Having taken the short hop over to Falmouth from St. Mawes on what felt like the choppiest day of the year, back in July, Falmouth a familiar seaside town. We’ve wended our “long” way from home this morning, arriving tired but chuffed in time for afternoon cream tea at The Greenbank Hotel – our home for a couple of nights.

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and there is a vivid rainbow over the river – St. Mawes as clear as day on the other side of the estuary. Full of warm scones, jam and clotted cream we wander down the hill, passed the yacht club, some colourful Victorian riverfront properties, towards the quay. We poke our nose into a couple of gift shops and peruse the menus of the bars and restaurants for later.

Starting my Garmin at the quay we set off on the coast path through the main Falmouth shopping street – not as busy as July but still bustling with tourists and locals. High street chains merge into quaint gift shops, bars and restaurants, below fluttering bunting. At the marina we curve inland toward the railway station then up a flight of steps skirting round and above the dry dock. To our right an old parking lot surrounded by derelict concrete huts, beautified by graffiti and adorned with “Danger Keep Out” signs. A new sign tells of proposed development of modern homes – not sure what the local wildlife will think, but I kind of like the derelict look.

The, clouds are turning from white and grey to shades of yellow and pink as they hang low in the sky. We follow the road down toward Pendennis Point, circling Pendennis Castle which we don’t quite get a peep at. A footpath takes us closer to the estuary looking to St. Mawes and St. Anthony’s Head Lighthouse glowing in the setting sun.

We speed up as we near the headland, wanting to catch the view of the sun setting, we make it with just a couple of minutes to spare. The bright light dipping down as the sky turns from blue to greys and whites over Falmouth Bay. It’s getting dark now as we wander along the quiet road round the headland – backed by Holm Oak woodland, littered with benches with dedications to loved ones.

Woodland turns to large apartment blocks and grand hotels along the front to the strangely named Gyllyngvase Beach, I’m not even sure how to pronounce it. Dog walkers are out in large numbers, along with groups of people on the beach and some brave swimmers in the calm waters. A bar looks like it is closing up so we continue along the narrow footpath round Swanpool Point to Swanpool beach, the end of our walk for today. Unfortunately, we’ve missed the last bus back to the town centre and it’s now drizzling with rain, but it’s not too far to walk and we are soon enjoying a bottle of beer, warm ambience and local burger and fries in the delightful Meat Counter burger bar.