Porthemmet, Chypraze and Cornish Gold

This time around I have to start off with the scene that greets you when you arrive. Keep in mind that this is a hot sunny (rare) Saturday afternoon in August. You’d think we’d have reached peak Emmet* in these parts, but no. That said, we may have found the illusive Porthemmet, the best beach in the whole of Kernow. Where is everyone? Perranporth this ain’t…

Where is everyone? Perranporth this ain’t…

We ventured West on Saturday to see an exhibition by The Friends of Portheras Cove which was fascinating and really educational for the kids too. Collected in the village community centre were all sorts of treasures that have been found by beachcombers in the area. There was a really informative display of information on some of the local shipwrecks and also some more general environmental impact information showing the horrific problem of plastic pollution. I spend a lot of time at the beach and you expect to see plastic junk. We often try to remove some but it’s the tiny stuff that’s such a massive problem. The nurdles (which is the name for these tiny plastic beads you see) are everywhere and a serious danger to marine life, and as they are being ingested by the fish and mammals of the sea it doesn’t take a mental leap to imagine the stuff in our food chain too. Thankfully the exhibition was thought provoking rather than depressing! We learnt loads and watched a short Pathé film about the wreck of The Liberty and the rescue of the crew.

We also learnt about how the wreck came to be blown up at Portheras showering the beach with shrapnel. There was a big problem with the wreck being so sharp so some young boys wrote to Prince Charles to help persuade the powers that be to blow the ship up. While this helped to clear it, apparently the shards of metal wreckage are still littered under the sand and can badly cut you if you don’t take care.

After the exhibition we went in search of Portheras having never been. I’ve been to Pendeen lighthouse before a number of times but never explored the beaches below. I think the access here is what keeps it quiet. We headed off to Morvah (turning in by Chypraze Farm)and to the location of Chypraze House which is a property that we (Clive Pearce Property) were marketing and sold earlier this year. The sale was handled by colleagues so I never actually got to visit until now and wow! What a property! Arguably one of the best clifftop houses in Cornwall! With a grandstand view of Portheras and the Atlantic Ocean and with only a track for access this property is truly exceptional! As we walked down past Chypraze House to the beach we picked just-ripe blackberries to eat (“Cornish Gold” I told the children) and the kids were delighted. It’s always interesting that fruit from a hedge is so much more exciting than the stuff we buy from the supermarket.

The rock formations and rock pools are beautiful at Portheras and teaming with life. Granite outcrops and boulders rounded and sculpted by the raw power of the Atlantic and unspoilt by people litter the beach, just outrageously beautiful! …with a carpet of fine golden sand and a stream for Tom’s engineering works what else could we ever want in a beach?

The rock formations and rock pools are beautiful at Portheras and teaming with life. Granite outcrops and boulders rounded and sculpted by the raw power of the Atlantic and unspoilt by people litter the beach, just outrageously beautiful!