Stowe Cliffs
PoE 3 Sandy Mouth loop a 6.5 miles
PoE 3 Sandy Mouth loop b 2 miles
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Stowe Cliffs lie like a tilted table top north of Sandy Mouth Bay. Somehow, the path finds a foothold amongst low gorse and bracken, rising gently until the land regains its equilibrium somewhere above Eliza Beach. This is a strange and endearing section of the South West Coast Path. It sometimes seems normal until it isn't. Warren Gutter is a cradle of granite. Climbing out of it is the toughest bit of this loop.
A few miles further on the ancient and misshapen denizens of Coombe Valley confirm by their very presence that this is a timelessly deciduous forest. Suddenly yew trees appear and it's hard to believe you thought this was going to be broadleaf territory. The shallow valley falls into a field of farmed pine and even the route gets confusing.
Beyond Stowe Barton and an overgrown farm track the smell of brine wafts inland. Stowe Cliffs hold their eternal and bizarre angle in the distance.
And - waiting patiently just where it was left - the car. All is well.