The poppies
For a long time I’ve seen photographs of the magnificent poppy and wildflower fields at West Pentire and wanted to visit. This year I decided I was not going to miss out again! I can honestly say they well exceeded my expectations and on a perfect sunny morning the short walk to reach them was blissful.
For those unfamiliar with the area, the fields are situated in West Pentire, between Hollywell Bay and Crantock Beach on the North Coast of Cornwall, just a couple of miles west of Newquay.
The fields sit just above Porth Joke beach (known locally as Polly Joke beach) and are managed by the National Trust, as part of a stewardship scheme to encourage plants and wildlife. It is the abundance of poppies and corn marigolds that attract the attention of walkers, budding photographers and hopefully lots of wildlife (like skylarks ,corn buntings and hares).
The flowers are usually visible from around mid to late June until around the first week of July, depending on weather conditions and other factors effecting growth.
We visited on a weekday in mid-June and it was perfect weather. We parked up in the pay and display car park at the top of the village and walked down (well sign- posted so easy to find). We could have taken the more direct route to the fields but our excitement took over when we saw how beautiful the sea looked and walked down past C-Bay (café, bar and bistro) to join the coastal path and followed it up to the sight of red and yellow flowers. I’m glad we did this because the view of the bay is just phenomenal and with it being fairly early it was nice and quiet and we could really take in the sound of the birds and the sea.
We were on quite a tight schedule so didn’t get to spend as much time as we would have liked looking at all the fields and taking in every angle but we hope to revisit again and maybe grab a coffee and do more of a walk around.
However, we had long enough to confirm that it really is worth visiting and the views are as spectacular as you’d expect from photos.
By the time we were leaving it was already getting pretty busy and the car park was filling up so I think going fairly early in the morning is a good idea. But if people are sensible there is plenty of room for everyone to enjoy. Equally, you can get some great photos without trampling on the flowers! There are lots of gaps which you can utilise to get closer without causing any damage so hopefully people will continue to respect this.
More time? I’d recommend taking a further walk along the coast paths or spend some time on the local beaches. Polly Joke to Crantock is a short but scenic walk and Polly Joke, Hollywell and Crantock beaches are all lovely. Polly Joke beach is not life-guarded and there are no public toilets so do bear this in mind before leaving. Hollywell and Crantock beach are life-guarded seasonally so would be during the wildflower blooms but check ahead of your visit, particularly if outside of the wildflower season. Dogs are welcome at both Hollywell and Crantock beach but be mindful of adders amongst the sand dunes in the summer months, particularly during sunnier weather.
Just a couple of minutes from the main car park in West Pentire is both the Bowgie Inn and C-Bay, so worth a visit if you fancy a drink/bite to eat. C-Bay has a bar and restaurant with views over Crantock Bay (check out their webcam online) and also holiday accommodation and spa facilities.
The Bowgie Inn is a really reputable local pub known for great food and hospitality and hosts a lot of decent live music. Again it’s known as a ‘pub with a view’ and you can check this out on the webcam on their website.
The car park we used is signposted clearly as you enter the village and reasonably priced at only a few pounds for the day. However, the ticket machine only accepts coins so remember to bring some change.
Hayfever? It’s a bit of a no-brainer but dose up before you leave to avoid joining the cacophony of sneezing photographers (my partner being one of them)!
I would definitely recommend putting a visit on your to-do list for 2023 and beyond, but even without the wildflowers it’s a beautiful part of the coast to enjoy.