I love going on spontaneous weekend adventures around Cornwall!
Last weekend, it turned out Niki, Frankie and I were all free and fancying a trip out to the North coast. Now that I’ve moved to the South coast nearer to Falmouth, I do have days when I really miss popping out to the cliffs and the beach to face the wild weather, so it was nice to head somewhere I’ve been missing for a while – Godrevy!
Famous for its lighthouse and being a very popular spot for a beach bbq and picnic in the summer, Godrevy is also a great spot to come for walk and a bite to eat or hot drink (or both!). The path around the headland is beautiful, serving you panoramic views of St. Ives bay, and then when you make it around the point, you can see back towards Perranporth, Newquay, and even Bedruthan on a super clear day!
It’s also very popular for seal spotting; there’s a particular view point along the cliffs where groups of people come to look down at the secluded cove below where the seals all like to gather when the tide is out. Sometimes, you can see up to 50 seals chilling here on the pebbles at one time!
On this particular day, however, the tide was in, so there wasn’t a pebble cove for any seals to be lolling about on! We did see plenty playing about in the waves, though. It’s easy to wonder whether they actually enjoy being tossed back and forth with the current, or whether they’re struggling against it to get to somewhere safer… I’m never quite sure what their purpose is…
Of all the hundreds of times I have visited Godrevy in my life, I have NEVER visited the Godrevy Beach Cafe, which sits at the edge of the dunes in the lower car park. It’s a debate I have with many about whether the beach that the path leads to from that car park is actually Godrevy or Gwithian… I personally consider it as Gwithian, and Godrevy is the little cove you can access from the top field car parks (closer to the lighthouse), that disappears when the tide is in.
I’ll leave that up to you.
Anyway, Frankie and Niki told me it was a lovely little cafe, so we popped in for a bite to eat before our winter walk.
I was super surprised to find that they had a good range of veggie and vegan options in the cafe, and Frankie and I opted for a delicious raspberry vegan brownie to share as well. It was a very tasty lunch in such a cute little building, I’ll definitely be popping back in soon!
After lunch we went out for our headland walk. The sky was pretty moody and atmospheric when we got started, but as we walked, the clouds cleared away and the sun even came out to say hello for a few minutes! It even felt quite warm for a bit while we were walking around, and we all felt very lucky to have popped out right at that exact moment, as either side of that it had been pouring down with rain.
^ Jacket from Barbour
As the sun came out, the sea started to look more and more inviting… yes, even in January I could totally imagine myself zipping up my wetsuit and popping in for a refreshing swim. That’s how warm the sun felt on our backs… it may have been delusional but if I’d have had it with me, I may well have tried it…
Godrevy always has a soft spot in my heart as we used to visit so often as children, and I’ve enjoyed some wonderful summers sat on the cliffs with friends too. The only thing I would say is that the beach I call Godrevy (the little cove accessible from the top field car parks) isn’t dog friendly, and I wouldn’t advise letting your dog run free around the cliffs either.
However, down by the cafe and the lower car park, you can easily access Gwithian beach over the dunes behind, which is dog friendly in winter before Easter day!
Also, remember to bring your National Trust Membership card! All Godrevy car parks (including the one by the cafe) are National Trust, and cost a BOMB in Summer if you forget your card!
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