Things to do at Windsworth


Exploring

If you're staying in the coach house, you have the freedom of nearly all of the fields and the woodland, the coastal slope and the seashore. Our land is a rectangle half a mile long by a quarter mile wide, and is bounded by:

  • North: shelter belt and no-through lane
  • West: National Trust Bodigga Cliff
  • East: Monkey Sanctuary
  • South: the sea!

So however far you go, you never need worry about intruding on someone else’s land.

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Beach and sea

Whether you're staying in our Old Coach House, or Just Visiting, you're welcome to explore our dog-friendly beach. We own half a mile of it - ! – a fascinating mixture of rock, sand and shingle – bordering on the Looe Marine Conservation Zone, itself a nature reserve. You can get there by a 15-min walk down a steep path through our woodlands, ending up in an interesting scree-run / bumslide, with a thick knotted rope to cling onto. Exciting for children of all ages!

Then there's the sea itself. If you bring goggles (or even better, mask, snorkel and fins -- and, if you want to spend more than a few brisk minutes in the water, a wetsuit) you'll find a world of underwater wonder here. Not the usual samey sandy bottom that's off most beaches, but an intriguing maze of rocks and gullies, and sealife both vegetable and animal; it's a marine reserve, after all. Wild swimming is so much more memorable and satisfactory when, just by floating around and looking down into this extraordinary habitat -- or even better, by diving down into it -- you become part of it!


Wildlife reserve

At the heart of our reserve is Defra’s Higher Land Stewardship (HLS) management plan aimed primarily at encouraging two rare butterfly species, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary and the elegant Dingy Skipper. Also included in the plan are measures which promote a wide variety and huge amount of wildlife, with special notes for other rare species.

So we’re developing wildflower-rich meadows – stunningly beautiful in spring and summer, and pretty good the rest of the year, too. The general idea is that along with the national trust areas on either side, we will be creating a good-sized chunk of land along the coast that will help keep this part of the country wild, beautiful and biodiverse for generations to come.

The HLS plan involves keeping grazing animals to help keep the pastures in good order. We give our animals a home for life – a life that’s as long as the animal’s normal lifespan (some are about 20 years old and thriving!). We keep rare breeds of sheep, and some ponies graze here too in winter, keeping the grass down and encouraging the flowers.

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labyrinth

Labyrinth

Our labyrinth is in a spectacular location on the hillsides surrounding Looe Bay, with breathtaking sea and coastal views, about 200 yards from the Old Coach House;. Access 24/7, free of charge.

Here's what The Guardian thinks about it

I created it in 2010 to enhance the Coast Path, but our section of the path has been closed, due to a small landslip in 2014. Walkers now have to use a mile or so of the public road instead, out of sight and sound of the sea..

As things stand, then, if you want to visit the labyrinth for the day, check that the tide will be going out when you plan to visit. Park at Millendreath or Seaton (the Cornish Seaton, that is!) and double-check that the tide's going out. Walk along the seashore for a mile or so, find our thick knotted rope running up the 60-foot shale slope and use it to haul yourselves up, then follow the steep, steep path up through the woodland and follow signs to the labyrinth. Approx 1/2 mile, and 350 feet up. Then it's back the same way.

Or try parking at NT Bodigga Cliff and fighting your way through the uncut undergrowth to access our land; we keep our part of the path walkable. That way, it's about 1/2 mile each way, with plenty of steep up and down.

Or contact me (see form below) to ask permission to go through our garden and down through our pastures. That way it's a 1/4-mile walk each way and 100 feet steeply downhill through rough pastures.

The labyrinth in itself has changed a lot since we first made it. At first it was smartly picked out in white granite gravel against the turf, but now the pathway isn’t so neatly defined. But it’s still clear to follow, and the appeal of the labyrinth is timeless.

Coast path

A long-distance coast path is an extraordinary concept, very special to Britain. Our South West Coast Path extends for over 600 miles, and if you walk its full length you will have ascended the equivalent of Mount Everest nearly four times over!

It originated from the many small paths worn by the coast guards. In those days, their main job was to patrol the coastline on foot, to catch smugglers red-handed when coming ashore in small boats, often under cover of darkness; so the guards needed to see into every small cranny of every small cove, and have sweeping overviews of the longer stretches of sand … lucky us! The views are often spectacular.

As a young child I would often set off on the path from Porthpean to Charlestown, every time with a leap in my heart; who knew where this path might lead? Now, when joining the path at any point, you can recreate this excitement in your own children, and indeed yourself – the potential is out there!

NB if you’re long-distance walking the Coast Path, and would like to stay in our Old Coach House we’ll give you a 5% discount.

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