14 March 2013: 32km. Started 09:45. Arrived 17:10
An icy start to the morning, with the temperature down to minus 3 deg C as I was driven over Bodmin Moor. However at The Lizard where I was unceremoniously deposited, almost forgetting the obligatory start of journey photo, it was a balmy plus 6 deg C with only a light wind. The scenery was magnificent with clear views and no rain. The path was almost deserted with the few people I met mostly close to car parks.
At Kynance Beach, which I have previously called the “magical” beach, the tide was fairly high. The “magic” is that it’s two separate beaches and then as the tide recedes it becomes one – it happened years ago just while we were eating our picnic lunch there. “Never mind” says my husband and “little things please little minds”, but I still enjoy the thought.
Guess what? – I took a wrong turning soon after, heading inland over some boggy tussocks. How could I have gone wrong, trying to keep to the coast path? Anyway at least it didn’t take me long to realise that I was already going the wrong way.
Mullion Harbour is a tourist draw – a beautiful neat harbour – but all closed for winter. The small church almost on the beach at Gunwalloe was also closed – for major works. Porthleven is a historic fishing village but times have changed and a lot of it is now clearly second homes and holiday lets – such a pity that the local people become priced out of their native villages.
Nonetheless on that fine March day, the coastline scenery was stunning. I arrived at my accommodation away from the coast line in the village of Praa Sands. I had stayed there before on my South West Coast Path walk and enjoyed a warm welcome with a cup of tea in the living room. Staying in different accommodation each night, whether small B&B, hotels or hostels and enjoying visiting different pubs and restaurants each evening for a meal all adds to the experience of the expedition. I had a long list of possible accommodation in all the places I thought I might be staying (from internet searches) and was booking up to ten days or so in advance. My host proudly told me about her son’s work promotion. She was quite worried about the next morning as breakfast would need to be at 07:00 so she could get to Penzance for her husband to judge flowers and she could judge the jams in an important local show. However, the early start was actually exactly what I needed.
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