Wonderful weather at Wembury

One of Plymouth's particular blessings is the very pleasing coastline close by to east and west. Not spectacular or demanding of the walker, you have to go slightly further away for that sort of scenery. But nevertheless these parts of the south west coast are really delightful. On the Cornish side the Mount Edgcumbe Country Park stretches from Rame Head to Cremyll with a short break at the twin villages of Cawsand and Kingsand. To the east of Plymouth Sound the coast runs more or less due south to Heybrook Bay before turning east at Wembury Point to pass mainly through National Trust land to Warren Point where the lovely little River Yealm makes its final turn to at last view the open sea. It was to Wembury village we made our way last Saturday.

Wembury has a particular resonance for us, my companion having lived there at one time whilst for myself well I just like it. One of the joys of the village is that it has its own distinct character being well separated from other settlements. The church is just above the beach but happily the village itself is just inland with a small buffer of rough fields and meadows in between. Well maintained toilets and a couple of low key retail outlets plus a large car park are the concessions to modernity adjacent to the little cove.

If driving from home in the mid Tamar Valley one has to go through part of Plymouth's suburbia. We used the alternative of train from Gunnislake to Plymouth and then on to Wembury by bus. Getting off the bus at the entry to the village we made our way by quiet lanes out to Warren Point passing on the way the beautiful almshouses. From Warren Point onwards we were above the Yealm estuary which one follows for about a mile with the Mewstone framed in the view. Then it's past the church and down to Wembury beach. This is an excellent example of its kind - small, sandy, gently shelving, plenty of rock pools and safe for swimming. My friend, who loves being in the water, had brought her swimming costume and didn't take long to enter the briny. Then it was on westward following the pleasantly level coast path as far as Wembury Point. This latter section not only benefits from being as close to the sea as one can get without being in it but is a fabulous location for blackberries! The area behind Wembury point was the site of HMS Cambridge, the Navy Gunnery School. Happily it is no more. The National Trust were able to purchase the land from the MoD so thankfully it is safe from development.

Throughout our stay at Wembury the weather was gloriously sunny, a dream of a September day. Including transport we had spent a superb 12 hours or so away from home.