Poppies at West Pentire

I've long wanted to see this remarkable sight and so today I finally managed to achieve my wish. Although I have walked this stretch of the South West Coast Path in the past, the area takes on a whole new appearance from the end of May and into mid/late June when the wild poppies emerge.

The fields are managed by the National Trust, and it appears that the spectacle becomes even more intense with each year. I met up with a friend who has lived in the area for over 30 years, and she commented that she hadn't seen it looking this good before. Each field is a carpet of deep red, broken up by the odd pocket of bright yellow corn marigolds. The brilliant sunshine and unbroken blue skies and the sea offer the best background for photographers and sightseers alike.

If you walk on past the poppy fields, the path takes you down to Porth Joke, or Polly Joke beach. It looked beautiful in the June sunshine, and several people were enjoying the water. It's a fairly level beach, but the walk back up to the car park is a little steep and there are no facilities here.

The wildflower meadows are managed by the National Trust and are just a small stretch of the UK coastline that is in their care. 

We had lunch and an afternoon tea at the Crantock Bay Spa Bistro which has a wonderful large terrace overlooking the bay, and views over some of the poppy fields.