Window on the world

Back in 2019 we were strolling around the town of St Ives in Cornwall. It’s a stunning place to visit.

On holiday we usually take a day off our hikes and drift around taking photos in the streets of houses and shops. Cameras in hand it’s a chance to find things we wouldn’t normally see in the countryside or coastal paths.

The Teddy Bear was up at a top floor window. I loved it instantly.

Hi there bear

Later we did some window shopping though the photo below is Tim peering through a window into an art gallery.

Ooh what have they got….

Then cafe windows gave me the opportunity to do a reflective selfie looking out onto the harbour of St Ives.

Us with St Ives Harbour

We had fun that day.

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Window

St Michaels Way : Pilgrimage in Cornwall

May 2019 – just over a year ago…

After completing the South West Coast Path in 2018 we decided to return to Cornwall for a ‘holiday’ and revisit a few places we didn’t have time to really enjoy when we were on our 630 mile coast path challenge.

We began to prepare a to do list and, while we were doing this, I remembered a footpath sign we had seen a couple of years earlier near St Ives. At the time we wondered what it meant, recognising the scallop shell used as the route marker for the Camino de Santiago, but didn’t know what the link was between Cornwall and the popular pilgrim route in Spain.

It’s a sign

 

As it turns out St Michaels Way is an old trading route and pilgrim path used first by merchants and then pilgrims, often from Wales or Ireland, on their way to Spain.  They would have landed their boats on the north coast of Cornwall and trekked overland to avoid the treacherous seas around Lands End.  Pilgrims would have headed to St Micahels Mount before sailing away to Spain.  Their destination was the tomb of St James at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compestela.

This route is the English route, the Camino Ingles, and is the UKs only European Cultural Route.

We decided to split the 13.5 mile route into three circular sections to enjoy the surroundings and area of central Cornwall.  Having walked all the way around the edge of this amazing county we felt we really should see a bit of the middle!  I will describe the three days we spent walking as if we were walking it in one day.

 

Officially the route starts at St Uny Church, Leylant and then follows he coastline.  It is here, inside the church, that we found guide books and passports which had spaces for inked stamps to be made at six locations along the way.

Stamping my passport at St Uny Church

Tim also stamping passport at St Uny Church

The guide, at £4 would prove to be really helpful as it described the route and included lots of interesting historical facts.

St Uny Church

Stain glass window inside St Uny

Clutching our new documents we had a quick look around the church and set off out of the church grounds.  Whether you are religious or not it’s worth having a look around and inside churches – the stain glass windows are often incredible.

After taking a quick look at the estuary we joined the south west coast path with the railway on one side and the sea on the other.  We made our way to Carbis Bay – having occasional glimpses of St Ives in the distance.

At this point we turned inland, uphill and away from the south west coast path.  Crossing a main road, onto a minor road then footpaths to Knills Monument which is within Steeple woods nature reserve.  The monument is a huge pyramid, we stopped here to admire the view.

 

Knills Monument

View back to our starting point

Following the way markers to another minor road and back onto paths and crossing fields there are several stiles to cross that are very typically made of large granite stones, usually with a gap or two between them to stop livestock from getting through.

The lush hedgerows were full of spring flowers.

We came to a very hidden tree lined track, then the end of a gravel driveway with two or three houses and found the second inked stamp in a box just outside a cottage near Bowl Rock.

Checking the guide for further instructions

Bowl Rock itself was less than a minute away.  It is a huge granite rock which was a Giants bowling ball – according to legend!

From Bowl Rock we made our way up to Tremcrom Hill, bravely walking through a herd of mixed cattle.  Why are they always standing right next to the entrance or exit of fields!?

At Tremcrom Hill we met a friendly Dutch couple walking in the opposite direction. They had walked from Newlyn (near Penzance), which was quite a walk in itself, and wanted to end up at St Ives and return by bus.  ‘Did we know about buses from there?’  We were sorry but we didn’t.  ‘Oh well not to worry’.  They seemed very relaxed about their journey, we said our goodbyes, and off they went.  We worried about a possible lack of bus and the time it would take them to get to St Ives. Oh well, not to worry!

Our route continued to Ninnes Bridge, then crossed several large fields, passing a large farm and downhill to the Red River. We crossed at a beautiful spot where there was a ford and a small bridge.  It was quite serene.

Following a very quiet small lane then more fields we had our first sighting of St Michaels Mount.  We continued to Ludgvan Church where we put the third stamp into our passport.

Ludgvan Church

Adding another stamp at Ludgvan Church

At Ludgvan Church there are two routes shown on the map to St Michaels Mount. We followed the route to the village of Gulval and returned to the village via the Marsh Route – as a circular walk.

At Gulval village we stopped and admired the 12th century church but the ink stamp for our passport was just up the road inside the village pub (Coldstream Inn) which was closed!  Not wanting to wait until 11:00am we carried on.  Apparently in old pilgrim times this would have been a great meeting place before the last leg to St Michaels Mount.  The village I mean not the pub – but hey who knows, perhaps there was a local watering hole back then.

These days the final leg to St Michaels Mount means crossing a busy main road and the mainline railway line which runs to and from Penzance. This can spoil the whole pilgrimage feel but we didn’t worry too much.  Joining the south west coast path on the promenade we turned left and headed to Marazion and the busy crossing points to St Michaels Mount.

It was high tide and we couldn’t cross via the causeway we needed a boat to get across.  But before that we went into the church at Marazion to stamp our passport.

If you’ve never been to St Michaels Mount you need to go.  This was our second visit.  Travelling by boat one way and walking back across the causeway is best I feel.

Boats at St Michaels Mount harbour

Boats race back & forth to the Mount and we laughed and smiled as we bounced our way over slightly choppy waters into the calm harbour.  Once over we headed straight to a small building called the Change House to get our passport stamped.

Passport just stamped at St Michaels Mount

Outside the Change House on St Michaels Mount – just where the causeway comes across.

Ancient pilgrims certainly wouldn’t have been thinking about having an ice cream at this point of their journey but that was our plan once back on the mainland.  We returned to Marazion.

Off to get ice cream at Marazion

After that we took the ‘alternative’ Marsh path back to Ludgvan which is where it split.  Pilgrims may have avoided this route because it crosses marsh – today we can enjoy boardwalks through a tiny nature reserve.

Almost there. Crossing the boardwalk over the marsh

After this we crossed the Penzance railway line again and skirted around a few fields.  Crossing level crossings or similar crossings always brings out the joker in both of us.  Do not try this at home!  We are not always good role models….

oh no my foot is struck!

Before long we were at Ludgvan.  By car we travelled to Gulval, to the Coldstream Arms (now open) and placed our final stamps into our passports. Now they were complete.

Completed St Michaels Way

This was our first pilgrimage.  It was great fun, the sunshine made it perfect and we felt blessed!

 

I include a link below to a weekend challenge set by GC and Sue – I hope this post meets the challenge of coming or going though perhaps, for me, it’s more ‘keep going’.

Weekend Challenge – Coming or Going

 

 

Word Prompt : Smiles (being a bit silly)

When we are on holiday or even at the weekend we usually try and enjoy ourselves, go to nice places, relax, get some fresh air, eat a picnic, have a coffee and walk.

Sometimes we are just plain silly.

 

Photo Challenge Give us a Smile

The Minack Theatre : Wow, what a view

At a place called Porthcurno in Cornwall, high on the cliffs above the Atlantic Ocean is a unique open air theatre called The Minack Theatre. Almost entirely built by a lady called Rowena Cade, it has grown and grown since the 1930s and every summer season thousands of people a year see a show or just go along and visit the site. We had no idea quite how magnificent this place would be.

While tackling this section of the south west coast path in 2016 we passed this very spot but didn’t go in, we just descended steeply to Porthcurno Beach. We promised ourselves that we would return when we were in a more leisurely holiday mode with no buses to catch or miles to cover.  This was exactly what we did last week while on holiday.

Our plan for the day was initially to just sit and take photos at a small cove called Porthgwarra, a tiny secluded place just two miles away from Porthcurno.

It’s a perilous, single track, car journey from the ‘main road’ down to Porthgwarra. I’m not brave enough to drive those tiny lanes – Tim is much more confident. We arrived safely (very early), parked the car, watched some sea kayakers set off then thought who else have we got to watch? Possibly no one. So we set off for Porthcurno.

The coastline is spectacular here by the way. The whole stretch from Lands End along the south coastline of Cornwall is amazing. A couple of headlands later we reached the Minack car park and the entrance to the site. Our entrance fee was £5 each and well worth it.

View from near the top

The staggering view blew our minds once we passed through the visitors centre but it was the gardens that we headed to first. We sat amongst the tropical plants which surround the theatre at the back and sides and began to take it all in.

Then we looked down over the top railing to the seating, the stage and the sea.

Many people seemed to have trouble with the steep steps – young and old alike.  It makes me worry for the future. Our walks in the hills and mountains has helped our ageing legs and very soon we were like goats leaping up and down and across where we could.

Lunchtime. Sat in possibly the best seats in the house, we had our picnic and watched people. It was a great spot – like a box in a ‘real’ theatre. We could see the stage and the rest of the seating as we tucked into our cheese sandwiches and topped up our sunscreen. There wasn’t a show on so people were taking lots of photos all over. One popular spot to take your shots was below an archway on the stage. You can just see a couple in the photo below.

We yawned and stared and chatted about the people around us…you know how that happens. Some people just catch your attention. The person in the multi-coloured jumper, the family arguements, the elderly person who looks lost, the people who just look so glum, the young woman doing a handstand near the stage (yes, that really did happen).

Then we decided to move from our lofty viewing area and went ‘on stage’. And people were probably watching us. I wonder what they thought….if anything. Thankfully it was quite quiet – although they quickly closed off the section that Tim had stood on (see Tim on stage below). We laughed about that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enough fooling about we were back watching the beach visitors from a very lofty perch while having a nice cup of tea. What a view.

This post is linked to the Weekly Prompts photo challenge

Photo Challenge People

 

WordPress Challenge : I’d rather be…

I’d Rather Be…

Outdoors, naturally.

Eating, drinking, walking or even just lying back …..just being outdoors everyday, enjoying the view and of course taking photographs.

 

Grisedale Pike summit, The Lake District

Boscastle, Cornwall

Oh and eating ice cream…..

 

Padstow to Clovelly (Part 2) – Walking the South West Coastal Path

September is always special – the last days of summer.  It’s special for us as Tim celebrates his birthday mid-way through the month and we time our holidays around it – always keeping our fingers crossed for good weather for the actual day.

So here we were on this particular day pulling on our walking boots and packing our sandwich lunch into our backpacks once again for another trek. 

This post describes a section of the South West Coastal Path from our trip down to the West Country a few months ago.  If you’d like to read Part One click the link just below these words …

https://itslovelyout.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/padstow-to-clovelly-part-1-walking-the-south-west-coastal-path/

Tuesday 19th September 2017 : Polzeath to Port Isaac (Cornwall), 9 miles

We got on the early morning bus at Port Isaac with four others and (almost as if we were all on the same trip) all got off next to the car park at Polzeath. The car park being right on the beach at Polzeath.

Polzeath is a popular surfing resort with several small surfing schools, a few shops and cafes.  There were lots of people walking about in wet suits either coming from or going to the surf.  I suppose parking on the sand makes it all nice and close for surfers and other beach visitors but we didn’t fancy the idea of parking our car on the actual sand….not all day anyway.

There is a big broad open expanse of beach here.

Polzeath Beach at high tide.

Following the coastal path we soon left the town behind and headed to Pentire Point.   Along the way a colourful crowd of older (senior) walkers were coming towards us and we met them at a kissing gate.  Kissing gates usually only allow one person at a time through it and, as long as they are made properly, don’t allow animals to cross from one field to another.

So, because it was ‘one at a time’ we exchanged greetings, smiles, hellos and good mornings.  They had American accents and tagged with labels which included the curious words ‘Road Scholar’.  A quick Google search and I found this to be a walking holiday organisation.  It must be a requirement to wear the label which saves anyone getting lost I suppose!

Passing a big crowd of American walkers

A look back (into the sun) to Polzeath shows the whole bay.  It’s a wide bay.

Ahead of us now and out of sight from Polzeath was a impressive area with a less impressive name ‘The Rumps’.

Sideways on the bit of land that sticks out actually looks like the back of a slumbering dragon or dinosaur.  Can you see what I mean?

The Rumps

We got closer and rounded the headland. Paths could take you out onto the back of the ‘dinosaur’, as several people were doing, but we had to save that for another day/another holiday.

It was good to see so many people on the path and out and about today on foot but some had chosen to do their sight seeing by boat.  With such calm waters it was the perfect day for it.  It reminded me of boat trips we’ve had around the Spanish islands of Ibiza and Majorca.

Cruising around the coast in perfect conditions

We stopped for a quick snack and admired the view ourselves.

Further along we found that we had lost the crowds.  Looking at the map we could see that most people were doing a small circular walk from/to Polzeath – that explains it….

Next stop lunch, Lundy Beach.

Lundy Beach just in view

Before we stopped for lunch we passed Lundy Hole – a collapsed sea cave. Quite a sight but what was that buzzing sound?  Hedge trimming?  As we looked into Lundy Hole itself we could see a drone. We love drones so we gave it a friendly wave as its blinking red eye turned to ‘look’ at us.  The pilot obviously didn’t like what he/she saw as it flew away, super quick!  How rude!

Lundy Hole minus the drone

Around the corner we found more walkers all lounging about enjoying their picnic lunches in the sun. The tide was in and it was a bit of a scramble to get down to the sand so we found an elevated spot just next to the path and did some lounging about ourselves.

Our lunchtime view

We could have lingered here for the rest of the afternoon watching the strollers out for a picnic and those out for a swim (mad fools), but we had a few more miles to go.  So, we circled the bay, and the next smaller bay, and up onto a fairly level path heading towards Port Quin.

Along the way we passed a folly at Doyden Point which I thought was a castle. You could forgive me as it’s actually called Doyden Castle. I love a castle so it was a bit disappointing to see that firstly it wasn’t and secondly the national trust use it as a holiday home….good grief.  I didn’t bother photographing it.

We didn’t know what to expect at Port Quin.  We were hoping for a small bay with a scattering of houses and a cup of tea.  We got all three.

Approaching Port Quin

 

The ‘tea lady’ was quietly sat reading a book in the sun so we took a photo of her cafe (the Citroen van) before ordering our drinks.  Fionas cafe was parked at the back of the national trust car park – we almost missed it.

The cafe at Port Quin

We felt a bit awkward disturbing her from her reading but we really wanted our afternoon tea.  While making our drinks she told us the van was up for sale then promptly gave us the wrong change (five pounds too little change) Something was clearly on her mind.

We sat down with our drinks.  Then, rather oddly, the lady went around the van with a can of something and proceeded to spray underneath it. Tim, sat in full view this, sat with mouth open and a puzzled look. I took a sneaky ‘half selfie’ so that I could see what was going on.  Weird.

What on earth is going on? Very odd behaviour….

Anyway, drinks drunk we continued on our way, passing a few national trust properties all done up for holiday rentals.  Not a bad spot so spend a week or two – and you can make your own tea whenever you like!

Our next section of walk came as a bit of a surprise.  A narrow path up and away from Port Quin reached a turning point which we couldn’t see at first.  After hugging the cliff top we turned slightly inland where the way ahead twisted and turned and, with the ups and downs, it was impossible to pick up the pace. We passed a few couples coming the other way – all hot and shiny faced.

Then we had quite a steep climb up a stone stairway with a metal rail on one side.  The metal rail was the only thing between the path and a long  fall from the cliff face into the sea!  The photo I took really doesn’t do it justice.

Tim and the metal rail

From the top it we could almost see Port Isaac.  A level section then we said hello to this impressive beast.  Looked like he was wearing a mask and posed nicely for a photograph.

Cattle – always curious. We admired this one more than most.

So, we thought our ups  and downs had finished for the day but oh no.  Look at those steps.

Just a few more steps….

Then at last – Port Isaac.

The TV programme Doc Martin (Doc Martin played  by Martin Clunes) has just finished filming series eight, all on location in and around Port Isaac.  It’s all about the life of a grumpy, abrasive and rude General Practitoner who somehow manages to be well respected by the villagers.  Tim and I have watched at least the first four series so we were quite keen to see the place in the flesh so to speak.

We had no idea how popular this programme was until we made our way down from the position I took the above photo to ‘Doc Martins Surgery/House’.  Crowds of people with cameras from all over the world come along to check it out.

We couldn’t resist doing the same – an Australian lady kindly took our photo.   Apparently this was her second visit !!

Outside Doc Martins house like propert tourists!

And so we finished our walk for the day.  Strolling amongst the crowds.  Unable to get into the pub we stopped for an ice cream before taking the steep slope up out of the village and back to the car.

A cracking walk.

To Hells Mouth and beyond

Hells Mouth. We found it to be an amazing spot.

From Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset there is a marked trail called the South West Coastal Path which, at 630 miles in length (1014 km), is the longest waymarked trail in England. If you take all the ascents it’s about four times the height of Mount Everest – it’s a biggie.

Here is the whole thing – it’s the green line on the map.

As much as we like a challenge Tim and I prefer to do this sort of thing in bite size chunks, in one or two week holidays, enjoying a slightly slower pace than some, taking thousands of photos and hours of film and having some recovery time in-between.

Just last week we were back in Cornwall, on our third trip to this lovely county, making our way along several more sections of the South West Coastal Path. This is when we ‘found’ Hells Mouth.

It’s 3 miles west of Portreath and is accessible to everyone as a coastal road runs very close to path. In fact, and this was a complete surprise to us, there’s a Hells Mouth cafe with plenty of parking just a stones throw from the edge of cliff and the view. Thoroughly recommend a visit – all freshly done up by the look of it. We only had tea & coffee but several people were in for lunch.

We couldn’t resist a mirrored selfie.

At this point we were three miles into our 11.5 mile walk.

If you’re lucky enough to be at a wonderful spot like this and the sun comes out it really does make all the difference. The sea turns an inviting colour of blue/ green making you think of exotic far flung places. We were lucky – it did.

Hells Mouth

The rest of our walk took us high up and along to Mutton Cove with basking seals way down below, Godrevy Point and its white lighthouse and then through the never ending maze of dunes of Gwithian with views out to St Ives Bay. Thankfully there were stone markers that we could follow through the dunes – otherwise this would not have been easy.

Mutton Cove

The end was in sight when we turned southwards, the path following the estuary towards the harbour and town of Hayle. We tipped sand from our boots, gulped down any water we had left and fell into our car.

Me – following the stone markers

Completing this meant that we could put aside the first of our Ordnance Survey maps covering the South West Coastal Path – only another 15 to go!