Cubert wildlife walk, Cornwall
The coastline just south of Newquay is incredibly varied with fantastic displays of arable flora in summer. At West Pentire, see whole fields scarlet with poppies and other rare meadow plants in late June or early July.
A varied walk with lots to see in every season
There's also lots of sandy grassland, rich in wild flowers like cowslip and pyramidal orchid. The dunes behind Holywell Bay are the home for hundreds of different insects and great for bug hunting. On a visit in the winter you may find migrant birds in the fields.
Map
Start:
West Pentire car park, grid ref: SW775605
1
Start at the car park in West Pentire and walk north on a path towards the coast, with wildflower fields on your left in summer.
Wildflowers
Some of the fields in West Pentire have stunning arable flora, which are best seen in June and July when the poppies and corn marigolds are in flower. Also see Venus looking-glass, shepherds needle, small-flowered catchfly and weasels snout, which are rare due to modern farming methods. Wander into the fields if you wish, but be careful not to crush the crops or wildflowers. Also look for pyramidal orchid and carline thistle in the lime-rich grasslands.
2
Take the left at the junction of two paths, then the next right along the edge of a field. At the end of this field take the left-hand path, then the right one, so that you are exactly on the edge of the coast, following it around to the left, away from West Pentire.
Animals
See grey seals hauled out on the rocks at low tide and stoats chasing rabbits down the slopes towards Porth Joke. Seals are inquisitive and will come close to visitors who remain still. Pups can be seen in late autumn and are easily spotted because they're born with a white fur coat. Basking sharks are seen in Holywell Bay along with porpoises and dolphins.
3
Keep following the coastal path, also looking out for buzzards inland. The shortcut back to the car park is a left-hand path at the point of Porth Joke (sands), which goes back across the fields.
Birds
Look out for fulmar birds that look superficially like gulls, but are in fact petrels. They nest around this area of the coast, laying a single white egg on bare rock or lined shallow depressions. Seed-eating birds such as corn bunting, grey partridge and winter visitors such as snow and lapland buntings are found in the West Pentire fields. A thin crop of barley is sown in some of the fields so the birds have a seed source in the winter. There's a good chance of seeing whimbrel, skylark and wheatear on the Kelseys.
4
Pass the Iron Age fort on your right continuing on the coast path which loops around the sand dunes of Holywell beach.
Insects
At Holywell Dunes there are a multitude of insects to be seen, including silver-studded blue and dark-green fritillary butterflies, great green bush cricket and stripe-winged grasshopper. The summer months are the best time to see them. The silver studded blue butterfly is nationally scarce and has a national action plan to reverse its decline.
5
The path then heads directly inland off the beach. Follow it straight across the junction, then downhill to another four-way junction, taking the left-hand path.
6
Carry straight on, turning left at the track, then further on keeping right past the disused quarry.
7
Follow the fork forward then take the next small path on the left. Follow the track uphill past another disused quarry on the right and along the fields back to the car park.
End:
West Pentire car park, grid ref: SW775605
