SWCP Day 36: Land’s End > Mousehole

/ alliwanders

And now I walk East! Kinda a big psychological moment, like the First & Last House positioned at Land’s End point, this feels like the end of my beginning and now the start of a new adventure. I hope all my moving parts are up to the challenge!

Today I tackled 2 1/4 short stages for almost 14 miles. I have to say it was a bright, hot and fairly tiring day. Heading east I was going directly into the sun (I therefore apologize for my pictures) and after the easy first couple of miles across open moors and fields I started the usual up and downs but on rocky if not bouldery trail.

Looking back west, note all the man-made caves at the water’s edge
A taste of what’s to come. At least here I could still glimpse the sea and feel its cool breeze

After 5 miles I reached Portcurno where I stopped for refreshments at a sweet cafe with a lovely shaded patio. This marked the start of “Strenuous” Stage 2 – and I have to agree. It was hard to get a rhythm as it was either brushing through a completely overgrown, dense, sweltering jungle or picking my way delicately over rocks, boulders, mud, streams, up/down, but thankfully with a cool ocean breeze.

Tiny cove of Penberth
More bushwhacking! Thankfully the footing was flat
Spiky walls of gorse, for variety
Boulder Beach
Wildlife Shot of the Day
Flower of the Day: some days one particular flower seems to dominate the landscape. Yesterday was foxglove (don’t remember seeing them before and boom, they were everywhere). Although this pink ?? is very common it was just profuse today.
Open view but scrambling ahead
11 miles I reach Lamorna Cove and I spy a little white ice cream van in the parking lot!!
Except that it’s a fake – they’re filming a commercial
😠 I missed seeing Bill Nighy by 20 minutes! I had a choice of walking a mile inland to the bus or another 2-3m to Mousehole. As all body parts were good so I carried on
Hmmm, this is a trail?
Open, then boulders – again!
Yay! Trees and shade! And tiptoeing around mud, and climbing rocks over streams. Thank goodness it was beautiful
Very welcome sight: Mousehole.