Cornwall 2005

I decided this year to do part of the south West Coast Walk. From St Ives to Penzance. so this particular section is dedicated to my adventures and mishaps on that walk.....

This section starts from a beach in St Ives and is tarmac'd. No problem I thought, piece of cake. then within 20 minutes I am climbing over rocks, avoiding and stepping into bogs. This goes on for nearly 2 hours! Not only that but the coves are extremely steep!

Rather feebly I 'climb' down the rocks and back up again to the other side. But I first make sure there is no one within a mile either side of me. If there is I let them pass with th eexcuse I am admiring the view.

After 4 hours I draw out the map to see how far I am from my destination (Zennor) and it is with dismay that I see that I am nearer St Ives then I am to Zennor. But I do notice that there is footpath that leads off to a main road 2 miles over fields. what should I do? no question.... an hour and a half later I'm Zennor bound on a rickety old bus....

I settle into the Tinners Arms and after my fourth (or maybe fifth) Stella I'm studying the map and in walks in a couple who passed me on the walk.

"How did you get here so fast!!" the woman exclaimed.

Not wanting to reveal that I cheated I found myself saying that I took a shortcut.

The next thing I hear is her having a go at her husband for not following this "obviously more experienced walker".

My cue to leave....

From this point on I decide I will do some of the walk on the official path and some on the road. This way I should get a mix of scenery (and of course there are pubs on the road). It is worth pointing that the stiles that dot the paths appear to be, for the most part anyway, not a townies perception of a little wooden thing. Most of them seem to require a skill and are quite steep - you have been warned!

What is it about Cornwall and their food - in my experience it is (almost) universally disgusting!! My advice to anyone wanting to eat in Cornwall is to read the following first:

Dont eat in:

• A certain bed and breakfast in Zennor - Run by hippies and had to have a vegetarian breakfast which consisted of a soya sausage, a square hard thing which resembled a waffle but smelt like cardboard dipped in grease and a fried egg with the consistency of a tennis ball.
  
• A hotel in St Just - Just weird, settled down in restaurant for breakfast, only to be told 'this room is for families only - please go to the next room'. After checking that I did'nt have "PERVERT" stamped on my forehead I settled down to breakfast "in the next room" where we were limited to only one cup of coffee, had to pay 30 pence extra for additional toast and have the smallest breakfast I have ever seen.
  
• Finally a pub in Treen, near Porthcurno. Went to the bar to order food. Bizarrely I was told that I had to go next door to order it. Trundle next door. They ask "whats' the table number?" I trundle back and get number, return to next door, give order and table number, return back to the pub, table now occupied by someone else. I move to another table and keep eye out. Chicken and chips arrive and I explain that I have changed tables. The chicken is excreble, the chips (French fries) are cold and greasy. There is more meat in the ash tray than on my chicken. I decide to leave the meal. The guys at Howard Johnsons in NYC must come here for their training....