Journal - Woman on Her Way

July 9: Fowey

We took the ferry to Fowey from Polperro. It was an hour’s ride that saved us many hours of walking on a strenuous path. There were only eleven passengers on the small boat and three dogs, not counting the captain’s dog Ky, (Cornish for dog) who was also first mate. You could tell by her behavior that she simply loved the excursion, barking with delight at the waves and nearby boats.

The English love their dogs, which are well-trained. The canines of every breed and size are allowed in pubs and restaurants; vacationers walk them through towns, and many hotels and B & B advertise that the pets are welcomed (though I have not seen signs referring to cats.) When on the SWC Path, the owners water the four-legged trekkers before they take a drink; there are special bins for doggy poo.

It was nice getting a different perspective of the coast line. From the ferryboat, we could see hikers on the hills and the path as it traversed the cliffs. This part of the path had no place to replenish water and food. I was happy to bypass it.

There were several isolated beaches and caves on the coastline. To the left is the first view we had of Fowey, a small town at the mouth of a tidal river. On the opposite shore is the town of Polruan.

The actress, writer, and comedienne Dawn French has a home on the entrance to the harbor (see right). Maybe some of you have heard of her.

We have a room with a view, but no “en suite” bath–we are using our camping equipment. This evening, Dennis will use his amateur radio and I will finish a book. The two of us are like old fogies.

July 8: Polperro

This morning at the B & B, I had Nutella on toast. Though I had sampled this hazelnut and cocoa spread in the States, I particularly liked it today. It seemed to have a richer flavor. Googling, I found that there are various international flavors for Nutella,

Today’s was a moderately-easy five-mile walk. In the open, I used the reflective umbrella to provide shade and I drank almost two quarts of water. The waistband of my skirt was white with salt. The picture to the left shows Portnadier Bay. In the distance you can see Looe where we started about an hour earlier.

The seacoast is often rocky, as shown in the picture at the right. We saw various seabirds including gulls, terns, albatross, and others we could not identify. We heard seals barking as they played in the water. This section of the SWC Path is very popular and we met a lot of day trekkers, many with their dogs. One person we met was Andy from Polperro. He gabbed with us for a while, telling us about other nice walks in England. Dennis was particularly interested in the path around Amesbury, near Stonehenge, since we plan to visit the Circle of Stones before we go to London. We met up with Andy again in Polperro, and he was kind enough to tell us about his favorite eateries as he escorted us to the road that lead to the campsite we were interested in.

It turns out that the campground was over a mile away–uphill. The reason we were interested in it was because Dennis thought the elevation would help him make amateur radio contacts with hams in the States. Disappointingly, the area designated for tents was in a treeless field. We would not have had relief from the unyielding sun nor could Dennis put up an antenna. So, we hiked back down to the town and found a B & B.

After checking in, we went for lunch and ordered Cornish Creamed Tea, which I had been dying to try. This is a traditional Cornish fare made from clotted cream, jam and scones. We both enjoyed the snack.

Polperro is one of the nicest towns I have seen so far on the SWC path. It is small, but very charming, and the people are very friendly.

July 7: Looe

The South West Coast Path (SWC) is a 630 mile-long trail on the coast of Cornwall. It is a roller-coaster route going from the top of the cliffs to the little fishing towns and back. We are doing only a small section from Plymouth to Falmouth, walking contrary to most guides, which provides many opportunities for missed turns and getting lost.

After trekking 4.5 hours today, I did not need to do step aerobics; there were more opportunities to exercise my legs than I cared for. Instead of the cobblestoned walkways in Portugal, today we walked on 50% field grass and 50% pavement. It is very difficult on the ankles to walk on a slope. For this reason, I did not mind the “Diversions” onto road paths to avoid land slips caused by recent rain, even when one of the detours had a 14.5% grade for about 2 miles. Before reaching the top, I was huffing like a race horse, each step a deliberate effort.

To the left are yellow canola fields and our first look at Downderry. The impressive cliffs overlook the Lone Stone promontory and we could see the Plymouth lighthouse in the distance. It was a steep decline into the town and I was feeling my toes, luckily I did not end up with a blister. The sharp downhills hurt Dennis’ knees, so we stopped in the city, took off our socks and shoes, and relaxed on a bench beneath a shade tree. We were only there about 15 minutes, but it made such a difference.

We met two east-bound hikers: a woman walking alone doing the SWC in sections, and Ivan Godfrey, who is a life-long trekker.

We saw a few opportunities to camp today, but we were low on water, or the campground offered only field camping, with no trees for shade or for the amateur radio antenna. For this reason, we ended up in a B & B in Looe a coastal resort town. We have carried camping equipment on our bikes and backs for over two months; we need to justify our doing so by camping at least a few times. Maybe tomorrow.

To the left is Looe. There is a beach and all the honky-tonk of a seaside town–only with a British flair. There were many tea shops, fish and chip take-away restaurants, tattoo parlors, and trinket and bead stores. The seagulls are nesting and they coo and squawk constantly. From our room we look down on rooftops covered in bird poo and see the gulls feeding their young.

July 6: Portwrinkle

“Cracking weather,” Bewitching panoramas, and Caribbean-like aquamarine waters made Dennis exclaim “If I had to live here for the rest of my life, I would not regret it.” We walked on single-track grassy paths, pavement, in fields with black and white cows, a golf course, a military target firing range (Tregantle Fort), through quaint and colorful fishing villages and mostly on seaside cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. I enjoyed today’s walk more than the Camino Portuguese. It is verdant , varied, and unblemished.

Choosing photos from the ones we took is difficult…all do not display the beauty of this part of Cornwall on the Southwest Coast (SWC) Path, a 630 mile path around Cornwall. We are doing only a short section between Plymouth and Falmouth, a week to ten days of walking. If what we saw today is exemplary, we will be treated to beautiful vistas surpassed by more indescribably beautiful ones. In addition, the people are very kind and generous, often going out of their way to help us.

We started off by taking a ferry from Plymouth to Crymell. The ferry’s mascot is Molly, a large black dog who has her own Facebook page. We walked through the formal gardens at the Mount Edgemont House. On the lily-strewn duck pond, we missed a SWC waymarker (acorn) and walked up to the mansion. It was lovely and we had beautiful vistas from the top of the hill, but we added at least 2 miles to our days trek.

We detoured across a gap and then up a steep incline to visit St. Michaels’s Chapel, built in 1397. I had no trouble climbing up to the ruins, but felt dizzy and scared climbing down. All that, high-altitude, open space was disorienting.

Today’s journey was long. The guide said 12 miles, but it took us more than 9 hours, which make me believe the mileage is off, in spite of the additional 2 miles or so. We arrived in Portwrinkle only to find there were no available B & Bs. There was the country club, but we did not even try that. Instead, we walked another mile to the Finnygook Inn. It was expensive, but we were exhausted and could go no further.

July 5: Plymouth

Plymouth is a welcoming city and tourist flock to enjoy the beauty and shopping. Unexpectedly, I received that confounded stare when I asked someone if the markings in the road indicated a crosswalk. Gee, I thought I was speaking English! Luckily someone interpreted it as a “pedestrian crossings.” I am learning.

First thing this morning, Dennis wished me a happy b-day. Then to my delight, I discovered the B & B had oatmeal (porridge). I actually squealed with joy at not having to eat the typical Iberian toasted bread or croissant, which caused others at breakfast to laugh.

We went to New George Street to resupply. This street has three outfitters, and we shopped at two. I bought shoes and a shirt; Dennis bought a shirt, socks, and a hiking pole to replace the one that wore out. Most important, we went to a book store to buy The Southwest Coast Path guidebook and a Kindle to replace my broken one We went to pharmacy (Boots) for Omega 3 and a UK electrical adapter, which weighs more than a cell phone. Now we plug this into the wall, then the Spanish adapter that lets us plug the American cords. Traveling can get complicated. At least we were able to buy everything we needed in four stores, unlike in Spain where stores tend to specialized in only one thing: pharmacy–drugs; hardware store–adapter, etc.

We walked on Hoe Hill, a large open area with monuments to veterans, an 18th century lighthouse, and a large Ferris wheel (8.5 £ per person). The park is beautifully adorned with flowers, holly bushes, and something which I have not seen in a long time, deciduous trees. Along the boardwalk we spied only a few brave boys in the water; even though it is July, the temperature is only in the 60s F. Even though I was wearing my fleece pants and jacket I did not stand out too much from the locals who wore long sleeves and pants.Of course, the younger generation was more scantily clad, as was Dennis.

The royal citadel is a walled area, different from the walled cities in Spain and Portugal in that the rocks appear newer and better maintained. The deep blue sound glimmered in the sun and contrasted with the stony cliffs and multicolored sail boats–very picturesque and Dennis took many photos. The one on the right shows the marina, Charles Church, and residential housing in the background.

We delighted our taste buds with Thai food, and then returned to prepare for our hike from Plymouth to Falmouth on the Southwest Coastal Path, which is deemed one of the most beautiful hikes in the UK. Though the path is more than 600 miles long, we will do only a portion before heading to London.

July 4: Plymouth

The sun came out just as we entered the Plymouth England harbor. Getting through customs entailed walking by a drug-sniffing Newfoundland Setter, and then getting our passports stamp. Easy-peachy!

As we walked out of the terminal, we met two cyclist, Theresa and Adrian from Falmouth who kindly gave us a lift to the tourist information center. Unfortunately by the time we arrived, the office was closed…so we were SOL in getting hotel info. We started knocking on all the B&Bs until we found suitable accommodations. A bit pricey, but with a view of the ocean.

Since the UK uses the pound Sterling, we needed to get to the ATM. There, we asked locals for recommendations to a restaurant and were guided to the restaurant above the gin distillery. I ordered all vegetables, having missed them on the Iberian Peninsula: pea and mint soup; salad with watermelon, olives, and feta; and sweet potatoes with spinach. I will be happy not to see croissants, ham and cheese sandwiches, cod, and, of course, potatoes for a long time.

We are thinking of hiking the Southwest Hiking Trail from Plymouth to Falmouth. First , we’ll see what the tourist office has for info, then search out guidebooks and maps. I also have to find a better hiking shoe. Hopefully we will be off on Saturday.

July 3: Santander

July 2: Palencia

We took the train from Santiago to Santander with an hour stop at Palencia., which gave us time to visit the city and sit tranquilly in an outdoor cafe to enjoy a beer. It was sunny and 30 C (86 F), the warmest it has been in two months. Delicious!

These statues are next to the cathedral. What do they remind you of?

We arrived at Santander in the late afternoon. Conveniently the train station is across the street from the bus station. The hardest part of arriving in a strange city is getting one’s orientation; getting a map is the first thing we like to do. The tourist information center was 900 meters away and we left the tourism office with a map, a hotel list, and an attraction guide–knowledge is powerful.

We found a nice pension near the train/bus stations and then went in search of a book to read during the 17 hour ferry ride to England, and then we went in search of a restaurant that did not serve the customary fare. We walked for almost two miles before we gave up; all we found were cafes, clothing stores and perfumers. Though we did not walk far that day, we were both exhausted from the boredom of sitting 10 hours on the train.

July 3: Santander

Once again, nature is not on our side. It is in the 60s, misty, and overcast which means our photos are not a brilliant as we would like. After storing our backpacks in a locker at the bus station, we visited this beautiful ocean-side city. First we went to the post office and waited in line for about 30 minutes before getting waited on. We laughed at the officious clerk who stamped the paperwork as if it were a royal document. Bang on the ink-stamp, and then bang with a flurry on each of the six pages. I couldn’t help comparing the number of people assisted in the duration with the number that the Ashton Street Post Office near us could process, and with fewer people.

We walked along the board walk for several hours, taking photos of various statues. One sculpture commemorates young naked boys who used to dive for coins. ( Yes, the statues are anatomically correct; I just had to look). We passed huge buildings, the port, maritime museums, concert halls, beaches, sailing schools, parks, and lots more. Since is was inclement, most of the passersby were tourists or people going to work. The bay in Santander is considered one of the most beautiful bays in the world, but the inclement weather dulled the beauty. The only ones on the beach were lifeguards.

We culminated our walk at the Magdalena Palace, constructed in 1908 as a summer residence for the royal Spanish family. We visited the grounds and walked around the huge edifice. On the grounds are tennis courts, polo fields, carved trees, even a small festival.

We left there in search of Cocido Montañés (Highlander stew or Mountain stew) which is a local hearty bean stew. Unable to find any, we ended up with pasta, which was surprisingly flavorful.

By six P.M, we returned to the bus station for our backpacks and then went to the ferry to await boarding at 8:15. The room is tiny, which may have caused Dennis’ seasickness. After leaving the room, he felt much better. Soon we will be in England, at last.

June 30: Little Fox House

Leaving Santiago yesterday, Dennis’ backpack seemed heavy and he needed a little help. Afterward, we delighted a young Spaniard with the “globo“. The bus ride to Vimianzo only took about an hour. From there, it took us about an hour to walk to the Little Fox House (A Casa do Raposito). It was a beautiful day, warm, with a little breeze. We peaked a hill and then crossed the Rio Grande, which at this point is not really big. Once we arrived, Tracy Saunders told us we were the first to walk the 9 km to her guest house from town.

We have a lovely room in the centuries-old stone house. Tracy is a wonderful hostess and makes us feel quite at home. To our surprise, the Little Fox House has WiFi. There are two other guests from Holland, and the dinner conversation was lively. Even after two months in Spain and Portugal, having dinner at half past nine seems strange to me.This is donativo which means that we make a donation for what we think the stay is worth and participate in the meal preparation and cleanup. We did the dishes.

This morning I slept in until 9 A.M, Since I was the first one up, I read for several hours before our host awakened and served breakfast. Afterward, Dennis and I walked 1.5 km along a river path to the town of Ponte do Porto to see the town and the festival. We watched a procession that included a band and people carrying statues, the fireworks, games for children, and a stage show. We eat a wonderful lasagna served on the terrace of a little restaurant. You can’t imagine how peaceful and happy we were sitting in the sunshine, enjoying each others company, delicious food, and watching the local dogs. For the first time, we saw a Chinese Crested hairless dog; the owner said it was very loving, but timid.

After supper, Tracy took us to see a picturesque shipping village, Laxe, and then the 3000 year old village, Castro de Borneiro which is at the top of a small hill. I can almost imagine what life must have been like here in 900 B.C with fishing, hunting, and grazing.

I love Galicia, with its mountains, seashore, and local customs. I’m very fortunate to have had a few days to spend here.

June 28: Santiago de Compostela

Wrapping up our stay in Santiago de Compostela.

First,we retrieved our bikes from storage at Ivar Rekve’s office located at Travesía da Universidade 1. He is very personable and we spent a good part of the morning chatting with him.

From there, we walked our bikes to Mail Boxes ETC. They have a great deal for those shipping bicycles to the US: for 199 E, they ship the bike along with helmet and bags. This includes the box and disassembling the bike, as necessary. There must have been more than a dozen bikes in the shop today, and almost as many different bikes there yesterday.

Since I ran out of business cards, I went to the printers. The American size cards are different from the European ones, but they were accommodating and the price was reasonable. More weight, though, to carry.

Dennis tried to make amateur radio contacts, but because of the time shift, there were few Americans on the air. The balloon, though, worked well. He will try again later.

We confirmed our plans for the coming week. Tomorrow we leave to see Tracy Saunders at the Little Fox House. I am looking forward to meeting her and spending a few days resting and participating in a local medieval festival. She wrote the book, A Pilgrimage to Heresy, which I read and enjoyed. On Monday we will walk to Muxia (17 km away) then return to Santiago by bus to take the train to Santander where will take a ferry to Plymouth on July 3. There are many things do to in Santander, but since the temperatures are in the low 70’s, swimming will not be one of them.

While we are on the coast and traveling, I may not have an internet connection. In advance, I wish you all a happy 4th of July.

June 27: Santiago de Compostela

Today we went looking in Santiago de Compostela for three things, and managed to find two.

We have been without our comfort food, peanut butter, since April 20. Dennis has been craving the nutty spread, but it is difficult to find in Spain and Portugal. Yesterday when I asked a local grocer where I could find crema de cacahuete, I received that blank stare one receives when asking a question they don’t really understand because of mispronunciation or when asking a question so dumb that it is too painful to reply. At first I thought I had the wrong word, but she told me that yes, it was called crema de cacahuete, but that no one in Spain ate it. Perhaps, I would have given a Spaniard the same stare if they asked me where to find tripe in the US.

Today, Dennis talked me into looking at different grocery stores for our American delectable. A woman in line said she thought she had seen it in another store about 1/2 km away and escorted us to the Carrefour Market on c/ Montero Rius 33. There on the shelf, for 4.40 E was a selection of crunchy and smooth (crujiente or suave) peanut butter. It is not the natural style we enjoy but with added sugar…more like Skippy or Jif. Guess what we will be eating for supper tonight!

The second thing we searched for was a helium balloon. Dennis wanted to attach an antenna wire to the balloon and then get on the ham radio tonight from our hotel room. As common as these inflatables are in the US, they are as rare in Spain. First, each time I asked for a globus de helio, I got that blank stare. After a few tries, I realized I should not pronounce the “h” as in hello, but say the word as if it were not there; EElio. Even after pronouncing it correctly, most people have never heard of one. We ended walking about three km before finding a store that specialized in–you guessed it–helium balloons. For 5 E, Dennis walked out of that store a very happy man, beaming like a little boy.

The last item we searched for was a travel immersion water heater to boil water for tea. We checked every hardware store, Chinese bazaar (dollar store), and unique high-end cook shops. Again we received blank stares. We did find a large one for boiling a liter of water that would have taken up most of my backpack and cost 17 E. We decline.

Today wasn’t a complete bust. We will eat our peanut butter sandwiches, have tea (boiled with camping gear), and then Dennis will get on the air with his radio.