The cove is in the district of Gunwalloe and is another area under the management of the National Trust. There is a beautiful little protected beach and its popularity was obvious by the crowds coming and going from it. By the beach, on the sand dunes, there is a tiny medieval church called St Winwaloe, named after a 5th C Breton saint. The earliest mention of the church is (circa) 1332. Because of its exposed position on the beach or sand dunes, the church is also known as the 'church of the storms''.
There were benefits to the detour because as went in to the town we passed a very nice grocery store where picked up some goodies for camping and we found a little pearl of a cafe called 'The Twisted Currant'. Family run, Dad was a retired naval officer and he was a wonderful front of house man. The plan was to stop for afternoon tea, which we did but it turned in to a topsy-turvy meal as we tucked in to delicious vegan banana cake and to die-for lemon drizzle cake with real Cornish Tregothnan tea. The tea was so wonderful we drunk more than a couple of pots of it. It was so good and we were so tired and dehydrated that we sat, and sat, and sat. Eventually, we then ordered a Cornish Ploughman's with more cheese than the Cheddar Valley and a lovely avocado and poached egg dish for Joanna. Given the chance we would have stayed on for breakfast. You will have gathered by now that we like our grub. On another section of our coastal adventure we walked one hundred and eighty miles and put on half a stone each. It took us a while to realise the three-course Italian lunches every day were not helping!
On one of the cliffs, a group of students were enjoying climbing and abseiling on the cliff face of what I think was the less photographed side of the rock feature known as The Camel. Watching them climb and zip up and the down the cliff on ropes it brought back many happy memories of my army days. As a boy soldier I remember the thrill of my first abseil down a huge viaduct just outside Dover and, later, when I was a bit more proficient, a helter, skelter run down the white cliffs at Dover and in to what felt like a very rocky and unstable boat. Happy days!
Since we started walking in Cornwall we have been looking for the iconic red-billed and red-legged Chough that are known to nest on the cliffs here, but we were out of luck. Numerous varieties of wild flower and shrub continued to line the path and the hillside including yellow Broom, Bluebell, Thirft and Sea Campion. From the headland at Rinsey we dropped down on to the beach at Praa Sands and on the far side, cut inland to our campsite at Higher Pentreith.