Week 4 Mon 5th Nov to Sun 11th

Welcome to week 4's diary entries. There is so much to do and see down here, we seem to just keep scratching the surface, but we are so enjoying the scratching! Hope you enjoy to.

Monday 5th November – day 23

Another walk planned for today, although the early rain almost unsettled the plans!
Drove to Porthcothan, then took the bus on to Harlyn, for a slightly shorter and easier walk (than Saturday), back to the car.
The scenery and paths were gentler on this stretch, but there were still magnificent views, especially once the wind started to whip up the waves. There were signs everywhere asking us to keep to the path as the RSPB and the local land management group were keen to support the resettlement of the elusive and endangered corn bunting; we thought we saw one near the end of our walk, but we could have been mistaken.
I need to raise a concern here, we are reading of walkers doing 18 to 20 miles a day on these paths, and I am beginning to wonder how they do it, because it takes us hours to complete maybe half the distance, if we are not stopping because we have reached the top of a steep bit, we are stopping to drink in another glorious vista, and now we are beginning to try and identify wildlife - there is just so much going on all around us, and there just doesn’t appear to be enough time to take it all in!
One particular detail of note though is the way the Cornish build their walls; the style is called “curzy”, as the narrow slates are laid in a sort of vertical herringbone pattern, apparently so that the rain falls away from the wall more easily.

As it was the actual Bonfire night, we decided to join another throng of locals/tourists/surfers down at Porth beach to watch another fire work display. It was a completely different experience than the glorious evening at Port Gaverne, as it was put on by the local surfers pub, and there were a lot more young people there rather than small families.
It took an age to begin and there was no lovely bonfire to offer warmth, just as we were beginning to wish we hadn’t bothered stopping we heard the count down from the pub, the DJ struck up the Star Wars anthem(!) and the fireworks began. Boy were we glad that we had stayed, these were carefully choreographed by a pyrotechnic specialist team for sure, we have never seen such a fabulous array of colour, pattern and sparkle since the millennium!!

Tuesday 6th November – day 24

Another golden day, the wind had blown the clouds away and we woke to bright sunshine. Again a shorter walk planned allowing for plenty of time at Bedruthan steps, which had received an enthusiastic write up from the National Trust.
We are beginning to crack this bus catching business as for the second day running we arrived in good time to get boots on and rucksack ready, and still have time spare to stand at the bus stop, unfortunately today it was the wrong bus stop, but happily for us Chris noticed that there was bus standing on a corner a little further down the road, in just enough time for us to stride purposefully towards it, indicating our intention to the bus driver!
Our walk today started where yesterdays finished, at Porthcothan, and we walked the headland, again offering magnificent if somewhat softer views of scrubland and gorse, with the regular dramatic cliff drops to remote little inlets. We spotted a Cormorant along the way, and were helped to identify it by a helpful group of bird spotters, keen to inform us of other birds to look out for!
We arrived at Bedruthan a little earlier than anticipated but it did not stop us availing ourselves of the delightful little tea rooms after an explore of the steps.
Although not owned by the National Truss it had all the gentility, graciousness and green paint of its host, and the counter groaned with delights such as warm plum sponge with clotted cream, and did we have any…… best not ask I think!
Sadly this little haven of confectionary bliss, (like so many other thriving Cornish establishments) is closing at the end of the week, and I am caused to wonder what the locals do for a little refreshment after a bracing walk along the cliff top once we have all gone home? It seems that the Cornish only cater for the tourist but offer little for themselves once the holiday season has ended.
On then for the final (thankfully) gentle walk back to Mawgan Porth, then home and an early supper to be ready for Spooks….!

Wednesday 7th November - Day 25

Windy and rainy today, good day for chores so nothing more than an exciting (and expensive) trip to Morrisons and the laundrette acheived today!

Thursday 8th November - Day 26

Bright and blustery day to start with, off to have coffee with Alan and Margaret, who are staying at Chapel Amble for a few days; we started with lovely coffee, then went on a lovely stroll along Rock beach and back for an even lovelier lunch!
We finally left at 3pm to head for another look at Padstow, and I think Marg and Alan had to head for the sink after our visit!!

Whilst there we had our first glimpse of the local air ambulance in action, parking very deftly on the quay, before whisking someone off to Trelisk.
The wind really started to get up by late afternoon so we made tracks back to the caravan via the scenic route, and spent the evening holding onto our hats inside the van!!!

Friday 9th November – day 27
After a windy night, the weather was unsettled today, so took a tour round, stopping at Crantock where Chris had stayed years earlier when Andy and Will were little, walked along the beach and picked up some interesting looking shells, on to Holywell Bay, but didn’t stop as it looked rather cheerless, and Penhale Military training camp rather dominated the landscape, then finally took a windy road to Perranporth, which was not the little fishing village that I had hoped, but we thoroughly enjoyed a bracing walk along the headland to watch the wind really churning up the water. Before we returned to the car, we took a steep flight of steps almost hidden from view that led down to the water (we presumed that it accessed a little beach when the tide was out.) There was just enough room for Chris and I to stand on a turn in the steps, and we stood for ages just watching and listening to the sites and sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks. We were out of sight from the headland path, and felt quite isolated down there - quiet observers of the power of nature.

Saturday 10th November – day 28
Today saw us back on the Coastal Path, where we parked at a pretty St Agnes, we walked up a hill, (where don’t we,) and off on to the coast path. Our initial route took us past our first view of the tin mining that was so active a century before, here not much in the way of physical buildings but plenty of spoil. The path wound us along past further examples of derelict tin mining buildings and of course the spoil, it really is extensive and intrusive on this section of the path. However we firmly held our gaze on the active sea and coastal rocks for a while, the wind was set for a good blow and had us hugging the left side of the path as we walked along. The going has relatively easy once on the top, it undulated along rising and falling about 10 to 15 meters all the way to Chaple Porth.
Here we dropped down to a car park with a small NT café, now burnt out, and firmly closed loos. Then onward and of course up to the top of the cliffs again.
The path continued to rise and fall and set us towards yet another old tin mine, whose main building had been partially restored by NT, and you were able to get close and go inside. The brick and stone work was impressive and restored quite well, but it was difficult to get any real idea of how it worked when in operation. We moved on towards Porthtowan which was round the headland, just in front of us. Stopping on the last descent we sat to watch the surfers and have a sandwich. We could not understand why they paddle out so far and then sit and wait, letting so many waves pass, are they waiting for the perfect wave? (or just recovering).
Moved down into the village and a welcoming pub for a small libation and a wait for the bus to bring us back to St Agnes.
As we journeyed back through this pretty little town, we found a lot of little streets and small interesting shops that looked ripe for exploration on another visit.
Back to the caravan, a quick change, then off to Truro for a much looked forward to supper out. Arrived in town and went for a look around to select a restaurant, we passed one called “Indabo” a fish restaurant, just outside the car park, we walked firmly on towards the centre of town and hoped we would find something round by the cathedral, we passed many but none that really suited so……. back to the first one and a really first rate meal, we would thoroughly recommend. Our waiter, as it turned out was a surfer, so we asked him about the waiting, we were told that they are recovering after getting that far out, or coming down from the adrenaline rush of the last triumph!

Sunday 11th November – day 29
Throughout last night we thought the porch outside the caravan was going to take off, the wind was so loud and boisterous, and blew fit to bust; therefore we slept very little.
After such a disturbed night we rose late (no surprise here!) moved slowly off to visit St Ives. This delightful little town was all we anticipated it would be, first impressions are that it is very “arty” as there are any number of galleries with art for sale from either this or that local artist, they come from the sublime to the ridiculous and on to the mass produced tat. There are also lots of other little shops, full of all sorts of the interesting and varied, including a number selling the ubiquitous surfing paraphernalia. There are a real jumble of small and winding cobbled streets to meander down with interesting houses from times past, a good sized harbour with lively craft bobbing to the dance of the sea. We walked round a number of these little streets, looked in lots of the shops, and finally sat down to eat in a small blue restaurant called Sea Food Café and had some wonderful fish soup with garlic and granary bread.
We will return for further investigations of this lively little town.