Hastings Battleaxe goes to Cornwall! This is the first of two posts about our trip – so many places visited, so much seen… so much done. This post covers our journey down, including a strange event that happened on the way to Lyme Regis, and our sunny stay in Sennen Cove. The weather was fantastic – look at this sea…
I’m sorry this blog post is a bit late – it is unlike Battleaxe to leave such a gap between posts, but while I was in Cornwall I had to finish editing the WI News and write a poem for our group meeting this Thursday, as well as enjoy my holiday…. something had to give.
Anyway, on our way down we usually stay the night with our old friend Karol in Lyme Regis. Before arriving in Lyme we stop in Bridport to stretch our legs and generally sort ourselves out after the journey. This time, after inspecting a few bookshops etc (Bridport is a very nice place) we decided to have a cuppa. Standing in the queue in the coffee shop I turned round to come face to face with a man I hadn’t seen since…. 1980? Nearly 40 years… Suffice it to say he used to be my boss when I worked at NAAFI HQ in London. I left there in 1975. I half recognised him straight away, the cogs were whirling, but didn’t fall into gear until he said my name…. He sort of looked the same, but obviously substantially older, and he appeared to be wearing a clerical collar. When I last knew him he was working in Personnel (we didn’t even call it Human Resources in those days). Now, would you believe, he is a C of E vicar. The Vicar of Bridport? Sounds like a Thomas Hardy novel. Anyway, I introduced him to Philosopher and we had a good chat about our lives up to now, Brexit etc. At least his politics hadn’t changed. Then we went on our way. What an extraordinary coincidence though. It quite rattles the equilibrium to realise that a past life can crop up just at total random. He has been living in Bridport for 15 years did he say? We stop there every year on our way to Karol’s.
Not much to say about Lyme Regis except the town centre was all disrupted with film sets for a film about Mary Anning. Apparently it makes her out to be a lesbian. Who knew? Not her, I’d guess. Who cares?
We arrived in Sennen Cove, to our usual big house (Chy Ryn) in good order, and met our old Birmingham friends Sue and Alex and Sue and Graham. This year we had the best bedroom, upstairs, with a big balcony overlooking the waves. Here’s the view from our bed!
Trouble is, the sun is in the wrong place, and there is always, at the least, a brisk breeze blowing in off the Atlantic. Not great for sitting outside. This will be our last year in this house, and maybe, our last year in Sennen Cove. We love it, but it is a long way from anywhere.
I won’t go on at great length about our stay. I have written many posts about the area before. The weather was the best we have ever had. Glorious sun, but never too hot to walk. I have never seen the sea colours so beautiful. It was like the Mediterranean – turquoise, crystal clear… However, to make a change this year, it was not Philosopher and I who were ill – virtually every year we have either had colds/flu, I have been recovering from operations, Philosopher had a bad hip, or I had bad achilles tendon. See this old post… This time, Sue and Graham both were recovering from bad chest infections, and Graham’s flared up again, and then both Sue and Alex developed similar things during the week. Touch wood, Philosopher and I escaped.
I also won’t describe all the eating and drinking that went on – think pints of beer with crisps, huge Sunday lunch, scones in tearooms, chocolate, ice-creams… aargh.
The first day, as usual, we walked to Lands End and back.
Next day, we did my favourite short circular walk – Treen to Penberth Cove, up an agonising steep climb to Logan Rock, where we sit and contemplate the view, back to Treen again. The lane from Treen to Penberth passes some beautiful gardens – magnolias, azaleas, a rushing stream….
Trengwainton Garden, where I especially like the huge old mossy magnolia trees. We have an annual ritual of posing for a phot in a little pavilion…
Followed by Marazion. Looking lovely in the sun.
Walk from St Just to Cape Cornwall, round to Botallack via Kenidjack Valley, where we met this lovely donkey, and back on the bus.
St Ives. Look at those colours… You can look in the local galleries until your eyes drop out, but no painter seems to be able to capture the light well enough.
Walk from the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno over to Porthgwarra. A pretty walk but a rocky, difficult path. I do wonder how long we will be able to carry on with these walks. All of us are pretty strong and fit but time will take its toll….
Then off. We set out on another adventure – to Torquay. See the next post!
