Saturday June 27th: I travelled down to Penzance on the Friday night from Exeter. I had discovered some really good train ticket deals on this route - £6 each way from Exeter to Penzance - a bargain. Stayed at the Swordfish Inn at Newlyn on Friday night, where there was live music and the pub was pretty packed, but good clean room for the price. Popped into the Chippie next door where there was a massive chap in a Spurs Shirt. "Didn't expect to find a Yiddo in this far corner of Cornwall" I said rather bravely! He could have thought I was a Gooner and shoved a Cod and chips up my bottom, but fortunately we ended up having a good long chat about 'arry and who might come and go pre-season.
The plan on the Saturday was to catch the early bus to Lands End. I thought I might have to leave without the obligatory bacon and Egg breakfast fest, due to the early bus time - but they had a system where you left a breakfast menu card outside your room indicating what you wanted to eat, and when I explained my predicament to the Landlord - he said, just put a note saying what time you want your brekkie - and no problem. That worked - So I was able to catch the excellent no 300 open top bus which circulates in each direction from Lands End - every day during the Season and was at Land End for 9:15am.
As I left the bus - I spotted another walker who was obviously on a mission - and he disppeared in the direction of Penzance from the car park whilst I headed for the Lands End point where I had ended my walk previously. I thought I would catch up with him later
It was a beautiful day which I was glad of, as this stretch of the coast path was going to be one of the most spectacular of the whole path. I had walked part of it before from Minack a few years previously.
There was a group of Cyclists getting prepared for what was no doubt a trip to John O'Groats, but my destination was Penzance, although I was staying at Marazion that night, so legs willing - I might do the extra few miles.
I could see alot of evidence of path erosion at Lands End - due to the popularity and mass tourism, but they had roped off alot of the old paths to allow them to recover. The seascape around Lands End is quite spectacular, if you can ignore the theme park touristy environment around you. There are a series of rocks and small islets and the sea is always in a turmoil. I left the Hotel complex and headed off from Dr Johnson's Head towards Nanjizal bay. The sea was a gorgeous colour and the views just got better and better as I headed in a southerly direction towards Gwennap Head from where I would get my first glimpse of my very final destination - the Lizard! - I would have turned the corner so to speak. For a few miles - I could look back and still see the lands End complex, but after Gwennap Head, it was finally out of view.
At Gwennap - there was a large Coastwatch Station - and I gave the coastguard a friendly wave. It must be a lonely job manning these stations - and many of them are just volunteers, but they do a vital job, not only looking out for ships in trouble - but also logging the likes of myself who might inadvertently go for a nosedive! The rock formations all along this part of the coast were very interesting, with lots of cave formations and strange shaped rocks.
A little further on, I reached a small cove called Porthgwarra where there was a welcome shop. From there the path went up to a high level cliff before dropping down into the beautiful sandy Porthchapel beach. The sea looked quite inviting and it made me think that during all the miles I had walked, I had yet to stop and have a swim! I would be reminded of that later on in the day. From here it was a short hop to the famous Minack Theatre situated at a high vantage point just before Portcurno Beach. The path went right through the Car Park to this popular tourist destination. I had visited Minack before and it has an interesting history for what must be the most spectacular theatre destinations in the country. Built into the rocks within what was a natural amphitheatre, the Theatre was the brainchild of Miss Rowena Cade in the 1930's who helped build it initially for performances to friends and family. The backdrop to the stage is the sea and rocks with Logan Rock looming in the distance. If the weather is kind - it must make for a fantastic evening's entertainment - and there are professional performances all throughout the summer.
Porthcurno Beach
From Minack - it was a very steep climb down to Porthcurno beach where the sea looked Mediterranean in colour. It is one of Cornwall's most beautiful coves and from here it was another 12 miles to Penzance . The path climbed steadily up to the cliff path. I made the diversion out to Logans Rock point from where you got a great view of the Minack Theatre across the bay.
It was at about this point, that I kept meeting running athletes head on. There was obviously some sort of race on, and on the narrow rocky path, it was sometimes difficult to dive out of the way. From then on, they just kept coming all day, men, women - all ages and when I eventually enquired what the race was - a sweaty lady told me that they were running from the Lizard to Lands End!! - just the 45 miles - they had started at 6:00am, the slackers. It is an endurance race that has been staged for the last 3 years apparently - and has raised quite alot of money for charity. I decided that there was no way that I could moan or complain about sore feet at the end of the day - in comparison to that lot of nutters.
A little further on, I reached the small fishing cove of Penberth, where there were several day ramblers having a rest. I headed on and a couple of miles further on, I was stopped by someone who very kindly pointed out that there were some basking sharks clearly visible off Boscawen point. When I reached it - I could see a small boat not far out to see full of people looking at something - but as I made my way closer to the cliff edge, I could clearly see the fins of several sharks swimming quite close to the shore. The cliffs here were tall and steep, so I had a great vantage point looking down on them and with my zoom lens - I could see them with their mouths agape filtering the plankton. they didn't seem as large as I thought - but it was difficult to tell from distance. So that was a first for me, but still no signs of dolphins on this walk! After taking about 50 photos most of which would be no good - I carried on. Someone else told me that there were some basking sharks more close to shore at Lamorna Cove. A little later, as I once again nearly fell into the undergrowth avoiding more runners, I met Sue Robinson. Enjoying the beautiful scenery, Sue, a beauty therapist, had travelled up from Dorset early that morning for a day out and was going to drive to Sennen Cove later on. We walked together for a bit and shared a Cream tea at Lamorna Cove before I headed off for the last stint of the day. Lamorna had a harbour and was previously a busy area for quarrying as you could see from the scarred cliffs. However, there was no sign of any more sharks.
By now - time was going on, so I needed to get a move on. There were still plenty of endurance athletes struggling on. In fact I met one guy laid out by the side of the path under a bush struggling with cramp. I gave him a hand - but he admitted he didn't feel well! Having run 30 miles along a coast path on a hot day, it was hardly surprising. Unfortunately - he had the hardest part of the run still to go.
I was now not far from the tourist hotspot of Mousehole. Suddenly, I rounded a corner and there was the guy who had left the bus at Lands End ahead of me. I stopped and had a chat with him, a retired Geordie, he had been stopping and having a swim at various beaches, which is "what I do" he exclaimed. He was camping at Praa Sands, which was quite a few miles East of Penzance. Obviously quite a fit guy for his age - he admitted that he was ready to stop. I carried on - but then he caught up with me just outside Mousehole and we walked together for a while. By this time, my ankle was giving me quite a bit of jip - so my pace was pretty slow. Geordie boy stopped at Mousehole - he was going to buy a Guardian and have a sit down for awhile! I reckon he would catch the bus from there. Mousehole is a lovely old fishing harbour, mostly a tourist spot now with an interesting history.
Prononuced Mow-zell, it is named after a cave on St Clements isle at the mouth of the harbour where apparently, a hermit once lived. Long ago, Mousehole achieved fame when it was the landing place of the Knights of St John returning back from the Holy Land. From Mousehole - the path followed the road to Newlyn along a new cycle track at the back of the rocky beach.
St Michaels Mount across the other side of the Bay dominated the skyline - and I could see how far I was going to have to walk to Marazion around the edge of Penzance. Newlyn has Cornwall's largest fishing fleets and the massive harbour dominates the place. Apart from a few small shops and the pubs, there is little else to see. I popped back in to the Swordfish for a quick pint as I was passing. From Newlyn, it was a promenade walk all the wa
y to Penzance.
On the train journey up from Exeter, I had listened to some girl students talking about the Mazey Day festival going on in Penzance that weekend. It is the equivalent of Carnival weekend - with colourful parades, street markets and general festivity. As I approached from Newlyn along the road - I could see lots of colourful flags and banners and by this time it was early evening, so people were streeming away from the centre as I came plodding through, having missed the party! There was a large fairground set up and one of the pubs had live music set up outside - so it was all pretty lively.
If I had wanted to catch a bus to Marazion, I would have been out of luck, so although I was struggling a bit - the path to Marazion was level all the way along St Michaels Way - a new waterfront cycle path. The track followed across the back of the long beach which stretched for 2 miles between the outskirts of Penzance and Marazion. St Michaels Mount got larger and larger as I hobbled along. Marazion is thought to be one of Cornwall's oldest settlements with a history of trading in tin - which was smelted on the offshore island of St Michaels Mount. A priory of Benedictine Monks was established on the island in the 11th Century but it eventually became a private residence and is now owned by the National Trust and of course is a big draw for visitors.
You can walk across to the Island along a causeway at low tide. I had visited previously, so gave it a miss this time. I was staying at Glenleigh, where I had been before. It was nearly 8:30pm by the time I arrived. Along the way, I had put my knee bandage on, and the lovely old lady who owned Glendale went into overdrive when she saw me - thinking that I had had some sort of accident - "Oh you poor dear" etc etc. Quick shower and then I made it over to The Fire Engine pub in time. Food was pretty bland and certainly not freshly prepared, but welcome all the same. 22 Miles walked today - one of my longest stints - and one of the most memorable.
The plan on the Saturday was to catch the early bus to Lands End. I thought I might have to leave without the obligatory bacon and Egg breakfast fest, due to the early bus time - but they had a system where you left a breakfast menu card outside your room indicating what you wanted to eat, and when I explained my predicament to the Landlord - he said, just put a note saying what time you want your brekkie - and no problem. That worked - So I was able to catch the excellent no 300 open top bus which circulates in each direction from Lands End - every day during the Season and was at Land End for 9:15am.
As I left the bus - I spotted another walker who was obviously on a mission - and he disppeared in the direction of Penzance from the car park whilst I headed for the Lands End point where I had ended my walk previously. I thought I would catch up with him later
It was a beautiful day which I was glad of, as this stretch of the coast path was going to be one of the most spectacular of the whole path. I had walked part of it before from Minack a few years previously.
There was a group of Cyclists getting prepared for what was no doubt a trip to John O'Groats, but my destination was Penzance, although I was staying at Marazion that night, so legs willing - I might do the extra few miles.
I could see alot of evidence of path erosion at Lands End - due to the popularity and mass tourism, but they had roped off alot of the old paths to allow them to recover. The seascape around Lands End is quite spectacular, if you can ignore the theme park touristy environment around you. There are a series of rocks and small islets and the sea is always in a turmoil. I left the Hotel complex and headed off from Dr Johnson's Head towards Nanjizal bay. The sea was a gorgeous colour and the views just got better and better as I headed in a southerly direction towards Gwennap Head from where I would get my first glimpse of my very final destination - the Lizard! - I would have turned the corner so to speak. For a few miles - I could look back and still see the lands End complex, but after Gwennap Head, it was finally out of view.
At Gwennap - there was a large Coastwatch Station - and I gave the coastguard a friendly wave. It must be a lonely job manning these stations - and many of them are just volunteers, but they do a vital job, not only looking out for ships in trouble - but also logging the likes of myself who might inadvertently go for a nosedive! The rock formations all along this part of the coast were very interesting, with lots of cave formations and strange shaped rocks.A little further on, I reached a small cove called Porthgwarra where there was a welcome shop. From there the path went up to a high level cliff before dropping down into the beautiful sandy Porthchapel beach. The sea looked quite inviting and it made me think that during all the miles I had walked, I had yet to stop and have a swim! I would be reminded of that later on in the day. From here it was a short hop to the famous Minack Theatre situated at a high vantage point just before Portcurno Beach. The path went right through the Car Park to this popular tourist destination. I had visited Minack before and it has an interesting history for what must be the most spectacular theatre destinations in the country. Built into the rocks within what was a natural amphitheatre, the Theatre was the brainchild of Miss Rowena Cade in the 1930's who helped build it initially for performances to friends and family. The backdrop to the stage is the sea and rocks with Logan Rock looming in the distance. If the weather is kind - it must make for a fantastic evening's entertainment - and there are professional performances all throughout the summer.
Porthcurno BeachFrom Minack - it was a very steep climb down to Porthcurno beach where the sea looked Mediterranean in colour. It is one of Cornwall's most beautiful coves and from here it was another 12 miles to Penzance . The path climbed steadily up to the cliff path. I made the diversion out to Logans Rock point from where you got a great view of the Minack Theatre across the bay.
It was at about this point, that I kept meeting running athletes head on. There was obviously some sort of race on, and on the narrow rocky path, it was sometimes difficult to dive out of the way. From then on, they just kept coming all day, men, women - all ages and when I eventually enquired what the race was - a sweaty lady told me that they were running from the Lizard to Lands End!! - just the 45 miles - they had started at 6:00am, the slackers. It is an endurance race that has been staged for the last 3 years apparently - and has raised quite alot of money for charity. I decided that there was no way that I could moan or complain about sore feet at the end of the day - in comparison to that lot of nutters.
A little further on, I reached the small fishing cove of Penberth, where there were several day ramblers having a rest. I headed on and a couple of miles further on, I was stopped by someone who very kindly pointed out that there were some basking sharks clearly visible off Boscawen point. When I reached it - I could see a small boat not far out to see full of people looking at something - but as I made my way closer to the cliff edge, I could clearly see the fins of several sharks swimming quite close to the shore. The cliffs here were tall and steep, so I had a great vantage point looking down on them and with my zoom lens - I could see them with their mouths agape filtering the plankton. they didn't seem as large as I thought - but it was difficult to tell from distance. So that was a first for me, but still no signs of dolphins on this walk! After taking about 50 photos most of which would be no good - I carried on. Someone else told me that there were some basking sharks more close to shore at Lamorna Cove. A little later, as I once again nearly fell into the undergrowth avoiding more runners, I met Sue Robinson. Enjoying the beautiful scenery, Sue, a beauty therapist, had travelled up from Dorset early that morning for a day out and was going to drive to Sennen Cove later on. We walked together for a bit and shared a Cream tea at Lamorna Cove before I headed off for the last stint of the day. Lamorna had a harbour and was previously a busy area for quarrying as you could see from the scarred cliffs. However, there was no sign of any more sharks.By now - time was going on, so I needed to get a move on. There were still plenty of endurance athletes struggling on. In fact I met one guy laid out by the side of the path under a bush struggling with cramp. I gave him a hand - but he admitted he didn't feel well! Having run 30 miles along a coast path on a hot day, it was hardly surprising. Unfortunately - he had the hardest part of the run still to go.
I was now not far from the tourist hotspot of Mousehole. Suddenly, I rounded a corner and there was the guy who had left the bus at Lands End ahead of me. I stopped and had a chat with him, a retired Geordie, he had been stopping and having a swim at various beaches, which is "what I do" he exclaimed. He was camping at Praa Sands, which was quite a few miles East of Penzance. Obviously quite a fit guy for his age - he admitted that he was ready to stop. I carried on - but then he caught up with me just outside Mousehole and we walked together for a while. By this time, my ankle was giving me quite a bit of jip - so my pace was pretty slow. Geordie boy stopped at Mousehole - he was going to buy a Guardian and have a sit down for awhile! I reckon he would catch the bus from there. Mousehole is a lovely old fishing harbour, mostly a tourist spot now with an interesting history.
Prononuced Mow-zell, it is named after a cave on St Clements isle at the mouth of the harbour where apparently, a hermit once lived. Long ago, Mousehole achieved fame when it was the landing place of the Knights of St John returning back from the Holy Land. From Mousehole - the path followed the road to Newlyn along a new cycle track at the back of the rocky beach.
St Michaels Mount across the other side of the Bay dominated the skyline - and I could see how far I was going to have to walk to Marazion around the edge of Penzance. Newlyn has Cornwall's largest fishing fleets and the massive harbour dominates the place. Apart from a few small shops and the pubs, there is little else to see. I popped back in to the Swordfish for a quick pint as I was passing. From Newlyn, it was a promenade walk all the wa
y to Penzance.On the train journey up from Exeter, I had listened to some girl students talking about the Mazey Day festival going on in Penzance that weekend. It is the equivalent of Carnival weekend - with colourful parades, street markets and general festivity. As I approached from Newlyn along the road - I could see lots of colourful flags and banners and by this time it was early evening, so people were streeming away from the centre as I came plodding through, having missed the party! There was a large fairground set up and one of the pubs had live music set up outside - so it was all pretty lively.
If I had wanted to catch a bus to Marazion, I would have been out of luck, so although I was struggling a bit - the path to Marazion was level all the way along St Michaels Way - a new waterfront cycle path. The track followed across the back of the long beach which stretched for 2 miles between the outskirts of Penzance and Marazion. St Michaels Mount got larger and larger as I hobbled along. Marazion is thought to be one of Cornwall's oldest settlements with a history of trading in tin - which was smelted on the offshore island of St Michaels Mount. A priory of Benedictine Monks was established on the island in the 11th Century but it eventually became a private residence and is now owned by the National Trust and of course is a big draw for visitors.
You can walk across to the Island along a causeway at low tide. I had visited previously, so gave it a miss this time. I was staying at Glenleigh, where I had been before. It was nearly 8:30pm by the time I arrived. Along the way, I had put my knee bandage on, and the lovely old lady who owned Glendale went into overdrive when she saw me - thinking that I had had some sort of accident - "Oh you poor dear" etc etc. Quick shower and then I made it over to The Fire Engine pub in time. Food was pretty bland and certainly not freshly prepared, but welcome all the same. 22 Miles walked today - one of my longest stints - and one of the most memorable.
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