England,  History,  Photography,  Travel Blog,  Walking

Way Down South…

May 11, 2021 /

Having had 10 rainless days here in April, we get payback on first day this time which is pretty much a total washout. So we get a few housekeeping issues at the cottage sorted, watch the rain fall, listen to the wind, until we go to meet Joy & Charlie for a beer at The Shipwrights as it threatens to clear up. Somewhere around the third sip of Tribute the rain comes in horizontally across the harbour and the pointlessness of an outdoor beer in this weather becomes apparent very quickly. COVID restrictions mean indoor beers are banned, so the day is basically over.

Sunday is a little better and the rain has gone, so we take the coastal path from Padstow to Harlyn and then head back across the fields of the headland. Unlike our last visit, the Atlantic is in a spectacularly furious mood, towering waves smashing white surf against the rocks and throwing huge plumes of water into the air. It’s fantastic to watch. 

Monday 10th May and it’s time to explore some different parts of Cornwall in accordance with our plan for this fortnight, so for our first destination we head to the little but ancient town of Marazion on the south coast. 

St Michael’s Mount

MARAZION

Marazion is home to one of Cornwall’s, maybe one of England’s, iconic images, St Michael’s Mount, so iconic in fact that it featured on a jigsaw of Britain I had as a child.

The small island housing the former monastic village is linked to Marazion on the mainland by a man made causeway passable only at mid to low tide, and as we approach along the causeway the mount is a majestic sight, looming high above today’s turbulent waters. The Cornish counterpart to Normandy’s Mont-Saint-Michel, and occupied by the same Benedictine order after they were gifted the site by Edward The Confessor, the mount has an intriguing history through the centuries far too long to relay here. Interesting to note though that the island village – though it wasn’t always an island – was all but destroyed and its people wiped out by a tsunami following the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.

Causeway to St Michael’s Mount

Today unfortunately we aren’t able to pass through the gates on to the rock, partly due to COVID but mostly because the filming of some apparently popular TV programme is in progress and it appears that the real world has to stop for the pretend one. Marazion itself though is gorgeous, tucked into the corner of a sweeping bay which is today being battered by fierce winds which are welcome as they a) keep blowing the rain clouds straight past us and b) create wonderful seascapes of crashing surf.

Causeway back to Marazion

We wander around the village, past its ridiculously pretty town hall building, seemingly a former Bank, and into the “harbour”, which at low tide looks so strewn with rocks that it’s hard to imagine boats reaching shore. It’s a shame we can’t access the mount, but it’s a spectacular setting providing wonderful views, and after soaking up those views we head to….

Marazion Town Hall

PENZANCE

We didn’t have particularly high hopes for Penzance, thinking of it as a larger more ordinary town rather than a picturesque fishing village, yet we are surprised and delighted by what we find, right from our arrival as we come alongside the railway station at the very southern end of Britain’s railways: an auspicious enough thought in its own right. 

From the seafront car park we wander around the harbour, which houses the impressive sailing ship The Phoenix, history reproduced in the photograph here, and also the passenger and freight terminals for the Isles Of Scilly ferries, which now fills our heads with the thought of getting the train to Penzance then the ferry to Scilly…there’s no doubting our wanderlust is in overdrive.

But what equally impresses us about Penzance comes next, as we wander through back streets gravitating theoretically towards its centre. It’s a long time since we’ve seen so many terrific looking pubs in such close proximity, and we’re delighted to see that they are all either open for outdoor service or preening themselves in readiness for the relaxation of COVID restrictions next Monday. Wanderlust kicks in again and the thought of a pub crawl here is suddenly a must do!

Our wander takes us up from The Dolphin Inn (more in a minute) up Quay Street, Chapel Street and into the delightfully named Causewayhead, which is the historic market place of Penzance and is another delight, as instead of the ubiquitous national retailers, Causewayhead is home to a large number of indie shops of all kinds: old school grocers, bakers, family butchers, hardware and curio shops. Sure there’s a few charity shops etc, but there is a good quota of authentic independents meaning you could easily wile away a few hours here.

Just one of the pubs

Halfway up Chapel Street, you can’t help but notice The Egyptian House, a striking property which was apparently built to mirror a similar building in London’s Piccadilly. There is evidently some dispute over its origins and even its designer, but what is definitely true is that the house spent most of the 20th century in disrepair and hidden from view, until restoration in the 1960s. It was definitely worthy of that restoration!

The Egyptian House

Of all the great looking pubs, The Dolphin has what looks like the best outdoor seating, despite the unavoidable gale force winds which kept whipping menu cards across the street, and one glance at the specials board has us both hooked: Cornish sausages on a bed of bubble and squeak and red cabbage, with onion gravy. Oh come on….yes, it was as good as it sounds. Suitably refreshed, and completely windswept, we head to our final destination today at….

LIZARD POINT

The Lizard is of course the very tip of Britain, its most southerly mainland point. Standing here today, with this powerful wind pounding both our and the cliffs’ faces, the mighty seas below are heaving and crashing in violent turbulence, yet with visibility good in the bright sun, the vastness of the raging ocean is spread before us with all its might and power. Hundreds of square miles of raging seas stretching in every direction gives us a magnificent sense of exactly where we are: on the very tip of the land. You cannot help but be humbled – only a few moments’ reflection here and your whole perspective is reassessed. Dotted around are a couple of solitary individuals, perched on rocks and staring out at this immense ocean – we wonder for a moment who they are, what are their stories, what are their thoughts as they gaze out to sea. For a moment we consider striking up conversation, but they are each lost in thought and we opt instead to leave them in their solitude.

The very tip of Britain

Seabirds whirl on the fierce winds, now and again a seal’s head glistens in the waters, and we too are for a while lost in our thoughts. We complete our day with a section of the coast path and a return across the fields behind the Lizard lighthouse, Michaela capturing a terrific snap of a stonechat along the way.

  • Lizard Lighthouse
  • Stonechat

Our rambles today seemed relatively short yet we’ve walked over 8 miles, enjoying great sights and evoking ancient history. It’s all been terrific, but today’s constant, as ever in Cornwall, was the sea, raging and sparkling in the wind and sun, bringing character to the day and perspective to our souls. 

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