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Published: July 26th 2023
Porthcurno
Inviting little beachWhenever you travel in the third world, it can take a very long time to cover only a short distance. I shouldn’t have been surprised how long it took to get from Bath to Penzance. The train strike didn’t help my cause. There were no trains at all in Cornwall on the day I needed them. The man at the train station gave me a ticket to Plymouth and wished me luck.
Everyone was very helpful. The lady at the Plymouth bus station said that all of the tickets to Penzance had been sold and came up with a convoluted arrangement of local buses that might work. I ate a Cornish Pastie in the rain and took stock of the situation. At the local bus stop I met Emile, the solo Dutch holiday maker, with a similar plan to mine. We both needed to get to the same place on the day of the strike.
Along the way we became buddies with Joe, the softly spoken local who needed to get to Truro. He had it all worked out for us. Bus 11 to Bodmin, 89 to Truro then the T1 to Penzance. It all seemed feasible in Joe’s
head and Emile and I put our trust in him. The only problem was that one of the buses just didn’t come and we were stuck in the rain thinking of plan E, F or what ever I was up to by then.
Cab time! Enter Nigel the talkative cabbie. We never ran out of conversation on our way to Truro, even in the traffic Jam that meant we were going to miss our connection. Joe came up with more options to catch up to the T1, but even his wealth of local knowledge couldn’t overcome the road works on the A30. Fortunately, there was another T1 bus and Emile and I made it to Penzance before the end of the day.
From Penzance I took yet another local bus to St. Ives where I found my digs for the night. The next day was much better. Sun shone on my back (well some of the time) and I started my three-day hike along the South West Coast Path. The scenery is very good. There are really nice beaches, with sand even, and in places I saw surfers enjoying the swells.
In Cornwall there are many references
to the Tinners. That is their name for themselves, and it comes from the many tin mines visible from the Coast Path. The relics remain, including many marked (and some unmarked) shafts that you don’t want to fall down. On one of the buses, I also noticed a young family speaking in Cornish. Some signs are written in English and Cornish and I’m told it has something in common with Welsh.
I set off in the direction of Zennor then Morvah. I think that the people who named these places were early science fiction writers, and the creators of Star Trek took inspiration from the map of Cornwall in naming some planets. Zennor is famed as the home of Moomaid Ice cream. I told the attendant at the store how far I had come to try his ice cream and he clearly felt the pressure, offering me as many tastings as I needed before selecting Belgian Chocolate and Strawberry Clotted Cream. The storekeeper’s fear was misplaced. I was more than satisfied. (Thanks for the tip, Niki)
Each day of hiking turned out to be a little longer than I had expected, and my feet are suffering for the
Moomaid Icecream
Zennor is the home of Moomaid but you can buy it in shops in other towns. experience. However, I’m glad to have seen this part of the world in such detail and there was a great sense of achievement at the end of each day when I went to a local pub for a pint and a meal.
At Land End there is a signpost saying how far it is to the other end of the little island I have come to visit. People pay money to line up and have their photo taken under the sign. The whole set up looks like a rort and I was glad to pass through quickly and get back to the path that I shared with other hikers, some runners and dog walkers. Not sure how far people walk their dogs on this path, but there seems to be no rule against it or taking your dog into a pub!
Porthcurno is an interesting little place. It was once the communication hub for the trans-Atlantic sea cable. It has an ancient Greek style outdoor theatre, which I wasn’t allowed in to see. A performance was about to take place. Porthcurno first rose to prominence, centuries ago due to the Logan Rock perched on a nearby clifftop. In
Old ruins
Don't know how old. some language, but not Cornish, logan means rocking. The rock was balanced, by fluke of nature, in such a way that you could easily rock it about a pivot point. Yet you couldn’t push it off its resting place. Along came Lieutenant Goldsmith with ten of his crew to prove that there was nothing that his majesty’s navy couldn’t move. They levered the rock off and caused a ruckus amongst the locals who demanded he put it back or lose his commission. He ended up putting it back and the receipt for the 130 pounds spent in doing so can be found above the bar of the Logan Rock Inn. And this all happened in 1924, 199 years ago. One can only speculate what celebrations will be in store for the Porthcurnians next year!
After Porthcurno I found a sudden change in the vegetation. A plant particular to this area, that shall henceforth be known as the nasty stinging prickle bush, started attacking me from both sides of the path. The nasty stinging prickle bush has a mind of its own and envelops its prey in a tangle of venomous prickles. I could have put long pants and sleeves
Another nice beach
They always look nicer in the sun on, but it was so hot, reaching 18 degrees by the middle of the day. So, I didn’t.
I guess the extreme heat was the reason for so many poms taking a dip at these lovely little sandy beaches. I tried it once, wearing my thermal rashie, which I bought especially for this trip, but came out shivering. Next time I go in the sea will be in Croatia and I won’t need any thermal insulation!
Cornwall is a bit different from the rest of England. They have lots more Cornish Pasties than other parts and they taste good, making a nice lunch to eat whilst walking. They drink different beer; St. Austell is most common. Menus focus on local produce; seafood from a nearby port or beef from a Cornish heard.
My last day was spent in and near Penzance. I was interested in St. Michael’s Mount and the overcast and drizzling conditions didn’t put me off. This is an island that is connected to the mainland by a causeway. But only at low tide can you walk along the causeway. On the island is a castle where thirty people live including Lord and Lady something
Portheras Cove
I took my shoes off and walked in the water to sooth my tired feet. 35 km on day one! or other and the 28 other people essential for keeping them in the fashion which have become accustomed. There were old cannons, swords and armour on display, there are lots of portraits of previous Lord’s and Lady’s thingamibobs, and pictures of when Prince Charles and the Queen popped in for a visit. I asked, and Lord and Lady whatsit weren’t invited to the coronation, so I guess they aren’t that close with his majesty!
So that’s the end of my Cornwall stint. Tomorrow I’m off to London to meet Mum again!
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