Distance covered today: 19.2km (11.9mi)
Last night's B&B: The Old Parsonage
% Complete: Cumulative distance: 61.1%: 650.9km
Total Ascent/Total Descent: 754m/ 797m
GPS satellite track of today's route: Day 35(click!)
Deja vu today! I had walked most of today's path with my daughter, her husband and father-in-law just last year, and had briefly wondered whether it was worth doing it all again. The complexity of the logistics to avoid the section, not to mention the sense of not completing the whole trip in sequence prevented me from choosing this radical departure, especially after a rest day had restored tired limbs.
Am I happy that I did do it! For a start, half of the trip was in the opposite direction of the original walk and one might as well be on a totally different walk altogether! More importantly, conditions were perfect for walking! I was feeling refreshed, the path was in astonishingly good condition with no mud at all and not a single significant diversion. Even the fact that it was as lumpy as ever didn't affect my enjoyment of it. The steps were decently manageable, and the vistas were constantly changing; I was moving from most rural Cornwall to what can only be described as urban and industrial Cornwall, though still a far cry from the big smoke.
The day started in very pleasant circumstances. Every now and again, I find myself, quite by chance in an exceptional hostelry. The Old Parsonage in Mevagissey is just such a place. Izzy and Tim are refugees from London, searching for a better family life for their two young daughters and themselves. The have delightfully renovated the establishment and it is tasteful and spotless. What is so much more important, they have entered into the business with great personal commitment and a real intention of making personal contact with their guests. They made me feel like a friend!
On arrival, I was worrying about a growing load of laundry. Without my even mentioning it, once Izzy had heard of my itinerary, she spontaneously offered to do my laundry for me! I suggested I would do it myself, using her machine, but she wouldn't hear of it. I asked if there was a launderette in town and she was evasive; "It's broken!". As I left my room this morning for breakfast, my laundry was neatly stacked just outside my room. She didn't even want to disturb me by knocking on my door!
I wasn't the only customer to feel the love. There were two other couples staying there and they were equally enthusiastic. Through our hosts' efforts we were all on first name terms by my departure and all appreciating Bobby, the black Labrador, beloved of one of the couples, and welcome in the B&B. I left feeling very happy.
As I skipped happily along the route, which took me through the caravan park of Pentewan Beach and past its artificial harbour, the path took me to Black Head, described in my guidebook as "reptilian". That was certainly my reaction to the stone erected at its apex, celebrating the life of A. L. Rowse, historian, poet and foul-mouthed loather of ordinary people. He even considered most of the Fellows of his college at Oxford as "second-rate" and said there was no point talking to ordinary people. "Third-raters", he called them. I kicked the stone! (It hurt my toe!)
Further down the path, I came across a gun battery erected by Charles Rashleigh, an entrepreneur and member of a famous family. Charles erected the battery to protect his newly constructed harbour at Charlestown, named after him. He built the harbour to facilitate export of St Austell china clay and the product of the copper mines. Around the harbour, which was excavated out of solid rock, he established other industries; lime-burning, ship-building, and brick-making. No prizes for who I think added more to British welfare!
Talking of the Rashleighs, rather more controversially, one of Charles' ancestors established the Menabilly Estate, which I will pass tomorrow, on the proceeds of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, and that is probably how he eventually acquired his start-up capital, but I'm just guessing! There is a vault for the Rashleighs in the huge cemetery in Kensal Green, a place I often frequent when visiting my grandson in London.
I concluded my walk in the rather more humble environs of the little hamlet of Par. It clearly depends on the local industrial facilities, which remain very important internationally in the china clay industry. In Cornwall the industry is dominated by Imerys which produces approximately 1 million tonnes of kaolin each year, employs around 1000 people and operates in over 20 active quarry and industrial facilities as well as being a key component of global research and development. Its products are used in a vast number of industries from paint and adhesives, through cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, to sanitaryware, tableware, tiles, cardboard and paper.
No wonder I feel at home!
Breakfast this morning with two happy couples and Tim, our host
Izzy, pulling a face (possibly looking delighted??!) at my departure!
Mevagissey harbour in calm
Lumpiness beyond Mevagissey
Pentewan Beach and its caravan park
The artificial harbour at Pentewan
Sublime coastline
Coasteering or just out for a paddle? Probably the latter...
A tree with roots on both sides of the path. Impressive!
Mr Rowse's hurtful stone
The reptilian Black Head
An unidentified mammal up the tree. His parents were amused at my naming him as such, he not so much!
The coast changes; development ahead
The end of the Sunday morning yacht race at Porthpean
The house which my daughter's parents-in-law rented and very kindly shared with us and where we had a fabulous few days in the company of our common grandson!!
The beautiful Duporth Beach, directly below the house
A slag-heap from the clay mines. I remember seeing this conical heap during my LEJOG walk. In fact, after Penzance, this is the closest I have come to that original track.
The gunpowder magazine for Charles Rashleigh's harbour protecting battery
His impressive harbour
With some sailing ships that might almost have been around in his day
The Charlestown Coastwatch station
Carlyon Bay Beach
Imerys industrial facilities near Par
Sorry for the sore toe. In good cause.
ReplyDeleteToes!
DeleteSuch a delightful day! The photo of the sailing ships is remarkable, with the texture in the cloud and the seagulls positioned just right. I've rarely heard you comment on your accommodation, so the testimonial for the Old Parsonage is one I would really trust! It's such a pleasure to stay with B and B host whose hearts are really in it.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more, Phyllis! I do keep a record of B&B performance as I go along, but I don't publish it. However, when they are exceptional, they do merit a mention!
DeleteI went on a walk at Kagga Kamma some years ago and wondered why the path took us right round a large rock when we could have just cut it out altogether. However rounding the rock our view of the smaller one at the side of the path revealed that it looked like the head of a cheetah from that angle, a different perspective like your walk.
ReplyDeleteHow high were those tree roots, did you have to bend to pass under them?
Not really Bridgy, just a little genuflection!
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