Cornwall

From London it was a nice easy 5+ hours via train to Penzance which is located near the bottom of Cornwall, England. On the way I shared a table with a couple of London businessmen headed to Exeter to attend meetings for the day. One works in software. He recently left a government job after 19 years for the private sector. I made the comment that the change must have come with a nice pay raise. He laughed like he had just won the lottery.

It only took 2 hours to reach Exeter from London. After that I had the table to myself for the rest of the trip. I like a table as you get a better view without a seat right in front of you. Essentially you have a larger window. At Penzance I grabbed a few groceries and found the number 409 bus which would take me to the hamlet of Sanscreed where my friend Deb is taking care of a horse property for the week.

The bus was late but there was no problem meeting up with Deb. I asked to the dropped at the old church. From there Deb led me a short distance over a stone base stile with big gaps, across a planted field to another stile for a very short section of overgrown trail, then to a gravel drive. At the drive there is a stone house with attached guest house. Next to that is another stand alone guest house. In front of the home is a barn and small pasture for two horses.

Deb had sorted the stand alone guest house for me to stay in. It’s a one bedroom. The bedroom and bathroom is great but the living room is being used as a storage shed. There are cans of paint, tools, gas powered equipment, and rubber dingy, etc. She had all the windows open but it smelled like a garage with a boat. She only noticed a faint odor but for me it was the strong polyvinyl smell of a new looking dingy that bothered my nostrils the most. After a couple of evening beers I sniffed the place out again. It was still strong. I regrettably pleaded my case and was happy to sleep on the floor in the living room of the other guest house. I felt kind of bad because I know Deb put out effort to make a comfortable place for me to stay. The problem is I have always been sensitive to smells. Most of the time I just deal with it and don’t say anything but chemical smells bother me the most. Usually if I have an option out I’ll take it. For example, on more than one occasion I’ve asked for a different room in a hotel.

At the top of the property you can see the sea in the distance across open fields and moorland. When it’s beautiful and sunny, like now, it’s gorgeous. Otherwise, not so much. The days previous to my arrival had been pretty bleak with wind and a low gray cloudy mist. The skies began to clear with my arrival. Aside of some cold wind from the north, when I first got here, the days have been very nice with plenty of sun.

I arrived on the 20th. The next day was the Summer Solstice. Deb and I did a walk/hike to an ancient site where people lived up to around 200 A.D.,. From there we checked out an ancient well which is supposed to harbor some sort spiritual powers of healing or something. I assume it’s special for New Age types. A nearby tree had a lot of ribbons and stuff hanging on it like a shrine. From there it was a loop over a couple of moors that took us through farmers fields, public right of ways, overgrown trails, and country lanes.

Deb hadn’t expected her brother and sister in law to call. The weather forecast was stellar and they wanted to come up for the weekend. Deb suggested I take advantage of the weather and go for a walk along the coast for a couple of days. It made sense so I packed my pack.

I’ve already hiked the entire Southwest coast of England but one of the nicest sections runs along the Cornish coast. For day one I took a bus to St Just and walked to the coast where I picked up the path. I followed it down and around Land’s End past Portchurno to a campground near the village of Treen.

I pitched my tent for two nights with a view of the ocean to the south and a nice pub a short walk nouth. I camped next to a friendly couple with an impressive tent camp who were there for two weeks.

For day two I walked to the cliff edge just down from the campground. From there it’s nice hike down to an idyllic beach. The crux is when you get near the beach you have to down climb a rocky cliff section. It’s not difficult but requires attention. Due to the location with hike and climb the beach is not crowded and those who are there have the choice of wearing a swimsuit or not. I’d say it was about 50/50 with old guys you would really prefer to see wearing a suit not wearing one. I have no problem wearing swim trunks.

Seeing as how I was so into swimming in the Adriatic I figured I’ve have to give the English waters a go. In Croatia I could stay in for a good 30 minutes. In England? About 3 minutes if that. Anyway, I got in and out a couple of times and re-charged my sun tan.

After two nights it was time to hike further along the Coast Path to Newlyn. To be honest I didn’t sleep too well at the camp. I was comfortable in my tent and the place was nice and quiet but I have my warm weather sleeping bag which wasn’t cutting it for the middle of the night, next to the sea, in England. As I hiked to Newlyn the weather warmed up pretty good and the air was dry. My pace was good and solid but I wasn’t drinking enough water and I think the lack of sleep was having an affect. From Newlyn I turned off the coast to make my way back to Sanscreed. I got frustrated when I ran into overgrown public right of ways that would have kept me off a busy road. I then got a little irritable as I backtracked to walk along a busy road.

The one upside to walking on roads is that you can walk really fast. I made it to Sanscreed just fine but fatigued. Deb could see. She got me right again with a sandwich and large cup of tea. In the end it all worked out well. Aside of the cold nights I had an excellent walk along the coast and Deb got to spend some quality time with her family. It’s all good.

This morning I worked out a plan for the rest of my time in England. My only adventure today has been a quick bus ride into town to pick up some groceries. I’ve been happy to just hang out and not do much. I really enjoyed watching James Corden and Paul McCartney’s carpool Karaoke. Check it out on youtube if you haven’t. That’s the kind of stuff I’ve been doing today. Deb has been busy all day with a sick horse. She’s been working since 3 am. It’s 5:30 and she’s still going….. As with all trips this one has passed very fast. In a week I’ll be wrapping it up.