The World of Daphne du Maurier at Fowey

Fowey and its environs cry out for the romantic novel and it is no surprise that the area inspired the writer Daphne du Maurier, who for many years lived as a favoured tenant at Menabilly House, the ancestral home of the Rashleigh family. The house and its environs became embedded in her work. Menabilly was the shadowy inspiration for the fictional house of 'Manderley' in du Maurier's compelling work Rebecca. The house also inspired the setting for My Cousin Rachel. If you are a fan of du Maurier, you may take special pleasure in this walk. If you are not a fan, then you may soon become one.

The walk starts from the charmingly named Readymoney Cove, a corrupted form of the Cornish redeman, possibly translating as 'stony ford'. From the cove you follow Love Lane, a very old cart way that rises over scarred rock slabs into the shrouding trees of Covington Wood. Soon open fields are reached and the route strikes inland along field paths and enclosed tracks. In the little valley below Lankelly Farm the path passes through a tunnel and beneath what was once a carriageway leading to Menabilly House. Beyond Tregaminion Farm and church the long western flank of the Gribbin Peninsula is reached. Here you can divert down a zig-zag path to Polkerris Cove and beach (PWhile You're There).

The coastal footpath is followed south to Gribbin Head and its crowning 'Daymark', an immense Graeco-Gothic edifice erected in 1832 as a warning mark to sailors who too often had mistaken the shallow waters of St Austell Bay for the secure anchorage of Falmouth Roads further west. The Daymark was erected on land granted by William Rashleigh of Menabilly. The inscription rather neatly defines the mercantile priorities of the day, the 'safety of commerce' first, 'preservation of mariners' second. Now, the Daymark, and its garish red and white stripes, is forgiven for its naked intrusion because of its historical significance. Head north from here to Polridmouth Cove (P'ridmouth to the initiated) and the heart of 'du Maurier Country', from where a minor roller coaster hike takes you to St Catherine's Point and to the ruins of the 16th-century St Catherine's Castle. The castle was part of a chain of defences built on the orders of Henry VIII as a precaution against potential invasion from France. Its lower level housed later 18th-century guns. From the high ground of St Catherine's Point there is a steep descent to Readymoney Cove.

While you're there

Visit Polkerris, the small cove and beach tucked in the eastern arm of St Austell Bay. It was once a busy fishing village in the days when the great bight of St Austell Bay saw vast shoals of pilchard staining its clear waters purple. Today Polkerris and the green flank of the Gribbin Peninsula stand as a counter image to the industrial landscape of the bay's opposite shore where the work buildings of the china clay industry stumble across the skyline.

What to look for

Along the vegetated borders of the fields and woods look for the tall pinkish flower spike of rosebay willowherb. This tall plant with its purple flowers, that give way to cottony seeds in autumn, was once rare in Britain. It is thought that it spread rapidly throughout the country with the coming of the railways in the 19th century. The frequent scorching of embankments from stray sparks during the old days of steam trains created ideal growing conditions for the willowherb's windblown seeds. The web of railway lines also served as a disseminator for many other plants. Look for the madly tangled and trailing blooms of great bindweed, with their white flowerheads.

Where to eat and drink

There is usually an ice cream and soft drinks van at Readymoney Cove during the summer months. It is worth making the diversion into the little harbourside village of Polkerris where the Rashleigh Inn overlooks the beach and offers reasonable pub lunches. The Lifeboat House beach shop, opposite the Rashleigh Inn, does Cornish pasties and sandwiches to take away.