Miles: today’s 9.7 cumulative 117.6

The summer solstice. A glorious sunny day. Last night I stayed at The Seiner’s Arms, which overlooks the beach, a good view from breakfast!

I crossed the river and noticed a pierced rock at the side of the beach

I set off along the beach, a number of jellyfish had been washed up and were providing breakfast for the sand flies. I don’t know why, I am scared of jellyfish, even though I have never been stung.

There is an aptly named Chapel rock at the entrance to the bay, although I am unaware whether anyone has preached from there.

I set off across the beach, accompanied by dog walkers, but the tide was in too far so I had to deviate over a cliff before returning to the beach. This part of the beach was deserted apart from a man drawing a (poor) picture of a girl in the sand with a heart above it. Ah! Young love or unrequited love?

At the end of the beach the path climbs up to the cliff top. I could still see St Ives behind and lovely views ahead as far as Trevose Head, where I shall leave the coast path on Sunday morning. Walking was easy.

There was a drop into Holywell where I had coffee. The path returned to the cliff top and passed an old army base. There is a curious array on the cliff top which I assume is a militaary radio transmitter as there is a sign warning of non-ionising radiation.

The path passes round Porth (or polly) Joke. This is a beautiful deep cove well worth a visit. The name is a corruption of the Cornish Pol-Lejouack meaning Jackdaw’s cove.

The coast path continues around Pentire Point West but I was intrigued by the colours in the fields up on the hill so I left the official path. (Remember, my rules; I am allowed to walk where I choose) . They turned out to be fields owned by the National Trust where no pesticides are used and wild flowers are allowed to flourish and self seed. The majority of flowers are poppies and corn marigolds

I descended to Fistral beach. It was only 2pm so it was time for beer, pizza and a sit on the beach. 2 long days ahead.

Miles: Today 12.4 cumulative 107.9

Two milestone today. 100 miles and the first map walked. It doesn’t look very far on a map of mainland UK.

Another nice day steeply uphill from the off. There are two lookouts at the entrance to the harbour, the lower one called dead man’s house as it was used as a temporary mortuary for bodies washed up on the shore.The cliff is unsafe so the route starts up a quiet road before turning back to the cliff top. Good views back towards St Ives Bay.

The path passes a disused airfield which has a golf ball so large a crane has to lift it

The airfield was used by both the RAF and American Air Force during World War Two. A little further on there are some arable fields demonstrating that seagulls don’t just follow trawlers (Eric Cantona)

The path was strenuous with several steep ups and downs. This is a typical feature of the cliff path

There are several sandy bays where the waves are good for surfers. Great views to be had both back along the route as well as ahead. After another Bay the path rises to St Agnes head. There are often seals here but they were hiding today. About a mile off shore are the Bawden rocks, also known as Man and his man, these are an important breeding site for sea birds

This stretch of cliffs was another important tin mining area and the cliffs are disfigured by spoil heaps in several places. As you wind around the heaps it feels like you are on a different planet.

At Cligga Head there is some dramatic rock scenery as different coloured strata are seen in the cliff face

The path descends to Perranporth will fine views of Perran sands and the dunes behind, the start of tomorrow’s walk.

Perranporth is named after St Piran who came across from Ireland in the 6th century and is credited with introducing Christianity to the County. He is also the patron saint of tin miners. The Cornish national flag (white cross on black background ) is St Piran’s flag. At the entrance to Perranporth there is the millennium sundial, set to Cornish time which is about 20 minutes behind GMT.

Until the 19th Century there was no National time standard. With the advent of the railways, it became important to have a uniform time across the country so that train routes could be planned and timetables published. Greenwich Mean Time, the time at the Greenwich meridian, was set as the UK standard. There is still a clock in Bristol that has two minute hands, one set to GMT the other to local Bristol time.

I came upon a shop selling unusual ice cream

I wasn’t keen on the chicken liver ice cream but I now have a glossy coat and a waggy tail.

Miles: today 18 cumulative 95.5

I needed the rest day yesterday! Today was long. The rain had stopped by the time I woke up and by 9 the sun was coming out. I set off through St Ives, alongside Carbis Bay. The path passes between houses and the sea and I couldn’t see the contour lines on the map. I got a shock how up and down it was.

Carbis Bay is on the Hayle estuary and, although it was low tide, I didn’t fancy trying to wade across the river. The path takes about a three mile detour along the estuary. Nice views to Porth Kidney sands and back to St Ives.

As I approached the church of St. Uny in Lelant I met a man walking the pilgrims route from the church to St Michaels Mount, the St Michael’s way. The path is one of a number of pilgrim routes across Europe that converge on St James’ cathedral in Santiago de Compostella in Galicia. Pilgrims from Ireland used to land here and walk across Cornwall before catching another boat because the waters around Lands End were considered too dangerous to sail.

I can’t tell you much about Lelant saltings except it used to be a port until the harbour silted up and the author Rosamunde Pilcher was born here. When you cross the estuary there is an area that looks like it has been dug out into linear trenches but I do not know why, possibly to harvest sea salt??

The path then crosses the Hayle and makes its way back to the coast. It then passes through dunes called the Towans, derived from a corruption of the Cornish for dunes. I followed the dunes for a short while and then descended to the beach. This was a beautiful walk around St Ives Bay, although some prefer to see it from the sky

The first picture is a view of Godrevy Towans and Godrevy Island, the second a view back along the beach.

The path then takes to the cliffs again. Very easy walking with no steep ascents for most of the day. The nice thing about the path is there are always opportunities for a healthy lunch

That’s 2 of my 5 a day: white chocolate and raspberry. Why am I not getting thinner??

This is the lighthouse on Godrevy island

Easy walking along the cliff path with fine views back towards St Ives Bay and forward towards Portreath.As you can see, nice and flat.There has been an abundance of lovely flowers throughout the walk. Examples:

All flat paths come to an end and after an easy stroll there were two sharp descents and ascents.

The path then crosses the cliff above Ralph’s cupboard. This is a collapsed sea cave.

There is a legend that this was the home of the giant Wrath of Portreath. He would throw rocks at passing ships to wreck them. He would then eat the crew and steal their treasure. He wasn’t at home today. Other stories say it was used by (human) smugglers as a hideaway and to store their loot.

I feel bad I criticised the SW coast path signage a few days ago. Since then it has been perfect. I have got lazy navigating, I just need to keep the sea on my left. On many of the signs there is a grid reference so you can always work out where you are.

Also, where the path is overgrown somebody has cleared it with a strimmer. In some places the cliff has collapsed or is unstable and there is a clearly marked diversion.

Finally I turned the corner and arrived at Portreath

This is very important. If you get the order wrong you will be deported back over the Tamar bridge to Devon where they do it differently.

First divide your scone, which should be fresh and ideally warm

Then spread the jam

And finally the cream (clotted, of course)

If you care about your waistline it is ok not to finish the cream

Or you could invite a friend

Of course, you get a bigger pot of cream

Miles Walked: today 6.8 cumulative 77.5

A short day today. Before I left Zennor I looked round the church and saw the mermaid chair.

The chair is said to be 400 years old. Legend has it that there was a boy who had an exquisite voice and sang in the church choir. People came from far and wide to hear him sing. A mermaid used to sit on the shore and listen to the singing. One day she came into the church and led the boy down to the sea and neither were ever seen again.

The above story is printed in the church. However, on the internet it suggests that the mermaid enticed the boy away by the sound of her voice.

As I have already said, there is no “fixed” route for lejog. I left the coast path and headed away from Zennor down the B3306 for about half a mile with nice views back to the village

I then headed south on to the Downs to visit Zennor quoit.

Quoits are megalithic burial chambers consisting of several upright stones supporting a large capstone. As you can see the roof has collapsed after one of the supporting stones was dislodged. The 3 standing stones you can see in the foreground are the remains of a cow shed from the nineteenth century. It is said the local vicar had to stop the farmer from completing the building with stones from the quoit.

I returned to the road and after a further half mile turned down a lane to pass through an old mill and back to the coast path. There were a large number of day walkers from St Ives. A few seals were lazing on rocks on the shore.

After a gentle walk I arrived in St Ives for lunch

A day off to follow. I spent it wandering round the Tate gallery (highly recommended). I planned to spend the rest of the day on the beach. However a wet day so I have had a lazy afternoon. Back on the coast path tomorrow.

Miles walked: today 12.7 cumulative 70.7

This was the hardest days walking so far. Although shorter in distance, the path was much more rugged with steep ascents and descents, total ascent 1800 feet.

The breakfast room was busy as there was a tournament on with a shotgun start ( all the golfers start at the same time, split between the 18 holes). I wandered across the course, down to the Cape and starting back on the coast path. I now entered the Tin Coast which is a World Heritage Site.

the last picture shows a mine shaft, many are still open shafts, the ones on the footpath have walls round them to stop day dreaming walkers falling in!

I stopped to look at the Levant mine, owned by the National Trust where there is a working beam engine.

I mentioned that tin mine shafts tend to be vertical; based on the web site cornwall-calling.co.uk. However, at Levant horizontal levels were dug out from the vertical shaft and extended out under the sea. Lots of info is present on the internet but a few interesting facts:

Tin ore is called Casserite

Women and girls worked at the mines, mainly on the surface. The women were called Bal maidens and worked with hammers and picks to break up the raw ore ( called dressing the ore). They would work at the mine from about 6am until 5pm and then return home to do the washing and cooking. Many were widows of men who had died in the mines.

Arsenic is a significant component of casserite. This was extracted by heating the ore in a furnace and condensing the arsenic on the walls of the tall chimneys. Men or children, with minimal protective clothing, would brush out the arsenic dust from the chimneys to use in dyes, medicines etc.

Mining in Cornwall started 1000-2000BC and, of course, heralded the Bronze Age, bronze being an alloy of tin and copper. Copper was also found in the tin mines.

By the way, why and how did someone first have the idea of heating stone up to extract metal?

I wondered a couple of days ago whether the mines may reopen with the increased demands for these metals in modern electronics. In researching this I read that a Canadian company is trying to raise investment to reopen the South Crofty mine.

I continued around the coast with great views. The weather became very overcast with occasional showers so not many photographic opportunities. As I approached Gurnard’s Head I could see rock climbers in the distance. They reminded me of the seabirds I saw on the cliff top a few days ago, you can just see their red helmets.

Gurnard’s Head actually looks a bit like the fish from the South-west.

I couldn’t upload a picture of the fish. If you have a good fishmonger they sometimes sell the fish. They work out quite expensive because the head is so big. They make an excellent fish stew, but remember to take the head and bones home as well to make a fish stock. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s fish book has the recipe.

Tired and hungry I arrived at the Tinners Arms in Zennor. After 2 pints of Tinners Ale and an excellent roast beef dinner I was happy to retire to the White House next door

Miles: today 15.25, cumulative 58

Unlike most of the country lots of sunshine!

Firstly many thanks to Chris at Rockridge House for a great B and B. I particularly liked the communal breakfast at a huge table in a lovely kitchen/dining room. Most of the other residents were SW coast path walkers, all walking the opposite direction to me. I suspect this is because the guidebooks are written that way.

Like most of the route there were lots of ups and downs with beautiful views. When planning the walk I was worried that each day would be too similar but, in fact, it is very varied. I retraced my steps to the Minack before heading over the cliffs to a tiny fishing hamlet called Porthgwarra.

This section was easy walking over grassy slopes. I passed an ancient well

and a sign informing me that choughs were nesting (I didn’t see any) and that Cornwall has devolved from the UK (it hasn’t)

The path continues to the lookout station at Gwennap Head. There are two navigation triangles on the cliff (at least that is what I think they are, my source is Swallows and Amazons which is not a recognised nautical reference book).

I know all the lighthouses are automated now but as you can see there is a human lookout, again these are mostly volunteers. A little further on there were some impressive caves in the cliffFor the last 2 days there have been signs informing walkers about Shetland and Dartmoor ponies being brought in to graze to keep the undergrowth under control, the aim being to encourage the diversity of the plant life. These were the first I saw, I think they are Dartmoor ponies, they are certainly not Shetland.

I briefly thought of taking one and loading my gear on it but I didn’t think the authorities or the ponies would approve.

The walk continued to be easygoing and as I approached Land’s End the number of day walkers increased dramatically. The first sign of approaching the point is the large hotel on the horizon

and then the dramatic ‘Armed Knight’ rock

And finally the point of Land’s End itself, the most westerly part of Cornwall

I then had to do the obvious, like a true Emmet (Cornish slang for tourist)

I hope I get thinner as the walk continues!

At last I started to head in the right direction, i.e. north east. I stopped in Sennen Cove for lunch, plenty of people on the beach on this sunny day. A group of surfers were enjoying the waves at the north end of the beach.

The path now began to get more rugged. I detoured into St Just to pick up some food for tomorrow. St Just has a pleasant centre and I was forced to try out one of the pubs. Thus fortified, I continued to Cape Cornwall where I had booked B & B in the golf club , the course looks really difficult. Walls and hedges cross some of the fairways which are either steep up or down hill or situated at an angle.

I forgot to take a picture of the Cape on my phone so will upload one when I get home. A Cape is where a sea or ocean splits, so water here passes either Southwards into the English Channel or northwards into the Celtic Sea.

Miles Today 16.1, Cumulative 42.8

The first 7 miles were easy, flat ground around Mounts Bay to Mousehole; first over low sand dunes, then along the beach and finally a very long promenade.

Marazion is best known for the causeway linking it with St Michael’s Mount, gifted by Edward the Confessor to the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel in Brittany. Henry V seized it back during the wars with France. I didn’t have time to visit the island this trip

At high tide a boat ferries you across

As I approached Penzance the path runs next to the railway line and main road. Guess who is funding the improvements to the coastal defences

No doubt Boris will continue the funding despite his tax cuts (typed in sarcastic font)

Penzance has one of the few remaining lidos in the UK, closed for repair at the moment

Penzance merges into Newlyn which is still an active fishing port. I liked this statue dedicated to fisherman lost at sea

The path then follows the road to Mousehole.

It passes the old Pendeen lifeboat station which is now a memorial commemorating the disaster in 1981. The “Solomon Browne” was launched in hurricane conditions to go to the rescue of the “Union Star” . Both vessels were wrecked with the loss of all hands.

It is hard to believe looking at the sea on a calm June day how dangerous it is in severe weather. This was brought home to me by the number of memorials to lost ships and sailors that I have walked past over the last 2 days.

It is sobering to think that the crewed lifeboats (and most of the shore support) are unpaid volunteers and that the RNLI rely almost entirely on donations and legacies for their funding (a small amount is raised from merchandising). Since 1824, 600 lifeboat crew have lost their lives trying to save others.

I arrived in Mousehole in brilliant sunshine. I passed the house where the last Cornish person to speak Cornish as her first language lived. No one knows where the name comes from but it is a beautiful village

The path then took to the cliffs, passing the point where the Spanish invaded west Cornwall in 1595. 400 houses in Mousehole, Newlyn and Penzance were set on fire before the Spanish retreated back to their boats.

There were fantastic views back across Mounts Bay. I could see back to Lizard Point but it looked just like a smudge when I tried to photograph it. I arrived in Lamorna cove for lunch.

It then became much more rugged passing through a lovely wood before crossing a boulder field on the beach. Just before arriving in Porthcurno I looked for the Logan Stone. I couldn’t find it but it used to rock if you stood on it, at least until some Royal Navy seamen toppled it in 1824. They were forced to restore it at their expense.

the Logan stone is midway along the ridge.

I eventually arrived in Porthcurno just in time to go to the open air Minack theatre to see a show about the life of Cole Porter, based around his songs.

Conceived by Rowena Cade and built initially by her and her gardener it it set in steep cliffs below the house where she used to live. As you can see, it overlooks the sea. The person sitting next to me told a story that once the attention of the audience was taken by a pod of dolphins cavorting in the sea below the theatre.

It was cold! The female actors were in cocktail dresses, they must have been freezing. The piano player had a hot water bottle to keep his hands warm between songs. A very enjoyable evening and I would recommend this as a thing to do if you visit Cornwall. I was pleased to snuggle under my duvet though.

Today 11 miles, cumulative 26.7 miles, cream teas 1

It was raining when I got up so a slow start, leaving the Harbour Inn about 09:30. Good plan, it stopped raining shortly after and, apart from a shower at lunchtime, it stayed dry. It was up and down cliffs most of the day but the gradients were less steep, although I still ascended over 1000ft

The path goes round the harbour where there are market huts. Those that know me are aware I like puns and this took my fancy

On the cliff top I passed a memorial cross to all the sailors that had been shipwrecked and died off the South Cornish coast. This cross also commemorates the change in the law allowing sailors to be buried in the nearest consecrated ground. Before the passing of the “Grylls Act” in 1808 any body washed ashore was buried in a grave on the seashore. Thomas Gryll was a local resident who protested against this and the Act made the Parish where the body was found be responsible for it to be buried in consecrated ground.

There are several crosses along the coast. I passed one yesterday dedicated to the 120 men who died when HMS Arden ran aground on the Loe bank. A local resident was so affected by this disaster he went on to invent the rocket distress flare which has saved countless lives since.

Terrific cliff scenery again. In the first image you can see gulls perched on a knife edge rocky ridge. The second picture shows the view back to Lizard point

A little further I saw my first evidence of the old tin mining industry.

This was Wheal Trewavas. Most tin mines follow vertical strata of ore, which is why there were so many mines in Cornwall. This one followed a seam of copper and tin under the sea bed which I think was unusual. I wondered whether the Cornish mines might start up again if we move to electric cars and the demand for copper increases. (On my return to Manchester  I read that a company is looking into the economic viability of re-opening Cornish mines). While switch to electricity will be good for global warming there will be an environmental cost due to a massive increase in demand for various metals.

A bit further on was the single chimney of Wheal Prosper. This was a short-lived mine that failed. It then achieved fame in the 21st century by featuring in Poldark.

I then descended to Praa Sands where I had a pasty for lunch. A true Cornish pasty is crimped around the edge, not on top.

My route took me over Prussia Cove. This used to be the home of the notorious Carter family who were smugglers in the 18th Century. A certain Harry Carter self-styled himself the King of Prussia from which the cove takes its name.

I got a bit lost here as there are a lot of private drives. The signage of the SW coast path has been good until now, but there were none to be seen. I would have been all right if I had a 1:25 000 map but it wasn’t clear on my Landranger. Of course all you geeks with your Garmins would have been fine. Anyway, after a detour I had a well deserved cream tea followed by an easy 2 miles into Marazion.

Today 15.7 miles total 15.7 miles total pints 3 still no cream teas!

First of all my thanks to Robin and Michelle for a wonderful B and B. The old bakery in lizard village. Really comfy room and top notch breakfast.

Very tiring first day, this is the furthest I have walked in a day for a while. It was also a rollercoaster day with 1396 ascent and slightly more descent. At least the rain kept off and it brightened up a bit during the afternoon.

I started by heading to the most southerly point (of mainland Britain), about a mile south of my B and B. A poor attempt at a selfie:

But the view was nice

I then turned northwest (easy navigation, keep the sea on the left) and headed over steep cliffs towards Kynance cove. On the way I saw 3 seals swimming just offshore. The cove is guarded by 3 rock formations: lion rock which seemed a fanciful name until I was past the cove when it did look like a lion sitting with its back to me

And asparagus island and gulf rock (why?)

The route got a bit less rugged after Mullion cove

I continued over the cliffs and came to the Marconi monument. This marks the first transatlantic wireless broadcast from the shore near here to a boat ( containing Marconi) in the south Atlantic.

Although still up and down the going was easier now although the path has been rerouted in several places due to cliff falls. I came to Church cove, named after the church of St Winwaloe, also named the Church of Storms as it has been damaged several times over the centuries by storms. The bell tower is separate and built into the cliff

Nearly there now, continuing along the low cliffs above Porthleven sands. Two thirds of the way along the beach there is a sand bar separating the Loe from the sea.

Legend has it that Excalibur was thrown into the Loe after the death of King Arthur. Following another low cliff top, I arrived in Porthleven and the Harbour inn where I enjoyed a crab linguini with a glass of wine.