Advertisement
Published: August 28th 2006
Edit Blog Post
On the Beach in front of St. Michaels Mound
Here is Felicia standing in front of St. Michaels Mound. Its low tide and we could walk across quite safely. However at hide tide the area where she would be standing would be 10ft under water. Well Felicia and I are really into the road trip now and let me tell all of you back in the USA (and even RSA), be so extremely grateful. Gas over here is a mere $7.20 a gallon and it cost us an over 40 pounds to fill our gas tank (approx. 40 liter tank = approx.10 gallon tank). And this little Fiat Punto, with its littlw 1.2 liter engine, as all the power of a ladies wristwatch. With my road trip later in my vacation, air travel really does not look all that bad right now (or the train).
Other than experiencing severe sticker shock at the gas prices we arrived in the very south west of England in the very pleasant little seaside town of Penzance. This town is famous for its pirate and smugglers heritage. And let me not forget the astounding St. Michaels Mound located just down the way in the town of Marazion. We stayed at the Camilla House, a little bed and breakfast that is simply the best B& B that I have ever stayed at. If you are ever in the area, you can absolutely not go wrong staying there, Sue and Simon
The Causeway across the beach
A picture of the causeway connecting the Mound and Marazion. At high tide a water taxi will transport passengers between the small harbor at the island and the beach the owner definitely went the extra yard to ensure we had a fantastic stay in the area. Its best to book well in advance and also is them on trip advisor (www.tripadvisor.com) which I use for all of my travel research on the web.
Well I am going to summaries our three days in Penzance as best I can. The town as I asked was a laid back little fishing village at the end of the world. The first morning we decided to take the walk to St. Michaels Mound in Marazion about 2 miles away. What was suppose to be a 1 hour stroll up the beach, turned into a 3 hour hike that include stopping several times to purchase various clothing items. Now, St Michaels Mound is only accessible during low tide, as it is an island connected to the mainland by a stone cause way. So 2 hours each side of low tide you can take a lovely stroll to the Mound. The island in the sea, stooped in mystery, makes for an imposing spectacle as you approach from the beach. We spent a couple of hours exploring the island and enjoying the views of the
The quaint town of Mousehole
This area of cornwall is simply litter with incredible little seaside villages like this one. With all the boats high and dry at low tide, you can see the difference between the two tides. surrounding countryside from the castle walls. It was then off to the Yacht Inn, opposite the Jubilee pool to enjoy a pint of the local cider and meet a few of the very entertaining locals.
On the second day, we headed out on a drive round the western peninsula. This drive along the coast is an absolute must for anyone that makes it this far west. We were lucky to get some great advice from both the locals at the Yacht Inn and Simon. The road trip took up through Newlyn and then along the coast road to Mousehole (at must stop little town) and then on to Lamora Cove. This is very difficult to find as the sign is well hidden. If you get to the Merry Stones, you have gone to far, its about a mile back. Oh yes, if you are into more large rocks put in a circle, you will enjoy the merry stones. It was then onto Porthcuno and the Minack Theatre. Its best to park at Porthcuno beach parking and then walk along the cliff to the Minack Theater. Off in the distance to the east you will also we another cove which
Bath Center and the River Avon
A great picture of the River Avon as it flows through the ancient town of Bath. Bath is a great little town but we did not spend enough time there. Did go to the baths, a must. name escapes me, also accessible with a walk along the cliffs. Lastly as the rain began to fall we headed to Sennen Cove. It best to bypass Lands End totally, its an absolute waste off time. You can acess Land End from Sennen Cove with a short walk. Make sure that when you drive into Sennen Cove drive all the way to the car park in the back. Then is a short hike along some very impressive cliff to Lands End. The views are the best we have seen so far. This is also best to be done at sunset with the sun setting in the west. We head back to Penzance along the A30 for a short siesta before heading out to dinner in the very festive town of St. Ives. Now this little town has a very festive atmosphere with a great harbor area that is surround by little shop, restaurants and pubs. Felicia and I had a great time watching the locals over a bottle of wine at a very hip little spot called the HUB. This offers great views of the harbor from the upstairslounge, even if the service is absolutely terrible.
Well on the third day it was back on the road to the ancient roman town of Bath. Honestly, there is not much to report and will end this blog for now, as I am off to enjoy a dinner at an incredible little hotel in the Lake District. I will update you all soon in a couple of days,
Cheers from Penzance and Bath, England.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.055s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 11; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0271s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.1mb