Week two of our mini tour and I have finally got my brain into gear to start a blog! I have been so relaxed or just plain lazy, if I’m honest. Over the past fortnight we have been enjoying the sights and sounds, sea views, wonderful flora and fauna and a myriad of wildlife. Far too busy and preoccupied with what is in front of me to get any semblance of order going in my brain. We have been sleeping 8 sometimes 9 hours a night. Going to bed wonderfully exhausted after a day usually walking part of the coastal path, or as in the case of Treamble through wonderful countryside, down old tracks, across streams and through narrow valleys. It has been a blessing to be able to forget the worries of the past few months, even if just for a while.
We decided to go away after the Government announced places would be opening up. We thought travelling, whatever the weather, in a self-contained unit, might be a safer way to get out and about at the moment. So, where better to go than Cornwall? A county we love and more chance of sun we thought. Mixed results so far, on the weather front that is. Where it is busy, people have tended to adhere to the two-metre rule and apart from weekends the MCC sites are reasonably quiet. The MCC and CCC have done a wonderful job in making the sites safe. It has created a lot more work, but as a result the experience has been reassuring, allowing us to get on enjoy and relax in this wonderful part of England.
As we plan our moving-on we have found pitches are increasingly hard to find, unless you are prepared to stay on a site without facilities, which during this time we felt might be a good idea. Well it is a holiday of first’s this one. Let’s buy a toilet tent and give it a go, we thought. We have searched everywhere but can’t find one for love nor money. It would appear everyone else has had the same idea. In order to continue our trip we have come up with a ‘cunning plan’, as Baldrick used to say. We are going to ban each other to the pup tent at the appropriate time!! We have tested the loo in the pup tent to discover you have to sit with your head on your knees, hilarious but not practical. This does conjure up an interesting image though! Anyway, enough of our toiletry arrangements!
Our journey so far.
We started our stay at the MCC site just outside Tintagel and spent the first two days in a dense fog. We didn’t see the sea or the sky much for 48 hours. That didn’t stop us donning our wet gear and walking down to Rocky Valley. (We all accept that on a British summer holiday there is bound to be some rain and pack clothes accordingly, including a woolly hat!)
Rocky Valley is a beautiful narrow gorge in which the River Trevillet flows down to the sea. We walked up past the Old Trethevy Mill and searched out the engravings on the wall. Some say they are from around the Stone Age, recent scholars would disagree. If you carry on up the wooded path alongside the stream you come to the very atmospheric St Nectans Glen. A walk we did some time ago now and again a must see for the cascading waterfall. It is privately owned and a charge is applicable.
Once the sun did finally put in an appearance we enjoyed three beautiful days. We pre-booked a visit to Tintagel Castle. An absolutely must for anyone visiting this part of Cornwall. Atmospheric and perched tentatively on the edge of a cliff, on what is now an island. By 1540 the land bridge had collapsed. English Heritage have built a rather impressive new bridge only recently opened. We enjoyed an historical meander through the various lives of the castle from Roman times. English Heritage are limiting visits to only 900 people a day (they normally admit up to 3000 apparently) and you must pre-book. Very easy to do on their website.
Another day we turned right onto the coastal path from the campsite and enjoyed a lovely walk northwards this time. Along with the pre-requisite picnic sat on a rock, admiring the view.
Use arrow to scroll
On our way to Treamble we stopped off at Bedruthan Steps. What an absolute gem of the SW Coastal Path. We had neither of us visited this area before and it was stunning. Owned by the National Trust, I am beginning to think not much of the British Coast isn’t owned by them. It is managed by the Trust and if you are not members you are charged to park. There is a café at the site and it is now open. We drove into the overflow field and enjoyed a delicious bacon butty overlooking the sea and a walk through the wildflowers to look at the steps. There is a legend associated with Bedruthan the giant who decided to take a short cut across the bay via the rocks. Hence how they got their name.
Treamble was a beautiful MCC site set in a disused quarry. Beautifully landscaped and maintained, with individual pitches available, you felt as though you were miles from anywhere. There are many walks from the site down to the sea and beyond. We decided to walk to the cross of St Piran’s Church set amongst the sand dunes. It was a lovely walk, down old byways, across streams and through farmland. Then after a short walk down a lane we rambled across the sand dunes to the cross. There was rain forecast for the afternoon so once the drizzle started we finished off our drinks and ambled back. Only becoming slightly damp as the drizzle continued.
Use the arrow to scroll
On our final day in this area we decided to visit Crantock. The wildflowers here, again an area managed by The National Trust, were in abundance and such evocative names as Weasel’s Snout, Venus’s looking-glass and Night-flowering Catchfly ( I wonder what that likes to eat?) We also found a little cove where a sign informed us fisherman used to launch their boats from a gap in the rocks, which would protect them from the seas in a storm.
Moving on down the coast towards our next site at Sennen we stopped off at:-
Godrevy
Having been to this area several times over the years we were surprised to discover we had missed this gem. It boasts views over Hayle and St Ives, the lighthouse of course and has a little bay where the seals love to come and sunbathe. Yet again owned by The National Trust there are large areas and fields available at peak times for parking, with a charge for non NT members. We parked at the top of the field where there was a wonderful view over to the lighthouse and enjoyed our lunch before walking to the other side of the cliff to watch the seals in the bay.
In my next blog I will talk about our stay in Sennen and day at the wonderful sounding Carn Gloose, Cape Cornwall.
It is so lovely to be writing about our travels again and sharing them with you.
Bye for now
Comentarios