May 24 Lamorna Cove to Penzance (Day 11)
This is our final day on the South West Coast Path. I am not sad that it is an easy 6.5-mile path, 1.3 on paved roads. Knowing this in advance, I took my hiking sandals to change into after Mousehole (mow-zel) for the final walk into Penzance.
Lamorna was a famous artist community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Now, it has cottages and a pub/cafe. We climbed out of the cove onto the path and eventually into a wooded nature reserve. When the path climbed steeply up irregular steps carved in the hillside, I needed a bum push from Dennis to get over some of the tall steps. We stopped midway to breathe and admire the landscape.
At last, we descended into Mousehole, a picturesque harbor village. From there, we followed a paved footpath to Newlyn and Penzance.
We stayed at Holbein House for two nights. The room was lovely, and the hosts were helpful, but the nesting crows in the tree by our room started squawking at 4 am, making it impossible to sleep. Dennis also took a photo of the three adaptors needed to plug American electronics into the system: British-to-European-to-US. This conglomeration is particularly inconvenient when the outlet is behind furniture.
Wanting to rest for a couple of days in Penzance, we moved to the Union Hotel, which is closer to the center of town. Though built in the 17th century, the hotel has been modernized with electricity and plumbing, it remains worn. Though far from ideal, it was adequate and allowed us to rest.
We visited Penzance, shopped, and ate well. The Turks Head Pub is one of the oldest tap houses in Penzance, dating back to the 1200s. We sat by the door that leads to tunnels used by pirates and smugglers. The Egyptian House (now a B&B) was built in 1835 in Egyptian Revival architecture.
Looks chilly there. Interesting landscape.