Sun shining, birds singing and blue water beckoning. We drove down to Helford Passage and took a short ferry ride across to Helford Village. 
Small boats and buoys float on the Helford River.
A narrow lane lined with hedgerows of a ghostly white mist (the delicate blossom of the blackthorn) leads from the ferry point into the village. Finches flit from one side of the lane to the other, others sing merrily in the bushes and all the while the warmth of the sun intensifies the coconut fragrance of the deep yellow gorse flowers.
A pretty white-washed, thatched cottages, cute welcoming pub, type of Cornish village greets you, with even a General Stores! If only all Cornwall’s villages were this pretty.
Walking around the village only takes a few minutes – it isn’t big. But you can stroll through woodland, at this time of year delightfully sunny, wild primroses, violets, wild angelica and early ransomes with their light garlic fragrance, line the banks. Periwinkle in shades from white through palest lavender to deepest purple clamber over the dry stone walls, and red and white campion, yellow celandine and the common daisy are raising their heads to the sun.
A circular walk takes you to Kestle Barton which has a cultural centre (closed on a Monday) and on towards Frenchman’s Creek. Now anyone who is a fan of Daphne du Maurier will have heard of this place and I had to have a closer look, despite it involving a steep walk down (and naturally back up) a rather steep track.
Finding the creek though was magic. Especially as there were several white egrets feeding there. Of course as soon as I appeared with camera in hand, they flew away. But I enjoyed a short walk alongside the water with its tantalisingly flashes of blue and green appearing to me between the trees. I could have continued around the headland back to Helford, but as I had left the OH on a particularly lovely granite bench at the top of the track I had to head back the way I had come.
Back to the other side of the river we spent a pleasant hour or two at the Ferryboat Inn, supping ginger beer with ice and lime slices and watching hardy children play in the water and the fog rolling in from the south. An agreeable way to spend the afternoon.
If you enjoy a walk, long or short, then have a look at Jo’s site where you are welcome to join in. And I am sure she will forgive me using a boat on part of this walk as I know Jo is extremely partial to boats and water 🙂
TRAVEL WORDS 