LEJOG day 2: Penzance to Helston(ish)
A second lovely sunny day without a sunburn- miracles may never cease! This morning I tramped from the youth hostel past the bed and breakfast my parents stayed at again last night and out to the south coast of Cornwall, where I re-joined the South West Coast Path to wiggle along the really quite wiggly coast from Penzance out East(ish). Did I mention the wiggling?
As I left the youth hostel the warden very sternly recounted a story of walkers missing a whole pod of dolphins playing so close to the shore they could be heard, because said walkers had their heads down. I resisted the urge to point out that not twisting your ankle is generally a good idea and promised to look around as I walked. The scenery was very beautiful, but I only saw one seal and thus feel under-rewarded for my efforts.
I know my parents took me on holidays to beaches around the UK when my brother and I were young, but I don't really remember the beaches themselves very well- except that there were some that were pebbles, not sand. I do remember the dinosaur skeletons at some tiny local museum we visited, where I won a piece of rose quartz for finishing the quiz, which goes to show what a strange child I was. Anyway, the British beaches I remember from my childhood are those around Blackpool, which coupled with too many natural history documentaries in my formative years have resulted in something approaching a phobia of the sea. So it's a pleasant surprise to realise there's sea around the UK that isn't the colour of mud and where you could at least see some monster of the deep if it came to eat you.
Distance: 16.8
Time: 5h51
Percentage completed: 2.3%
Boot cost per mile: £0.61
Lunch: cheese and lettuce sandwich, custard creams, ready salted crisps and chocolate and nut flapjack
B&B last night: Penzance Youth Hostel- surprisingly mod-con-filled (I was impressed by the little shelf under the power point built into the bunks) and a buffet full English with croissants as well as everything else you'd want
St Michael's Mount looking dramatic
A sign on a house in Marazion, the only place the coastal path wasn't right by the sea
I like wildflowers
You can see THROUGH the seawater!
As I left the youth hostel the warden very sternly recounted a story of walkers missing a whole pod of dolphins playing so close to the shore they could be heard, because said walkers had their heads down. I resisted the urge to point out that not twisting your ankle is generally a good idea and promised to look around as I walked. The scenery was very beautiful, but I only saw one seal and thus feel under-rewarded for my efforts.
I know my parents took me on holidays to beaches around the UK when my brother and I were young, but I don't really remember the beaches themselves very well- except that there were some that were pebbles, not sand. I do remember the dinosaur skeletons at some tiny local museum we visited, where I won a piece of rose quartz for finishing the quiz, which goes to show what a strange child I was. Anyway, the British beaches I remember from my childhood are those around Blackpool, which coupled with too many natural history documentaries in my formative years have resulted in something approaching a phobia of the sea. So it's a pleasant surprise to realise there's sea around the UK that isn't the colour of mud and where you could at least see some monster of the deep if it came to eat you.
Distance: 16.8
Time: 5h51
Percentage completed: 2.3%
Boot cost per mile: £0.61
Lunch: cheese and lettuce sandwich, custard creams, ready salted crisps and chocolate and nut flapjack
B&B last night: Penzance Youth Hostel- surprisingly mod-con-filled (I was impressed by the little shelf under the power point built into the bunks) and a buffet full English with croissants as well as everything else you'd want
Looks beautiful! Glad things are getting off to a good start :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic pics. What a lovely section
ReplyDelete