Monday 31 August 2015

Charming Coves of Cornwall

Day Twenty One - Porthcurno to Penzance 19.0km (11.8 miles).
Time on route 5:45hrs, walking time 5:35hrs.


Monday 31 August 2015
Day 21 map
I hadn't meant to leave it so long but summer holidaying crowded out the coast path. However I managed to carve out a free day today so travelled down to St Ives on Sunday (I could find nowhere suitable to stay in Penzance) ready for the off today. I got a tad lost in the one-way system in St Ives and got stuck in a bus-meets-local-and-stops-for-chat traffic jam. Not a shabby view whilst I waited.
15 08 30 St Ives (3)
And I had a wondrous view from my B&B.
15 08 30 St Ives (2)
This morning the sun shone and St Ives sparkled.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 1 St Ives
I drove to Penzance, parked up, and caught the 1A bus to Porthcurno. Great excitement to get an open top bus for my journey and pleased that I had something waterproof to sit on rather than the wet seat. My next book: 1001 uses for a map case.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 2 Bus
Porthcurno is full of standard Cornish prettiness.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 3 Porthcurno (3)
15 08 31 Day 21 - 3 Porthcurno (4)
I'd forgotten that you can't see the Minack from the coast path (note to self - hire yacht next time). As it turned out my daughter was unable to join me today anyway - see last leg when we'd come off the path moments before the Minack.  She had a prior appointment which was fine, but then nailed her point home by breaking her toe. Honestly - I really wasn't going to force her - self-inflicting injury was a bit much!

A sea king trundled past.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 3 Porthcurno (7)
Penberth is a National Trust village and chocolate box worthy with its unspoiltness.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 4 Penberth (1)
It remains a working fishing village.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 4 Penberth Cove (1)
This pile of hair raised its head as I passed. A supremely lethargic and sun loving dog.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 4 Penberth (2)
St Loy's Cove was magical: cascading streams, hydrangea, ferns, bridges.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 5 St Loys Cove (1)
Which lead out to a boulder strewn beach along which the path meanders for 100m or so.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 5 St Loys Cove (3)
Tater-du Lighthouse.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 6 Tater du LH (2)
Coming into Lamorna. A cross overlooks the cove.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 7 Lamorna (1)
Just after taking this photo I stumbled and fell heavily hurting my knee (come back RN SAR!) so I sat in the charming village and lunched/nursed my knee. Fortunately no great harm done so I headed off wincing a bit at the continued boulder covered hills and valleys of the coast path.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 7 Lamorna (2)
About 1km west of Mousehole the path joined a road (hurrah) so my knees got an easier ride. What a beautiful view from the washing line.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 8 Mousehole (1)
Looking across to St Clement's Isle.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 8 Mousehole (3)
It hosts something trig-like - perhaps a navigation feature?
15 08 31 Day 21 - 8 Mousehole (4)
The tide was out in the quaint Mousehole harbour.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 8 Mousehole (5)
15 08 31 Day 21 - 8 Mousehole (6)
Rounding the corner I bumped into Fitzroy's barometer. This was initially lent to Mousehole in 1845 by Admiral Fitzroy, founder of the UK Met Office. It was the start of the Met Office's storm warning system. The barometer was gifted to Mousehole in 2009.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 8 Mousehole (8)
Next village along was Newlyn. I had been really looking forward to walking through this.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 9 Newlyn (1)
Not because it's yet another pretty harbour, but because it hosts the tidal observatory at which Mean Sea Level for the UK is defined. There it is, at the end of the South Pier.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 9 Newlyn (3)
To my dismay there is no public access. So I had to be content with taking pictures of random pirate ships: of which there were a lot as it was Newlyn's annual Fish Festival today. They had wonderful weather for it.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 9 Newlyn (5)
Newlyn and Penzance merge into each other and it was a flat walk along the promenade.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 10 Penzance (2)
The railings were bedecked with flags.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 10 Penzance (4)
I loved the lines of ropes tethering the boats.
15 08 31 Day 21 - 10 Penzance (1)
Another wonderful day in the sun on the path.  You can't beat it.