A POINT PROVEN..

Last week as we continued to take bite sized chunks out of the wonderful south west coast path, we managed to conquer Dodman Point, `the most striking headland on the south Cornwall coast.`   It`s over 400 feet up and, on the clear day we had, we were able to see as far west as Lizard Point and as far east as south Devon.

Over the years, the Dodman and the rocks close by have caused numerous wrecks.   The imposing granite cross, built in 1896 by a local parson, was supposed to provide a seamark but unhappily it failed to save the destroyers Thrasher and Lynx from hitting the rocks in fog a year later.   A more recent tragedy was the loss of the pleasure boat Darlwin in 1966, which sank with all its passengers.

We enjoyed the walk around this formidable headland from the National Trust car park in the hamlet of Penare and when we returned we set off down the hill towards Hemmick Beach, one of Cornwall`s most beautiful coves.   I thought it would be a wise precaution to take the above photo of the granite cross just to prove that we had made the Point, for there might just be the occasional cynic who cannot bring himself to believe that two septuagenarian codgers and a laid back golden retriever are capable of such feats of endurance.   Hang on - maybe I`m being cynical.