Day 3 - Porthcurno - Marazion
Author: Dave
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The day we broke the 'rule'
View from B&B room. Not bad.
_We set out after another decent breakfast at our B&B and headed back down towards the beach.We saw the father and son team that were doing the end to end just packing up their tent. They had the foresight to have camped well above the tideline unlike the family from last night. We wished them good luck and headed up the hill back to our clifftop path.
The weather had started warm and sunny but soon clouded over and looked like rain was threatening. Well, rain it did. We stopped to put waterproofs on and finished just as a torrential downpour kicked in. We were on top of an exposed cliff path and the wind had picked up and was driving the rain almost horizontal. It began to ease as we descended into a small deserted looking hamlet of about six houses and as many boats on a slipway. I was a little in front of Jason so wandered down to the shore to watch the now quite rough sea break over the rocks and to see the storms further out blow past.
It was then I noticed a bloke I hadn't seen previously just standing there next to a boat looking out to sea.
"Morning"
"Oh - morning"
"Are you just deciding on whether or not to go out ?"
"No, I'm not a fisherman, I'm a marine engineer. I've just come down to do a job on that boat over there" He nodded towards a 20' fishing boat lined up on the slipway.
"Nice place to work !" I commented.
"Yeh.....I was just thinking that. I've lived in this part of Cornwall all my life but I've never once been to this cove before. Lovely isn't it !"
By this point Jason had arrived and we all stood there looking out to sea in silence and enjoying the tranquility for a minute before we all wished each other good day and went our separate ways. It just goes to show you that you walk through some stunning places well off the beaten track when walking the coastal path.
Half hour later we came across a small cafe in Lamorna cove with an under cover outside area. This was a good point to stop for a pot of tea and wring my socks out. It was a brief but worthwhile stop, and we soon moved onward and upward back to the clifftop path.
The sun came out shortly after and began to warm up quickly. We stopped at a bench on top of a cliff to remove our waterproofs as we had gone into 'boil in the bag' mode. While taking a breather and looking down at the sea we noticed a lone seal swimming round at the bottom of the cliff. It was the first seal we had seen on this trip.
We came to the busy village of Mousehole a while later and found a small chintzy cafe for some lunch. Fed and watered, we continued on through what was going to be a more or less urban walk for the rest of the day. We had a plan to break the journey up though. We don't have many rules for this annual week of walking but we do have the one rule that we have both agreed is best to stick to - no lunchtime pint ! A pint at lunchtime leads to a second and quite possibly third. After a couple of pints at lunchtime I find lethargy and an urge to sleep over comes me. This isn't conducive to covering the daily milage of a long distance footpath and hence our rule is for no beer until we have finished walking for the day. We had decided to make today an exception for a special pub as featured on "Britain's toughest pubs" programme. The Swordfish, or 'Swordy' as the locals call it. As it turns out it was very quiet being a lunchtime during the week although I could quite believe it would be a bit more lively of an evening when the trawlers were harboured. The pub name was also engraved on all the glasses; presumably to prevent theft but I suspect this would just make them more of a collectors item. No I didn't steal a glass !
After a 'swifty' at the Swordy we ploughed on along the pavement and then a kind of promenade section into Penzance. The walking was OK but uninspiring as most towns are. At the first opportunity we dropped down onto the beach to walk as the sand is a bit less harsh on the feet than tarmac. We worked our way along the beach, towards our day's destination of Marazion, while watching some fairly impressive kite surfers.
Not too bad a day, despite the rain and the section town walking. The small cove we paused at sticks in the mind though and one day, if I ever remember the name of it, I'll go back with a sandwich and a book and spend a few peaceful hours.
The weather had started warm and sunny but soon clouded over and looked like rain was threatening. Well, rain it did. We stopped to put waterproofs on and finished just as a torrential downpour kicked in. We were on top of an exposed cliff path and the wind had picked up and was driving the rain almost horizontal. It began to ease as we descended into a small deserted looking hamlet of about six houses and as many boats on a slipway. I was a little in front of Jason so wandered down to the shore to watch the now quite rough sea break over the rocks and to see the storms further out blow past.
It was then I noticed a bloke I hadn't seen previously just standing there next to a boat looking out to sea.
"Morning"
"Oh - morning"
"Are you just deciding on whether or not to go out ?"
"No, I'm not a fisherman, I'm a marine engineer. I've just come down to do a job on that boat over there" He nodded towards a 20' fishing boat lined up on the slipway.
"Nice place to work !" I commented.
"Yeh.....I was just thinking that. I've lived in this part of Cornwall all my life but I've never once been to this cove before. Lovely isn't it !"
By this point Jason had arrived and we all stood there looking out to sea in silence and enjoying the tranquility for a minute before we all wished each other good day and went our separate ways. It just goes to show you that you walk through some stunning places well off the beaten track when walking the coastal path.
Half hour later we came across a small cafe in Lamorna cove with an under cover outside area. This was a good point to stop for a pot of tea and wring my socks out. It was a brief but worthwhile stop, and we soon moved onward and upward back to the clifftop path.
The sun came out shortly after and began to warm up quickly. We stopped at a bench on top of a cliff to remove our waterproofs as we had gone into 'boil in the bag' mode. While taking a breather and looking down at the sea we noticed a lone seal swimming round at the bottom of the cliff. It was the first seal we had seen on this trip.
We came to the busy village of Mousehole a while later and found a small chintzy cafe for some lunch. Fed and watered, we continued on through what was going to be a more or less urban walk for the rest of the day. We had a plan to break the journey up though. We don't have many rules for this annual week of walking but we do have the one rule that we have both agreed is best to stick to - no lunchtime pint ! A pint at lunchtime leads to a second and quite possibly third. After a couple of pints at lunchtime I find lethargy and an urge to sleep over comes me. This isn't conducive to covering the daily milage of a long distance footpath and hence our rule is for no beer until we have finished walking for the day. We had decided to make today an exception for a special pub as featured on "Britain's toughest pubs" programme. The Swordfish, or 'Swordy' as the locals call it. As it turns out it was very quiet being a lunchtime during the week although I could quite believe it would be a bit more lively of an evening when the trawlers were harboured. The pub name was also engraved on all the glasses; presumably to prevent theft but I suspect this would just make them more of a collectors item. No I didn't steal a glass !
After a 'swifty' at the Swordy we ploughed on along the pavement and then a kind of promenade section into Penzance. The walking was OK but uninspiring as most towns are. At the first opportunity we dropped down onto the beach to walk as the sand is a bit less harsh on the feet than tarmac. We worked our way along the beach, towards our day's destination of Marazion, while watching some fairly impressive kite surfers.
Not too bad a day, despite the rain and the section town walking. The small cove we paused at sticks in the mind though and one day, if I ever remember the name of it, I'll go back with a sandwich and a book and spend a few peaceful hours.