South West Coast Path: Day 5 - Porthcurno to Penzance

Last day on the coast path.  Needed to make it to Penzance by 4pm because that's when my train left.  Purchased a cheap ticket so it was that train or getting a new ticket...Started the day with a HUGE breakfast.  Muesli and OJ followed by a full English breakfast of an egg, 2 slices of bacon, sausage, black pudding, white pudding, fried bread, beans, 2 tomato halves, two slices of toast, and a pot of tea.  YUMMmmmmm.  Left with a full stomach ready for the day ahead.

View from my bedroom window...yes you can see the sea!

Back toward Porthcurno

Fun little waterfall

Different signage

First (and only) wooded area of the coast path

Lots of flowers along the path

Lunch...probably the nicest lunch I had from any day.  Usually I just had some fruit and flapjacks (like a compact granola bar)

Coming into the village of Mousehole

Overlooking Mousehole

Coming into Penzance

Rail station...the end

Lots of lovely coast, forested areas, and villages today.  Got to Penzance by about 3pm, just enough time to wander around and find some authentic organic cornish ice cream.  Probably got sunburnt today as well, but that's better than ending by getting rained upon.  Total of around 11 or 12 miles today.  Long trip back to London Paddington, then on the tube home to Wood Green.  Got in around 10:30pm.

South West Coast Path: Day 4 - Pendeen to Porthcurno

Today was a really good day.  The morning was forecasted as having rain, but I woke up to sunshine!  Had breakfast in the pub and was greeted by a nice jack russell.  Apparently he followed the owner of the pub around everywhere he went, including the kitchen.  Gotta love the pubs in the countryside in the UK.  It's nice having doggies wandering around inside looking for a scratch behind the ears.  About 15 miles planned for today.

Maybe cows where the beef from my burger came from...

The rest of the morning was bring and sunny, while the afternoon threatened rain, but stayed dry.  Amazing coastline all day long, including going through Land's End (most SW point of England).  Land's End wasn't very memorable at all, but the coastline before and afterward was simply amazing.  I took more diversions than usual since the weather was looking up and ventured out to cliff edges and coves more often.

Lots of warnings about mine shafts along the trails

SW point of England... very touristy, I went through as quickly as I could

Fun little cove

Had a snack here

Beach in Porthcurno where this old chap was using a metal detector on the beach.

Spent the evening down by the beach in Porthcurno watching the tide come in and stars come up.  Bright moon meant they were hard to see, but it was otherwise very enjoyable.  Final day also looked like it would be a good one.

South West Coast Path: Day 3 - St Ives to Pendeen

After my typical large breakfast I left at about 9:15 or so for the next town.  Not the longest day, only 13 miles to go, but suppose to have the "hardest section of coast path."  I pushed hard to try and stay ahead of the rain which was forecasted for the evening.

Rain cloud behind me coming out of St Ives

Flowers galor all along the path

Some of the up...with bluebells

Narrow path

Rain cloud still following...

Pretty creek crossing

Rain finally caught me...got drenched, so my last two or three hours were pretty wet.  Path got rather muddy too, but I only stepped right in it a few times.  My feet were wet anyways by that point.  

Got the the village of Pendeen and stayed at the North Inn, which was also a pub.  Had a really yummy curry for supper (their specialty) and watched the Man United / Man City football match over a few beers. 

My accommodation and food!

Sunset out my bedroom window

Overall, a lot of simply gorgeous coastline, with some intermittent showers.  Not a bad day.  Certainly heads and tails better than the previous day.  Forecast for the next two days was looking up as well!

South West Coast Path: Day 2 - Portreath to Gwithain and St Ives

Today I meant to go 17 miles...that didn't happen.  Forecast was for 100% chance heavy showers and 31mph wind with gusts which were higher.  I ate down a big English breakfast, donned my walking gear (windbreaker, swimming trunks, and one pair of trainers that I brought - 2nd pair were buried in the bag to stay dry), and set out.  Made it to the next village (7 to 8 miles later) and figured I should probably catch the bus to my final destination of St Ives.  Weather was just that inclement.  I didn't see ANY other walkers, a few people driving by who would stop, try to go up a hill and turn around.

Portreath as I was leaving.  You can see the whitecaps on the water if you look hard.

One of the few other pictures I dared taking.  Doesn't do it any justice to what it felt like.  Never been in a storm like that before.  

Wind was really pushing me around.  If I had a headwind I probably would have had to turn back.  Mostly a crosswind and occasionally a tail wind that would almost throw me down the trail.  It's the only time I've ever wondered if I could recognise the signs of hypothermia in myself if it got to that.  I don't do particularly well when I get cold and wet, and I was definitely very very very wet.  A drowned rat to say the least.  I pushed myself pretty hard to keep a bit warmer and kept drinking, even though I wasn't thirsty.  The good part about it being a really wet day was I didn't need to worry about finding a place to hide to go to the bathroom.  No one else anywhere to be seen.

As I approached the next village (Gwithain) an older chap who was walking back toward the cafe and carpark offered me a coffee and to drive me to the nearest bus stop.  Well Howard ended up driving me to St Ives (only a few miles by road, much more by coast path) as he said I would have to wait a few hours for my bus.  Really nice guy and definitely saved my butt.

Spent the afternoon drying out.  Fortunately, since I bagged everything inside the waterproof bag I was using I had dry clothes to wear.  Relaxed, showered, warmed up with a few cups of tea, and then decided to explore St Ives.  Unfortunately, it was still very windy and rainy, so I ended up going to a nearby cinema and saw the Avengers.  When I came out it had passed so I got to take a few pictures and then find a place to eat.

Went to an organic locally sourced burger place called Blas (see their website ).  Next town I was walking to was where the beef came from.  Really really yummy food.  A couple I chatted with at my table (most tables were shared) said they'd been rescued by folk on rainy days before.  Waitresses in the place were quite surprised when I said how far I walked the previous day.  Apparently not the typical distance people walk.  They also said the forecast for the next day wasn't great either.