving via a stone stile into a lane. Turn right down the lane and return to Carne beach.
After this lovely walk you are probably in need of some refreshment. Situated in the NT car park are the lovely people who run Tea by the Sea, a pop up food van selling delicious, cakes, bakes and ice cream as well as hold and cold drinks. There are picnic tables too so ideal for a quick fuel stop – check their facebook page for opening times and a contact number.ย
If you want a little spoiling as I did, then make a beeline for the delightfully traditional Nare Hotel where you can enjoy a cream tea served by impeccably dressed waiters, with bone china crockery, home baked scones and world class views, either on the terrace or in the lovely conservatory. If you are not passing at tea time, lunch or sandwiches will be on offer. ย www.narehotel.co.ukย
