Cornwall Archives - Page 2 of 2

Exeter, England

It was easy to disembark in Southampton. We went to the train station from the docks to buy tickets to Exeter. We only waited about a half hour for the next train. I love traveling in Europe by train. The trains are so accommodating, with high-speed internet and comfy seats.

We hiked up a 450-ft. hill each of us carrying two backpacks—one for belongings that will be portaged from hotel to hotel, the other with our daily hiking needs. Near the top, my back spasmed, scaring Dennis. Not long after that, we arrived at the Queens Court Hotel, a beautifully converted townhouse that was very chic. Though they no longer offer dining to the public, they provide their guests with a plentiful breakfast. Dennis had a Full English breakfast while I enjoyed porridge.

After we settled into our room, we went for dinner. Unfortunately, most restaurants stop serving early on Sunday. We managed to get a takeaway from a new restaurant in the center of town.

We used the Miles Clock Tower to help us return to our motel.

July 10, Fowey

This is the view from our room. Lovely, isn’t it? It was a bit cool for me during the night; I will add the silk liner to my bag tonight. We decided to take a “zero” day (only walking into town.) There, we tried to make lodging reservations because the sections from here to Falmouth do not have many accommodations. Since we could not find any, we changed our plans. We will take the train to Salisbury. We will visit Stonehenge and Amesbury (after hearing Andy talk about it a few days ago). After that, we will head to London.

The British are very humorous. At the right is a sample of their humor. There are many whimsical signs such as this. Also, they like to tease. I am really enjoying them.

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.