We’ve returned to Cornwall, now as grandparents and with a son-in-law. After a comfortable night at “Doolittle” in Porthleven we drive to Mullion and board the number 34 bus – Lizard bound. It’s very much a local’s bus, going round the houses, but after 24 stops, drops us at the green at the Lizard where we left off in November. Since then, the shops have been freshly painted and it seems much brighter place.

It’s a short meander down to Lizard point where we stop for breakfast sitting outside the Wavecrest café. We are the first punters of the day, and the chef is surprised to be frying bacon so early. I pop into the gift shop and purchase a very cute, but not wonky glass seagull to hang on my dresser back home.

Beside the old lifeboat station, there are four of five seals bobbing their heads out of the water, posing for the tourists – just us, it seems, but we are very appreciative.

Today’s coast walk is easy going, mostly on one level, on very open countryside – short grass and rocky outcrops and very, very few trees. Beside a set of steps crumbling into the sea and overgrown is a sign saying “this public footpath has foundered no further access”. Foundered is not a word I’ve ever used. With a dry-stone wall to our right, rocky outcrops to our left we follow the path towards Kynance Cove. We dip down at one point, take the stepping stones across a stream then back up to enjoy the stunning views, the path on grassland dotted with the occasional gorse and rocks.

Nigel spent many childhood holidays making sandcastles on the beautiful sandy beach at Kynance Cove. I’ve heard many tales of walking out to the large rocky island when the sea is out, then it comes back in from both sides over the golden sand. As we arrive the tide is right up but there is just enough room to scramble over the large round boulders, dodging the waves, right beside the cliff. I’ll have to return to see the tide coming in round the rocky island.

For the first time today, there are other people – dog walkers and families with young kids trying to catch crabs. They congregate at the ”golden sanded beach” as we continue the path past a deserted house crying out to be on Grand Designs, or maybe just enjoying crumbling into the sea. Then over a concrete bridge and back up on to the cliffs.

A sign says 2 ½ miles back to the Lizard and 5 miles to Mullion. We are ¾ of the way and it’s time to stop. There are plenty of signs saying about the Lizard National Nature Reserve – it’s not evident at first what the nature reserve is preserving but underfoot when you look closer it’s not grass. There are all sorts of tiny plants, looking like sedums. The grass is growing in stiff little mounds and at one point we are splashing through and slip sliding round the edge of puddles which, at closer glance are brimming with quite large tadpoles. Back at home the toad in our pond is still croaking to find a mate!

We pass a couple who all they have to say is “it’s a bit squelchy” then a group of walkers, looking like they are on an organised tour with the guide bringing up the rear. At the bottom of the hill near Soap Rock we stop to enjoy an apple and a buttered tea- cake, then find ourselves lost from the path. An unconventional route takes us vertically up a rocky hill face, scrambling to the top where we find a water outlet pipe, no wonder it was a bit slippery. Back on the path we are now on Lower Predannock Downs.

Ogo Dour Cove has another little stream to step stone across, we are now only two miles away from Mullion. The weather has been kind but now the rain starts to come down, I soldier on for a while then stop to don my water proof trouser layer – the perfect cue for the rain to stop and the sun to emerge.

As we near Mullion the local volunteers have been busy – there is a wonderful row of flat-topped rocks for the walker to step over – I love that feeling of almost tight rope walking as each foot angles forward over the stones. A couple are waiting at the end to take the stones in the other direction.

We can tell we are nearing Mullion as houses are now dotted on the headland and a large hotel on the far side of the small fishing village. A short path going inland takes us down to the village. There are a couple precariously balanced on a ladder over a greenhouse come conservatory on a pale-yellow painted dwelling – that’s going to be a perfect sun trap to grow some exotics, read a novel and escape from the big wide world.

Mullion Cove is small, but perfectly formed, a few dwellings, a harbour and just a few boats pulled up out of the water. A sign says that the harbour was built in the 1890’s for the pilchard industry but now just supports a small fishing fleet for shellfish.

We enjoy our home-made egg and rocket sandwiches on a unique bench – made out of old railway sleepers and a pair of oars it has a large back to rest our weary limbs. Thankfully the sun comes out and warms us up. We decide to walk on through Polurrian Cove to Poldu Cove. The Mullion Cove Hotel on the cliff top is very well preserved with a new looking spa. A blackboard informs non-residents are very welcome and that they serving “sandwiches, soup and snacks”. Maybe they didn’t have anything else in the larder beginning with S? A couple are sitting on the edge of the cannon eating their lunch – I think they might have found our rustic bench comfier.

The next bit of the path is more enclosed – lined with vivid green flowering angelica, we pass some lovely dwellings with windswept cypress trees. Easy to know which is the prevailing wind here. A house perched above Polurrian Cove has taken the precaution of attaching re-inforcement wire mesh to the cliff – you can see the remains of their garden boundary, just a couple of iron posts either side of the chasm.

We are now walking on open grassland , looking out to sea, glistening in the sunshine, we are conscious that this is no longer really the English Channel, it’s just 3000 miles across these waters to the coast of America. There is a tower to mark Marconi’s pioneering communication achievements from the Poldhu Wireless Station , less than a hundred years ago.

From here it is only 5- or 10-minutes easy walking into Poldu Cove. Time to reward ourselves with an ice cream and a walk on the sandy beach now that the sea has now gone out. A children’s birthday party is happening under a gazebo with balloons blowing in the wind, and a couple of surfers are trying to catch the perfect wave – looks a bit dodgy with large rocks hiding under the waves.

It’s a precarious walk along the road back to our car in Mullion – we drop our parking donation in the box and return to our holiday cottage.