Posts Tagged With: Walking in England
South West Coast Path: We Made It!
South West Coast Path: The Checkered Flag is in Sight
As pleasant as the above scene looks, Sunday morning brought horrendously strong winds to the area, foiling the plans of any walker in his or her right mind. Our host was kind enough to keep our packs for us until we could catch the afternoon bus to Pendeen, our stop for the night.
The photos really don’t do the wind justice, but trust me, it was howling. Fortunately, St. Ives is home to the Tate, where we wandered through 10 galleries of modern art, pretending to understand what we saw.
The mine closed in 1990, but a museum and underground tour (complete with hard hats), are both available to the public. We skipped past the big ticket items and wandered down to check out the ruins of the original North Levant mine.
Tomorrow we will arrive at Land’s End, our stopping point and the end of our South West Coast Path adventure. We really hope to walk the last section…rain or shine. We’ll see what the morning brings.
Categories: South West Coast Path
Tags: Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, Cornwall, Geevor tin mine, hiking, Hiking in England, landscapes, Long Distance Hiking, long distance trekking, Pendeen, photography, Photos, seascapes, South West Coast Path, St. Ives, travel, Walking in England, Walking The South West Coast Path
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South West Coast Path: Wind and Weather Continue
Our days have been a wild mix of gusty winds and drenching rain showers. Unfortunately, blustery conditions have kept us off the trail. Evenings, on the other hand, have been fairly calm and quiet.
South West Coast Path: I may be an American, but…
As we came over the rise, we saw a crowd of folks gathered down on the beach. Many appeared to be sporting medieval costumes, some were perched on horseback, others just milling about. There was also a small fleet of rickety, wooden boats ready to launch. I pitied the poor stunt men or women who had to set sail in today’s weather!
When Reg asked one of the staffers, he told us it was an episode of East Enders. Well, I may be an American, but my British pop culture is not that rusty! Definitely not East Enders. We were later told it was a Netflix film, but the name escapes me.
We spent the rest of the walk into Perranporth simply trying to remain upright. Winds whipped off the ocean at 30-40 mph (depending on which weather report is to be believed), the worst we’ve ever walked in.
South West Coast Path: Making Memories
There are so many more memories to capture beyond the beautiful scenery of the South West Coast Path. Here are a few of our favorites.
Categories: South West Coast Path
Tags: England, England’s Longest National Trail, hiking, Hiking in England, Long Distance Hiking, long distance trekking, Making Memories, photography, Photos, South West Coast Path, travel, Travel in England, Walking in England, Walking The South West Coast Path, walks
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South West Coast Path: Porthcothan to Newquay
We expected rain, but today was a beautiful day for a walk.
South West Coast Path: Rainy Days and Mondays
We tried to walk yesterday…we really did. We left our B&B at 9:00 in the morning under gray skies and threat of rain and strong winds. After a quick stop to pick up lunch at the local SPAR store, we left Padstow, wishing we could have spent more time poking around the upscale harbor town.
By 10:30, we were sipping tea at the Trevone Beach cafe, cold, wet and frustrated that Mother Nature had whisked away our beautiful weather. We had a nice chat with an older couple who were traveling in their camper van. As he told story after story of his exploits, swimming, hiking and mountain biking, she would continually remind him, “That was 40 years ago.”
We eventually decided our best option was to catch the bus back to Padstow where we could relax with a nice glass of wine while waiting for a later bus to drop us at our next lodging. As we watched to flag our bus down, our friends in their camper van drove past, tooting and waving.
It was a long crazy day, but we eventually made it to Old McDonalds Farm, where our room awaited. Many thanks to the Atlantic Coaster – bus line A5
South West Coast Path: For All You Doc Martin Fans
Today we arrived in the fictional village of Port Wenn, home to everyone’s favorite television doctor, Doc Martin. It’s been awhile since we’ve watched the show, but we remembered enough to have a sense of having been here before.
In reality, we are settled for the night in Port Isaac, home to the many scenes and location shots of the long-running series. It’s given this little port village quite a tourism boost. Our B&B host told us that locals can donate a certain sum to charity for the opportunity to appear as an extra on the show.
For as bustling a village as Port Wenn is, Port Isaac rolls up the sidewalks when the sun goes down, returning to its quiet coastal village roots.
South West Coast Path: Hillside Reunion
Another beautiful day greeted us as we set off to our next stop – Crackington Haven. With a short 10 mile walk, we hoped for an early arrival, allowing us to do some much needed laundry. We zipped along at a pretty fair clip for most of the morning until the rolling green fields gave way to the all too familiar ups and downs.
What we did know about today’s trail was that, at the end of the day, it would lead us to a reunion with our dear friend Ian, whom we met several years ago while walking the Camino de Santiago. He’d booked a room in our Crackington Haven hotel, driven from his Oxford home and met us on the trail, lifting our spirits and escorting us down to where a cold drink and a hot shower awaited.
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