5. Cornwall: New Polzeath to Pentireglaze and The Rumps (Circular) - 5 miles - OS Explorer 106

Start at the car park by the loo at New Polzeath. In fact, niether 'New' or the original Polzeath are old. Niether are they charming. But straight on takes you to fabulous views across a premier surfer’s beach, often overloaded with triers, experts and inbetweeners alike. But that's not for us. Turn right from the car park past the loo toward Pentireglaze Haven ('Baby Beach' to locals). You'll notice, it's much quieter than those big daddy surfer beaches.

Descending the path to the beach, look out for signpost pointing to Pentireglaze and follow it for a pleasant walk through fields to a lane and onto Pentireglaze itself with its NT café, toilets and cottages that predate Polzeath. This is an area of lead and silver mines - Cornwall is rich in more than just tin, copper and slate - and an information board tells you all about the mines here that thrived then died in the 19th century.

Rather than put a simple schematic here, this link https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/polzeath-to-port-quin/trails/pentire-headland-walk takes you to a National Trust web page with a excellent map of the area. It also has a similar but shorter trail.

Passing through Pentireglaze go, left at a T junction for 300 yards until you see a sign to those lead mines. Follow this to connect to a path to Pengirt Cove and the coast path.

This is a marvelous piece of Cornish coast, and stunning views of wide Port Quin Bay greet you. But it gets better. Go west (ocean on your right) and enjoy. By the time you see Sandinway Beach below, the Rumps, like a stegosaurus stooping to drink the Antlantic, will be in view. You'll eventually see a path leading to this geological oddity. Take it to explore what was once the site of an Iron Age fort.

Fort is a grand word for what was defensive earth ramparts, ditches and maybe, just maybe, a wooden enclosure. And Iron Age, as a period of time, changes depending on where you happen to be. But for us Britons, that leap from the Bronze age to the production of sword and tool-friendly iron began about 800 BCE. Commanding amazing views east and west along the coast and out to sea, and easy to defend, you can see why they chose the spot.

As many coastal walkers miss out this bit, as does the National Trust trail I gave you a link to, apart from the birds for company, you can have it to yourself and let the imagination wander. A perfect spot to rest and enjoy a picnic and chat to that bald mermaid... or was it a seal?

This serene promontory was the scene of a shipwreck in 1995. The very beautiful training ship, Maria Assumpta, built in 1858 and once a slave ship, was taken too close to shore by the master and disaster struck. Three died and the captain was jailed for manslaughter. The Cornish coast is treacherous to shipping and reckless sailors alike.

Having rounded both points of the aptly named Rumps, continue along the coast path to Pentire Point.

Here the land turns south-west and the view changes back to those wide sandy surfing beaches of Polzeath and the gawping mouth of the Camel River.

Sir John Betjeman was a fan of this area and was buried over at Enedoc Church, near Rock. You may be able to glimpse it beyond Polzeath, and maybe not: a lovely little church, it's had to be dug out of sand dunes a few times.

As you stroll along and the cliffs diminish to low ledges, look out for a small and narrow shingle beach between the rocks. You won't it named on the map but this is a good place to find cowrie shells. Once a form of prehistoric currency, searching for them seems to be in the blood of some beachgoers, Scillonians particularly in my experience.

Back on Baby Beach, I recommend the horsebox café you'll find parked there. Their whitefish wrap is tastier and richer than Kim Kardashian – although that could be my age.

Below, a dawn shot from Pentire Point. Worth an early rise.