Beer drunk: 330ml, Distance walked: a few miles, Time taken: couple of hours
Well my last B&B was officially the worst by a long way. All the others were at least average to good, with a few very good. This was just plain bad. The walls were tissue paper thin. The toddler turned out to be very well behaved. His father, on the other hand, snores. My bed was both soggy in the middle and had a slight tilt to one side so I spent the whole night bracing myself trying not to fall out. I woke (from my doze) with a painfully sore back.
As for breakfast, the best you could say is you could eat it. I don't think I can face a fried egg again for some time and I've almost managed to have too much bacon. It was a good thing I didn't want sugar in my coffee as the sugar basin was empty except for a few, dirty smudges.
I spent the morning puttering around Pendennis Point, looking at the castle first built by Henry VIII and the various gun emplacements that have been added since to protect the Falmouth estuary. I also spent some time watching 4 J class yachts sailing out the estuary to take part in a regatta further down the coast. These sailing ships are huge. They have over 7,500 square feet of sail and masts around as high as a 10+ storey building (that is a smallish one). Absolutely gorgeous to watch under sail.
I then made my way back to London by train, with 2 changes. It is good practice for tomorrow. A lot of time spent making sure you get to the departure point on time (since I had cheap tickets good for one particular train only) and then lots of time spent sitting around waiting for something to happen. I had a 20 minute wait for the train to Truro, then a 40 minute wait for my connection to Plymouth and then a -2 minute wait for my connection to London Paddington (which was exciting).
The Truro to Plymouth leg was horribly overcrowded (again shades of travel in cattle class). It turns out it is half-term break for several colleges/universities so the train was packed with students going home. I think there were signs saying not to pile luggage in the doorways but they were obscured by the piles of luggage, so I just added my suitcase to the heap. By the second stop the conductors were refusing to let people on if they had too much luggage or had prams. A man with a dog was allowed on. The English much prefer dogs to children. Did you know you can get life vests for your dog?
I'm staying at the Mercure Paddington which is literally next door to Paddington station. I can see it from my window. I think if I really, really saunter I can make the travel time from my hotel to the station for the train to Heathrow tomorrow take as much as 2 minutes. I had booked a single but they upgraded me to a small double. I shudder to think how small the single must have been if this room is bigger. I had perhaps 2 feet of space to one side of the bed and another 2 feet at the foot and that is it. However, I do have my own bathroom and it is ensuite so the world looks good to me.
I had dinner at the Ryath Indian Tandoori restaurant which was the first Indian place I found down a side street near the hotel. I've been meaning to try "genuine" Anglo-Indian food. I don't think I got it here as it seems to cater to tourists rather than Londoners and I suspect any self-respecting resident of the subcontinent would refuse to eat here. As it wasn't fish-based it all tasted good to me - except for the pistachio kulfi which was more like pistachio ice cream. Bummer.
In any case, it is airline/airport food for the next 24 hours so it was definitely better than what is in store for me.
Friday, 29 June 2012
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Day 23 - Falmouth
Beer drunk: none, Distance walked: 14km, Time taken: 4h 43m (3h 26m walking)
Turned out to be a pleasant day for walking today. In the Helford estuary the sky cleared and we even got patches of blue! Back on the coast is was overcast but mild, no rain and no fog, so you could see the view and it was worth seeing. As it hasn't actually rained for the last few days, while it was still muddy underfoot, it wasn't as liquid and slippery. You could even imagine it might dry out in spots.
I walked on my own today as all the others I'd met stayed overnight in different villages to me. I did see someone in the distance that looked like Trevor but decided not to hail him. Turned out to be the right move as when I got closer I saw it wasn't him at all.
Today was supposed to be 16km long and of moderate, not easy, intensity and therefore should take about 5 hours to walk according to the guidebook. I don't know what they were smoking as it was the easiest stage yet. I got to my B&B at 2:30pm rather than after 4pm as is usual and I strolled most of the way. My landlady here wasn't impressed when I showed up so early. For a while there I thought she was going to tell me to go away and come back later but my room was ready so she had no real reason to do so. I can't say I was thrilled with my welcome but perhaps that is just because so many of the people I've met along the way have been super friendly and an ordinary manner seems rather brusque now.
She was also very fussy about dirt. I took my boots off at the door as a matter of course but she kept eyeing my hiking pole tip and the muddy cuffs of my trousers. I had planned on rinsing the worst of the mud off in the bathroom but didn't dare risk her gimlet eye spotting a mud drop. Given that she makes a point of putting up walkers on the SWCP you'd think she'd be a little more laid back about the odd bit of mud.
On the plus side, she did give me a map of Falmouth and recommended places for me to eat and drink. There is a Rick Stein fish&chip shop here too which she rubbished so she clearly isn't all bad. She is also letting me leave my suitcase here tomorrow morning as my train to London doesn't leave until almost 1pm. This means I can go sightseeing tomorrow before heading off. Given that she is essentially letting me check in early and leave late it is probably a little churlish of me to be fussy about her manner.
Still, this is my least favorite B&B. My room is tiny and my (own private) bathroom is down the hall, although I also have a handbasin in my room. It is also all a little shabby. The paint is peeling and I can't put anything on the shelf above the sink in my room. It is so loosely attached to the wall anything heavier than a comb makes it pull away from the wall alarmingly and everything slides off. There is also absolutely no soundproofing and the couple in the room next door have a small child with them. At least it is only for the one night.
I had my second last full English breakfast this morning. I wonder what the food here will be like. My hotel in London is part of a big chain so breakfast is not included in the price. The more upmarket the hotel, the more they nickel and dime you. I'll probably buy my breakfast at Heathrow with whatever cash I have left so it may turn out to be an interesting meal.
There were two German women hikers at my B&B this morning and they recoiled in horror at the sight of my breakfast. They told me they'd managed a full English once and swore never again. Lunch was slightly different to the usual. This time an apple and a packet of nuts and raisins. Afternoon tea was an ice cream cone with a scoop from a local Cornish ice creamery - orange and marscapone flavour and very flavoursome it was too.
Dinner was an experiment that turned out surprisingly well. I was very hungry by around 6pm so I picked a place that seemed reasonable and already had some people in it. It was an African-Cornish fusion place called Amanzi - which is the Zulu word for water. They were very welcoming and didn't hesitate at all to serve a solo diner. They also didn't hurry me out even when they were getting busy and could have used my table. Although, the service could have been better. They didn't bring the water I asked for and I had to ask for sugar for my coffee, but I'll forgive all that for the friendliness.
The food was tasty too. I started with a crab bisque with a wonderfully garlicky aioli. Don't see the connection to Africa but don't care. Main was plaice stuffed with samphire, crab and herbs according to the menu. The "herbs" included quite a bit of fresh ginger (a spice surely?) and either pine nuts or almonds. Again, don't see Africa in any of this and again don't care. Dessert was a creme brulee which had obviously been caramelised on the spot which is very good service. The coffee was good too.
Now I have to try and completely unpack my suitcase in my tiny room and re-pack it so all my grotty hiking gear is on the bottom and all my valuables in my backpack. I swear things are growing in the dark at night. It is getting harder and harder to fit everything in and I hardly bought any souvenirs today.
Turned out to be a pleasant day for walking today. In the Helford estuary the sky cleared and we even got patches of blue! Back on the coast is was overcast but mild, no rain and no fog, so you could see the view and it was worth seeing. As it hasn't actually rained for the last few days, while it was still muddy underfoot, it wasn't as liquid and slippery. You could even imagine it might dry out in spots.
I walked on my own today as all the others I'd met stayed overnight in different villages to me. I did see someone in the distance that looked like Trevor but decided not to hail him. Turned out to be the right move as when I got closer I saw it wasn't him at all.
Today was supposed to be 16km long and of moderate, not easy, intensity and therefore should take about 5 hours to walk according to the guidebook. I don't know what they were smoking as it was the easiest stage yet. I got to my B&B at 2:30pm rather than after 4pm as is usual and I strolled most of the way. My landlady here wasn't impressed when I showed up so early. For a while there I thought she was going to tell me to go away and come back later but my room was ready so she had no real reason to do so. I can't say I was thrilled with my welcome but perhaps that is just because so many of the people I've met along the way have been super friendly and an ordinary manner seems rather brusque now.
She was also very fussy about dirt. I took my boots off at the door as a matter of course but she kept eyeing my hiking pole tip and the muddy cuffs of my trousers. I had planned on rinsing the worst of the mud off in the bathroom but didn't dare risk her gimlet eye spotting a mud drop. Given that she makes a point of putting up walkers on the SWCP you'd think she'd be a little more laid back about the odd bit of mud.
On the plus side, she did give me a map of Falmouth and recommended places for me to eat and drink. There is a Rick Stein fish&chip shop here too which she rubbished so she clearly isn't all bad. She is also letting me leave my suitcase here tomorrow morning as my train to London doesn't leave until almost 1pm. This means I can go sightseeing tomorrow before heading off. Given that she is essentially letting me check in early and leave late it is probably a little churlish of me to be fussy about her manner.
Still, this is my least favorite B&B. My room is tiny and my (own private) bathroom is down the hall, although I also have a handbasin in my room. It is also all a little shabby. The paint is peeling and I can't put anything on the shelf above the sink in my room. It is so loosely attached to the wall anything heavier than a comb makes it pull away from the wall alarmingly and everything slides off. There is also absolutely no soundproofing and the couple in the room next door have a small child with them. At least it is only for the one night.
I had my second last full English breakfast this morning. I wonder what the food here will be like. My hotel in London is part of a big chain so breakfast is not included in the price. The more upmarket the hotel, the more they nickel and dime you. I'll probably buy my breakfast at Heathrow with whatever cash I have left so it may turn out to be an interesting meal.
There were two German women hikers at my B&B this morning and they recoiled in horror at the sight of my breakfast. They told me they'd managed a full English once and swore never again. Lunch was slightly different to the usual. This time an apple and a packet of nuts and raisins. Afternoon tea was an ice cream cone with a scoop from a local Cornish ice creamery - orange and marscapone flavour and very flavoursome it was too.
Dinner was an experiment that turned out surprisingly well. I was very hungry by around 6pm so I picked a place that seemed reasonable and already had some people in it. It was an African-Cornish fusion place called Amanzi - which is the Zulu word for water. They were very welcoming and didn't hesitate at all to serve a solo diner. They also didn't hurry me out even when they were getting busy and could have used my table. Although, the service could have been better. They didn't bring the water I asked for and I had to ask for sugar for my coffee, but I'll forgive all that for the friendliness.
The food was tasty too. I started with a crab bisque with a wonderfully garlicky aioli. Don't see the connection to Africa but don't care. Main was plaice stuffed with samphire, crab and herbs according to the menu. The "herbs" included quite a bit of fresh ginger (a spice surely?) and either pine nuts or almonds. Again, don't see Africa in any of this and again don't care. Dessert was a creme brulee which had obviously been caramelised on the spot which is very good service. The coffee was good too.
Now I have to try and completely unpack my suitcase in my tiny room and re-pack it so all my grotty hiking gear is on the bottom and all my valuables in my backpack. I swear things are growing in the dark at night. It is getting harder and harder to fit everything in and I hardly bought any souvenirs today.
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Day 22 - Helford
Beer drunk: 1 pint, Distance walked: 17km (estimate), Time taken: 6h 3m (5h 18m walking (estimate))
Only estimates today as the batteries in the GPS died just before the end. Dull walking today. It was foggy all day not that it turned out that it mattered. A good chunk of the walk was inland as the coast is private property. That meant it was down lanes and across fields which gets boring fairly rapidly. The bits that were along the coast were through fairly dense woodland so there wouldn't have been any view to see even if the fog had lifted. It was also muddy underfoot but not as bad as yesterday. I didn't fall once.
I walked today with Trevor and an English couple whose names I didn't catch. It was pleasant walking with others along this stretch as the conversation made up for the dullness of the scenery. The only fun bit today was crossing the Gillan creek. At low tide you can wade across but we got there as the tide was coming in so this wasn't an option. Instead, you raise a red flag and, eventually, the ferryman on the other side notices and comes in a tinny to fetch you over for the princely sum of 3 pounds each.
I only went as far as this side of the Helford River today. Once there I phoned my B&B in Coverack and they came and fetched me back. It took 30 minutes to drive the distance we spent all day walking. A very lowering experience. The others crossed the Helford and then phoned their B&B's and were fetched to a town inland. There are no B&Bs around Helford itself unfortunately.
Crossing the Helford River involves much the same process as crossing the Gillan creek did except the flag is yellow and the boat (slightly) larger. I'll find out tomorrow how much is the fare. I get dropped off at the ferry landing tomorrow morning.
Lunch was the usual - apple and chocolate bar but I had afternoon tea at a teashop in Helford while I was waiting for my lift. This was a chocolate brownie, with clotted cream as the owner felt that it was necessary for walkers, plus a pot of tea. I'm almost beginning to like tea.
I had dinner at the Paris Hotel here in Coverack. In spite of the name it is the more downmarket of the two pubs here. The other, the Bay Hotel, felt a bit too grand for me tonight. I've washed off all the mud but I still didn't feel up to fine dining. I'd had a pint in the Paris Hotel last night with Trevor and the English couple and found it welcoming, if a bit scruffy, or perhaps because of it. Full of locals (and their dogs) as well as walkers. I had - you can guess - the steak and chips. I'll eat somewhere a little fancier tomorrow night in Falmouth.
One more day of walking and then back to the salt mines.
Only estimates today as the batteries in the GPS died just before the end. Dull walking today. It was foggy all day not that it turned out that it mattered. A good chunk of the walk was inland as the coast is private property. That meant it was down lanes and across fields which gets boring fairly rapidly. The bits that were along the coast were through fairly dense woodland so there wouldn't have been any view to see even if the fog had lifted. It was also muddy underfoot but not as bad as yesterday. I didn't fall once.
I walked today with Trevor and an English couple whose names I didn't catch. It was pleasant walking with others along this stretch as the conversation made up for the dullness of the scenery. The only fun bit today was crossing the Gillan creek. At low tide you can wade across but we got there as the tide was coming in so this wasn't an option. Instead, you raise a red flag and, eventually, the ferryman on the other side notices and comes in a tinny to fetch you over for the princely sum of 3 pounds each.
I only went as far as this side of the Helford River today. Once there I phoned my B&B in Coverack and they came and fetched me back. It took 30 minutes to drive the distance we spent all day walking. A very lowering experience. The others crossed the Helford and then phoned their B&B's and were fetched to a town inland. There are no B&Bs around Helford itself unfortunately.
Crossing the Helford River involves much the same process as crossing the Gillan creek did except the flag is yellow and the boat (slightly) larger. I'll find out tomorrow how much is the fare. I get dropped off at the ferry landing tomorrow morning.
Lunch was the usual - apple and chocolate bar but I had afternoon tea at a teashop in Helford while I was waiting for my lift. This was a chocolate brownie, with clotted cream as the owner felt that it was necessary for walkers, plus a pot of tea. I'm almost beginning to like tea.
I had dinner at the Paris Hotel here in Coverack. In spite of the name it is the more downmarket of the two pubs here. The other, the Bay Hotel, felt a bit too grand for me tonight. I've washed off all the mud but I still didn't feel up to fine dining. I'd had a pint in the Paris Hotel last night with Trevor and the English couple and found it welcoming, if a bit scruffy, or perhaps because of it. Full of locals (and their dogs) as well as walkers. I had - you can guess - the steak and chips. I'll eat somewhere a little fancier tomorrow night in Falmouth.
One more day of walking and then back to the salt mines.
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Day 21 - Coverack
Beer drunk: 1 pint, Distance walked: 18km, Time taken: 6h 33m (5h 27m walking)
I walked to Coverack with Trevor today. We originally set off with one of the couples from the B&B too but they didn't have hiking poles and the track was <b>very</b> muddy and slippery underfoot and they couldn't keep up. It was also very foggy in the morning. Not so bad that you felt unsafe walking (visibility was about 10m) but it was an interesting experience all the same. Snow is about the only weather condition I've yet to encounter on this trip. I've been told it is <i>unlikely</i> at this time of year.
There is a lighthouse with a foghorn at Lizard point. The fog had rolled in last night and I remember lying in bed trying to work out what that strange, repetitive sound was. It is very directional so while it was audible in the village it wasn't loud. We thought it wasn't that loud even on the coast path until we happen to be walking by it when it sounded. It is definitely LOUD.
Walking was hard work today due to the uncertain footing. It was supposed to be an easy day but we kept slipping and sliding. I fell down 3 times but Trevor slipped over 6 times so I still feel ok. I ran into the other couple later tonight in the pub and the woman said at one point she had to take a bit of the path on her hands and knees.
Another reason the time taken overall was so long was because, as I said before, Trevor is a chatty soul. We stopped to chat to shopkeepers, dog walkers, other hikers and a lifeguard at a lifeboat station we passed. When there were no other people around Trevor chatted to me. Fortunately, my B&B provided me with dinner tonight (and Trevor is staying somewhere else) as I'm all small talked out. We are walking some of the way together tomorrow too but he's staying somewhere along the way whereas I'm to be collected by my landlady here and brought back as there is no B&B suitable near my stopping point tomorrow.
The B&B here is very pleasant. I have a huge room with fantastic views. I've even been supplied with a set of binoculars. Again, they are set up for walkers with drying rooms and places to take off boots. I ended up having to be hosed off in the garden before even getting onto the porch I was so encased in mud. Then when I had my shower I got into it with my hiking pants still on to rinse of the last of the mud. I hope I didn't clog the drain.
I didn't have much in the way of lunch today, just an apple and chocolate bar, like yesterday. I made up for my abstemiousness at dinner. I dined in solitary splendour, all the other guests here having chosen to eat out. I think half board for at least one night here is a requirement. In any case, my landlady knows how to feed walkers. I had roast turkey with gravy, roast potatoes, peas (of course), carrots and cauliflower cheese. There was enough to feed 2 normal people so I ate 3/4 of it. Then came dessert, which was strawberries with clotted cream. Again, enough for 2 but this time I scarfed the lot. Fruit is good for you.
The fog has rolled in again tonight but there is no foghorn here to lull me to sleep.
I walked to Coverack with Trevor today. We originally set off with one of the couples from the B&B too but they didn't have hiking poles and the track was <b>very</b> muddy and slippery underfoot and they couldn't keep up. It was also very foggy in the morning. Not so bad that you felt unsafe walking (visibility was about 10m) but it was an interesting experience all the same. Snow is about the only weather condition I've yet to encounter on this trip. I've been told it is <i>unlikely</i> at this time of year.
There is a lighthouse with a foghorn at Lizard point. The fog had rolled in last night and I remember lying in bed trying to work out what that strange, repetitive sound was. It is very directional so while it was audible in the village it wasn't loud. We thought it wasn't that loud even on the coast path until we happen to be walking by it when it sounded. It is definitely LOUD.
Walking was hard work today due to the uncertain footing. It was supposed to be an easy day but we kept slipping and sliding. I fell down 3 times but Trevor slipped over 6 times so I still feel ok. I ran into the other couple later tonight in the pub and the woman said at one point she had to take a bit of the path on her hands and knees.
Another reason the time taken overall was so long was because, as I said before, Trevor is a chatty soul. We stopped to chat to shopkeepers, dog walkers, other hikers and a lifeguard at a lifeboat station we passed. When there were no other people around Trevor chatted to me. Fortunately, my B&B provided me with dinner tonight (and Trevor is staying somewhere else) as I'm all small talked out. We are walking some of the way together tomorrow too but he's staying somewhere along the way whereas I'm to be collected by my landlady here and brought back as there is no B&B suitable near my stopping point tomorrow.
The B&B here is very pleasant. I have a huge room with fantastic views. I've even been supplied with a set of binoculars. Again, they are set up for walkers with drying rooms and places to take off boots. I ended up having to be hosed off in the garden before even getting onto the porch I was so encased in mud. Then when I had my shower I got into it with my hiking pants still on to rinse of the last of the mud. I hope I didn't clog the drain.
I didn't have much in the way of lunch today, just an apple and chocolate bar, like yesterday. I made up for my abstemiousness at dinner. I dined in solitary splendour, all the other guests here having chosen to eat out. I think half board for at least one night here is a requirement. In any case, my landlady knows how to feed walkers. I had roast turkey with gravy, roast potatoes, peas (of course), carrots and cauliflower cheese. There was enough to feed 2 normal people so I ate 3/4 of it. Then came dessert, which was strawberries with clotted cream. Again, enough for 2 but this time I scarfed the lot. Fruit is good for you.
The fog has rolled in again tonight but there is no foghorn here to lull me to sleep.
Day 20 - The Lizard
Beer drunk: 2 pints, Distance walked: 24km, Time taken: 6h 45m (6h 3m walking)
When I set out today there was just a light drizzle so I didn't bother putting on all my waterproof gear. By about lunchtime the rain had set in in earnest, but of course I was soaked so I just kept going. It was a light but steady rain so not too bad. It also stopped about 1 hour from the end so I'd mostly dried out by the time I got to my B&B.
Nothing much to say about the walk. The scenery was as spectacular as always. No joggers today but plenty of dog walkers and other hikers. Towards the end of the route I came up to a party of almost 20 headed in the same direction as me. I let them stay ahead so I didn't have to worry about path finding. Fortunately, when they arrived at Lizard point they all climbed into a bus and were driven away so I didn't have to try to find somewhere to have dinner in competition with them all. Lizard village is a tiny place.
The landlord at my B&B is an ex-hippie from Essex so not the normal sort of person you'd expect to see running such a business. He was very friendly and anxious too please. The place has always been built as a hotel. The nearby pub (The Top House) was built first and this place (known locally at the Bottom House) was built later when the village got more popular and needed more space for visitors. It is a gorgeous place and well laid out since it hasn't been someone's house retrofitted. Still I only got shower in my ensuite as indoor plumbing was still a novelty when the place was built so some retrofitting has been required.
My breakfast this morning was ridiculously large even by walker standards. I started with muesli with a supplied fruit salad of strawberries and melon balls. My landlady was very offended that I didn't try the grapefruit and grape fruit salad so I ate that too. Then came the fry up. This time it was egg, bacon, sausage, cornish hog's pudding (slices of sausage heavily spiced with thyme), mushrooms, tomatoes and fried potato. I was also given 2 slices of toast. My landlady seemed a little hurt when I didn't want seconds of anything. It was all I could do not to waddle when I left. All I had for lunch was an apple and a chocolate bar, although I think I was still digesting breakfast at that stage and didn't need to eat at all.
There are two pubs in the village. On the advice of my landlord I went to the Witchball for a pint before dinner. I had the local brew, which is made just down the road. It is not widely available outside of the Lizard. Sadly, for good reason.
After consuming this I went the Top House for dinner. I just had a pint of St Austell's Tribute there. For dinner I started with the potted crab. This pub was very fussy about letting you know where all their produce came from. For this dish, it wasn't just from So-and-so's fishery. I was actually told Mr So-and-so caught it and Mrs So-and-so prepared it. They take this local Cornish stuff <b>very</b> seriously. For main I had steak and kidney (and Tribute ale) pie with the usual veg, i.e. chips and peas.
While I was eating I got chatting to a man sitting at the table next to me. I'd seen him in the Witchball earlier. Turns out he is walking the South West Coast Path too. His name is Trevor and he hails from Perth. He was staying at my B&B too along with two other couples doing the same walk. The B&B owner said he gets a lot of business from walkers and was all set up for it with an enclosed porch for taking off muddy boots and a drying room for wet gear.
Trevor was a chatty soul. There was a band coming to play at the pub later in the evening and I could tell he would have liked me to stay and listen to it with him but I tottered off to bed. Need to rest the feet.
When I set out today there was just a light drizzle so I didn't bother putting on all my waterproof gear. By about lunchtime the rain had set in in earnest, but of course I was soaked so I just kept going. It was a light but steady rain so not too bad. It also stopped about 1 hour from the end so I'd mostly dried out by the time I got to my B&B.
Nothing much to say about the walk. The scenery was as spectacular as always. No joggers today but plenty of dog walkers and other hikers. Towards the end of the route I came up to a party of almost 20 headed in the same direction as me. I let them stay ahead so I didn't have to worry about path finding. Fortunately, when they arrived at Lizard point they all climbed into a bus and were driven away so I didn't have to try to find somewhere to have dinner in competition with them all. Lizard village is a tiny place.
The landlord at my B&B is an ex-hippie from Essex so not the normal sort of person you'd expect to see running such a business. He was very friendly and anxious too please. The place has always been built as a hotel. The nearby pub (The Top House) was built first and this place (known locally at the Bottom House) was built later when the village got more popular and needed more space for visitors. It is a gorgeous place and well laid out since it hasn't been someone's house retrofitted. Still I only got shower in my ensuite as indoor plumbing was still a novelty when the place was built so some retrofitting has been required.
My breakfast this morning was ridiculously large even by walker standards. I started with muesli with a supplied fruit salad of strawberries and melon balls. My landlady was very offended that I didn't try the grapefruit and grape fruit salad so I ate that too. Then came the fry up. This time it was egg, bacon, sausage, cornish hog's pudding (slices of sausage heavily spiced with thyme), mushrooms, tomatoes and fried potato. I was also given 2 slices of toast. My landlady seemed a little hurt when I didn't want seconds of anything. It was all I could do not to waddle when I left. All I had for lunch was an apple and a chocolate bar, although I think I was still digesting breakfast at that stage and didn't need to eat at all.
There are two pubs in the village. On the advice of my landlord I went to the Witchball for a pint before dinner. I had the local brew, which is made just down the road. It is not widely available outside of the Lizard. Sadly, for good reason.
After consuming this I went the Top House for dinner. I just had a pint of St Austell's Tribute there. For dinner I started with the potted crab. This pub was very fussy about letting you know where all their produce came from. For this dish, it wasn't just from So-and-so's fishery. I was actually told Mr So-and-so caught it and Mrs So-and-so prepared it. They take this local Cornish stuff <b>very</b> seriously. For main I had steak and kidney (and Tribute ale) pie with the usual veg, i.e. chips and peas.
While I was eating I got chatting to a man sitting at the table next to me. I'd seen him in the Witchball earlier. Turns out he is walking the South West Coast Path too. His name is Trevor and he hails from Perth. He was staying at my B&B too along with two other couples doing the same walk. The B&B owner said he gets a lot of business from walkers and was all set up for it with an enclosed porch for taking off muddy boots and a drying room for wet gear.
Trevor was a chatty soul. There was a band coming to play at the pub later in the evening and I could tell he would have liked me to stay and listen to it with him but I tottered off to bed. Need to rest the feet.
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Day 19 - Porthleven
Beer drunk: 2 pints, Distance walked: 22km, Time taken: 6h 26m (5h 37m walking)
I'd been a bit concerned about today's walk as it was, officially, the longest but it turned out to be mostly easy going. The path was generally firm underfoot and there were only a few drops down into valleys/coves and then up the other side.
I did do one more descent into a cove than was officially necessary. I was scrambling across a pebbled beach when about half way along it I realised that this wouldn't be passable at high tide so it couldn't be right. However, the tide was out and I could see a path leading up out of the cove at the other end so I kept on. Turns out the official path used to run along the cliff above the beach but had fallen down. There is a diversion inland but the old signs are still there. I'd followed them to the beach and since the path along it (and matching signs) have vanished had assumed along the beach was the way I was meant to go. I wonder how obvious the diversion signs were. I certainly never noticed them.
The weather was mostly pleasant for walking but it was drizzling when I set off. It cleared after about an hour to a sunny day. The annoying bit of this was it was raining when I was closest to St Michael's Mount. It is spectacular but I have no good photos of it. I was some distance away before it was fine enough to fish out my camera and take pictures. Google Images will have to come to my rescue.
I met quite a few hikers and dog walkers today as the weather was good. I also saw yet another jogger. He was coming downhill into a valley towards me and then, without slowing down or breaking stride, jogged up the other side. He was wearing a lifeguard t-shirt so I guess he was in training. He can rescue me any time.
I just had a sandwich and some fruit for lunch on the way but stopped for a pint when I reached Porthleven before heading to the B&B. Fortunately I didn't linger too long over it. When I arrived it turns out there were another pair of walkers due any moment. However, there are only 2 bedrooms for rent and as the first to arrive I got to choose. The options were one room with a double bed + bunk beds (and an ensuite shower) and the other with a double bed and an ensuite bath. There is no prize for guessing which one I chose. The other pair of hikers turned up only 15 minutes after me. They are taking their revenge by watching TV in the neighbouring room rather loudly.
There are several pleasant sounding restaurants here in Porthleven but it being a Sunday they are all shut so the only choice for dinner was one of 3 pubs. On the advice of my landlady I went to the Ship Inn which prides itself on being an old smugglers inn and also a chip-free zone. It says it is an 18th century pub but I would have thought from the shape and size (and low ceilings) that it was a good bit older than that. The building certainly seems to be.
I had the fish pie which came with salad. I think these were the first pieces of lettuce that have passed my lips since arriving on these shores. I can't imagine why I haven't thought to order this sort of pie before. It was topped with so much (tasty) mash and a white sauce so full of cheese I had to take their word for it there was fish in it. The fish dish for non-fish eaters. I had the apple pie with caramel sauce and clotted cream for dessert.
While I was there a couple came in and ordered two glasses of house white wine. Why order wine at a pub that prides itself on its good ale (and doesn't have much in the way of a wine list) is a mystery to me. They also ordered meals. The man wanted the sirloin steak. However, the waiter came over to tell him that the sirloin was "off" and would the rump steak be an acceptable substitute. It wasn't and so they demanded their money back and left. I can't understand being so precious about the cut of meat. I can see preferring one to another but to refuse to eat the alternative seems a little too particular. In any case, if you are that fussy why are you eating in a pub in the first place?
I'd been a bit concerned about today's walk as it was, officially, the longest but it turned out to be mostly easy going. The path was generally firm underfoot and there were only a few drops down into valleys/coves and then up the other side.
I did do one more descent into a cove than was officially necessary. I was scrambling across a pebbled beach when about half way along it I realised that this wouldn't be passable at high tide so it couldn't be right. However, the tide was out and I could see a path leading up out of the cove at the other end so I kept on. Turns out the official path used to run along the cliff above the beach but had fallen down. There is a diversion inland but the old signs are still there. I'd followed them to the beach and since the path along it (and matching signs) have vanished had assumed along the beach was the way I was meant to go. I wonder how obvious the diversion signs were. I certainly never noticed them.
The weather was mostly pleasant for walking but it was drizzling when I set off. It cleared after about an hour to a sunny day. The annoying bit of this was it was raining when I was closest to St Michael's Mount. It is spectacular but I have no good photos of it. I was some distance away before it was fine enough to fish out my camera and take pictures. Google Images will have to come to my rescue.
I met quite a few hikers and dog walkers today as the weather was good. I also saw yet another jogger. He was coming downhill into a valley towards me and then, without slowing down or breaking stride, jogged up the other side. He was wearing a lifeguard t-shirt so I guess he was in training. He can rescue me any time.
I just had a sandwich and some fruit for lunch on the way but stopped for a pint when I reached Porthleven before heading to the B&B. Fortunately I didn't linger too long over it. When I arrived it turns out there were another pair of walkers due any moment. However, there are only 2 bedrooms for rent and as the first to arrive I got to choose. The options were one room with a double bed + bunk beds (and an ensuite shower) and the other with a double bed and an ensuite bath. There is no prize for guessing which one I chose. The other pair of hikers turned up only 15 minutes after me. They are taking their revenge by watching TV in the neighbouring room rather loudly.
There are several pleasant sounding restaurants here in Porthleven but it being a Sunday they are all shut so the only choice for dinner was one of 3 pubs. On the advice of my landlady I went to the Ship Inn which prides itself on being an old smugglers inn and also a chip-free zone. It says it is an 18th century pub but I would have thought from the shape and size (and low ceilings) that it was a good bit older than that. The building certainly seems to be.
I had the fish pie which came with salad. I think these were the first pieces of lettuce that have passed my lips since arriving on these shores. I can't imagine why I haven't thought to order this sort of pie before. It was topped with so much (tasty) mash and a white sauce so full of cheese I had to take their word for it there was fish in it. The fish dish for non-fish eaters. I had the apple pie with caramel sauce and clotted cream for dessert.
While I was there a couple came in and ordered two glasses of house white wine. Why order wine at a pub that prides itself on its good ale (and doesn't have much in the way of a wine list) is a mystery to me. They also ordered meals. The man wanted the sirloin steak. However, the waiter came over to tell him that the sirloin was "off" and would the rump steak be an acceptable substitute. It wasn't and so they demanded their money back and left. I can't understand being so precious about the cut of meat. I can see preferring one to another but to refuse to eat the alternative seems a little too particular. In any case, if you are that fussy why are you eating in a pub in the first place?
Saturday, 23 June 2012
Day 18 - Penzance again
Beer drunk: none, Distance walked: some, Time taken: all day
Spent the day puttering around Penzance taking in all the Mazey Day festivities. Didn't get to see the three legged pirate race or the pasty and spoon race. I think they are on tomorrow. I did see a lot of pirates. Mostly women with fake moustaches for some reason. Saw several parades and listened to a few bands. The best event was a parade of people dressed in togas, complete with imperial purple stripes, with wreaths in their hair, who were banging on drums and blowing whistles. In front of them two women in flimsy white outfits samba-ed their way down the street. I have absolutely no idea what it was all about (I suspect no-one did) but they clearly were having the time of their life.
I ended up buying an unintended (and rather impractical) souvenir. As part of my wanderings I went into a local art gallery (prints, paintings, china, jewellery and the like). There were a man and woman running the shop. When the woman asked if she could help me, I replied I liked many of the things but had no way of getting them home safely. This being my way of politely saying "I'm just browsing. Don't expect me to buy anything." To illustrate my point I waved at a framed print and said I loved it but it would be impossible to take home. It turns out the man (the woman's husband) was the artist. They immediately said they could sell me an unframed version of the print and rushed around looking for one. The man ended up disappearing out the back and returning after a few minutes with a copy. It was an artist's proof that he'd done that morning that he had hastily trimmed and signed. He showed it to me, apologising for it not being the best quality as it wasn't meant to be for sale but they didn't have any other unframed versions at the moment. He went on to say that if I didn't want to buy it he would of course understand. They all looked so longingly and piteously at me (even their pet whippet got in on the act) so I naturally had to buy it. I do love it though. It is of a wet, bedraggled and thoroughly grumpy crow. I know just how it feels.
I also bought a 2nd impractical souvenir. At least this one is easy to transport. It is the wool and the pattern for knitting a tea cosy in the shape of a sheep using wool from organically raised sheep which have been organically sheared and spun (how would you do it inorganically?). I don't even own a teapot, let alone drink tea. I don't know what came over me today.
I almost forgot to say we had some excitement in the early hours of this morning. The fire alarm went off at 6:20am. Luckily it turned out to be a false alarm but those things are loud and very alarming. It was not pleasant being jolted out of a deep sleep straight into a fright. We all popped out of our rooms trying to find out what was going on. The male owner showed up, resplendent in a set of stripped pyjamas, looking for the source. Turned out it was dust from someone's hair dryer though why anyone would have been blowdrying their hair at that hour was not explained.
Just after writing this the fire alarm went off again. Again it was the same woman blowdrying her hair. I now know who she is and what room she is in. If she sets the thing off again tomorrow morning I will not be held accountable for my actions.
I searched all the second-hand bookshops and book stalls and all the op shops for any Clare Mallory books. I thought I might be in with a chance given the Cornish connection (I've also come across a rather run down B&B called Dunedin) but had no luck. According to Google, you can buy 2nd hand copies for only $50 (plus postage) of each of the books, up to $150 if you want one in mint condition. Looks like there is an obvious market for reprints by whoever holds the copyright. A bit more Googling shows that it isn't clear who does which might explain the lack of a new edition.
Didn't have a "lunch" to speak of. Just grazed on various things from various stalls throughout the day. I wasn't sure what to do for dinner. I didn't expect any of the more upmarket places would be keen on a table for one on such a busy day. All the pubs are full of 20-somethings drinking and have been so since they opened this morning. I thought I might have to go early and try to find something cheap-and-cheerful that turns over their tables quickly so a solo diner won't be such a pariah.
In the end I went to quite a pleasant place called Sofia's just around the corner from the B&B. I had looked at it before but the menu was a bit too "fishy" for my tastes. However, it had started to rain and the place was deserted as it is a bit off the beaten track. For the first 1/2 an hour I was the only person there so they were happy to serve me. The next set of people to come in were a group of 4 60-something men. Two couples I think. They were camp as a row of tents and I had a very pleasant time eavesdropping on their conversation.
For food I started with a smoked mackerel pate followed by hake in a saffron sauce on a bed of mashed potatoes served with steamed carrots, peas (what is it with the English and peas?), zucchini and broccoli. All very tasty except for the mashed potatoes. They'd obviously been boiled earlier and stored in the fridge and had that slightly funky taste refridgerated potatoes get. Would have been improved with more butter and cream in the mash. Dessert was strawberries and (clotted) cream. To drink I had a glass of Australian shiraz, again from a winery I'd never heard of. Why do we export only crappy wine? I mean you could drink it but it was only plonk.
Spent the day puttering around Penzance taking in all the Mazey Day festivities. Didn't get to see the three legged pirate race or the pasty and spoon race. I think they are on tomorrow. I did see a lot of pirates. Mostly women with fake moustaches for some reason. Saw several parades and listened to a few bands. The best event was a parade of people dressed in togas, complete with imperial purple stripes, with wreaths in their hair, who were banging on drums and blowing whistles. In front of them two women in flimsy white outfits samba-ed their way down the street. I have absolutely no idea what it was all about (I suspect no-one did) but they clearly were having the time of their life.
I ended up buying an unintended (and rather impractical) souvenir. As part of my wanderings I went into a local art gallery (prints, paintings, china, jewellery and the like). There were a man and woman running the shop. When the woman asked if she could help me, I replied I liked many of the things but had no way of getting them home safely. This being my way of politely saying "I'm just browsing. Don't expect me to buy anything." To illustrate my point I waved at a framed print and said I loved it but it would be impossible to take home. It turns out the man (the woman's husband) was the artist. They immediately said they could sell me an unframed version of the print and rushed around looking for one. The man ended up disappearing out the back and returning after a few minutes with a copy. It was an artist's proof that he'd done that morning that he had hastily trimmed and signed. He showed it to me, apologising for it not being the best quality as it wasn't meant to be for sale but they didn't have any other unframed versions at the moment. He went on to say that if I didn't want to buy it he would of course understand. They all looked so longingly and piteously at me (even their pet whippet got in on the act) so I naturally had to buy it. I do love it though. It is of a wet, bedraggled and thoroughly grumpy crow. I know just how it feels.
I also bought a 2nd impractical souvenir. At least this one is easy to transport. It is the wool and the pattern for knitting a tea cosy in the shape of a sheep using wool from organically raised sheep which have been organically sheared and spun (how would you do it inorganically?). I don't even own a teapot, let alone drink tea. I don't know what came over me today.
I almost forgot to say we had some excitement in the early hours of this morning. The fire alarm went off at 6:20am. Luckily it turned out to be a false alarm but those things are loud and very alarming. It was not pleasant being jolted out of a deep sleep straight into a fright. We all popped out of our rooms trying to find out what was going on. The male owner showed up, resplendent in a set of stripped pyjamas, looking for the source. Turned out it was dust from someone's hair dryer though why anyone would have been blowdrying their hair at that hour was not explained.
Just after writing this the fire alarm went off again. Again it was the same woman blowdrying her hair. I now know who she is and what room she is in. If she sets the thing off again tomorrow morning I will not be held accountable for my actions.
I searched all the second-hand bookshops and book stalls and all the op shops for any Clare Mallory books. I thought I might be in with a chance given the Cornish connection (I've also come across a rather run down B&B called Dunedin) but had no luck. According to Google, you can buy 2nd hand copies for only $50 (plus postage) of each of the books, up to $150 if you want one in mint condition. Looks like there is an obvious market for reprints by whoever holds the copyright. A bit more Googling shows that it isn't clear who does which might explain the lack of a new edition.
Didn't have a "lunch" to speak of. Just grazed on various things from various stalls throughout the day. I wasn't sure what to do for dinner. I didn't expect any of the more upmarket places would be keen on a table for one on such a busy day. All the pubs are full of 20-somethings drinking and have been so since they opened this morning. I thought I might have to go early and try to find something cheap-and-cheerful that turns over their tables quickly so a solo diner won't be such a pariah.
In the end I went to quite a pleasant place called Sofia's just around the corner from the B&B. I had looked at it before but the menu was a bit too "fishy" for my tastes. However, it had started to rain and the place was deserted as it is a bit off the beaten track. For the first 1/2 an hour I was the only person there so they were happy to serve me. The next set of people to come in were a group of 4 60-something men. Two couples I think. They were camp as a row of tents and I had a very pleasant time eavesdropping on their conversation.
For food I started with a smoked mackerel pate followed by hake in a saffron sauce on a bed of mashed potatoes served with steamed carrots, peas (what is it with the English and peas?), zucchini and broccoli. All very tasty except for the mashed potatoes. They'd obviously been boiled earlier and stored in the fridge and had that slightly funky taste refridgerated potatoes get. Would have been improved with more butter and cream in the mash. Dessert was strawberries and (clotted) cream. To drink I had a glass of Australian shiraz, again from a winery I'd never heard of. Why do we export only crappy wine? I mean you could drink it but it was only plonk.
Friday, 22 June 2012
Day 17 - Penzance
Beer drunk: none, Distance walked: 20km, Time taken: 6h 41m (5h 33m walking)
Today turned out to be a very pleasant day for walking - cool, with a light breeze. I'd been a bit nervous about today's walk as it was rated as more difficult than yesterday's even though it was much the same distance. What a difference decent weather makes.
I had planned on getting an early night and a good sleep in this morning but fate had other plans. There were 4 men staying at my B&B. They are riding bicycles from Land's End to John O'Groats. They spent a fair amount of time on the landing outside all our rooms the night before planning what time to get up and what to have for breakfast. Then, this morning, one got up early and went around knocking on doors and waking up everyone (not just his mates). I hope they all get punctures.
The walking was mainly easy. Some rocky paths but not bogs and not too much mud. There was one point when you walked/scrambled along a beach covered in boulders (none of that piddly pebble stuff). Fortunately the tide was out. It would have been a bit exciting at high tide, particularly with an onshore breeze.
I lunched at a teashop in Lamorna Cove. This was partly because I wanted a lighter meal than yesterday but mainly, I have to confess, because the teashop was on the path and the pub a bit of a walk inland. I'm getting lazy in my old age.
My B&B here in Penzance is one off a row of terrace houses, every second one of which is a B&B. I wonder how they make a living out of season?
My room is delightful. It is up on the 2nd floor, tucked in under the eaves. They've done a good job fitting everything in, even tucking in a little ensuite bathroom. My own bathroom with no excursions necessary. The owner did confess to me that one room has a bath. Mine just has a shower. He didn't need to tell me that!
The male half of the owners turns out to be from Melbourne. He grew up in Viewbank and went to the Boy's Grammar. His father's family was from Strathmore and his mother's from Pascoe Vale so he is practically a neighbour. He is also an Essendon supporter, but I promised not to hold that against him.
I got here a little before 4pm and everyone was out so I had to phone to fetch the owners back to let me in. They said I got here earlier than expected. One of the other B&B people said this, even though I turned up after 4pm. My trip notes said anytime after 4pm was OK but it sounds as if at least some expect me to call ahead and let them know when I expect to arrive. This strikes me as both impractical (how can I be sure how long it will take me to walk each section? I've never done it before.) not to mention ruinously expensive.
I spent my afternoon at the laundromat. When you can smell yourself you know you must reek. After doing my laundry I went out for dinner. I went to Harris's Restaurant as I was feeling pub-ed out. After the usual dithering about whether they were willing to give a table to a solo dinner I was in. I had the duck terrine with green tomato chutney to start. It was delicious. Very earthy flavour so lots of liver and not so much padding like cream or butter. My only objection was the serving was huge. I was then given a small scoop of a thyme sorbet to cleanse the palate. Very silly but intensely flavoured. Main was lamb noisettes with fennel puree and rosemary sauce, with green beans, mange toute peas and boiled potatoes on the side. Again tasty and again a huge serving. Mrs Harris does front of house and she warned me that the lamb would be pink. I put on a shocked expression and said "Of course!". Petty revenge for the dithering about letting me in. I had treacle tart with clotted cream for dessert. Once again tasty but way too much. It was about twice as deep as it needed to be. I skipped coffee as they only do filtered coffee. I appeared shocked by that too. The total bill was almost 50 pounds (!) which was too much for what you got but it was still a good meal and a pleasant change.
I had planned to take the bus to Marazion tomorrow and then go across to St Michael's Mount as it is my rest day tomorrow. However, I've discovered that Sunday (24th) is officially Midsummer's Day and this weekend there is a festival on here in Penzance. There are bands all around playing in the street, street theatre, stalls of various types, parades, 3 legged pirate races, spoon and pasty races, even a fun fare. Apparently it is the modern day version of a traditional Cornish pagan midsummer festival. So, given the choice of pagan festival and Benedictine monastery, I'm sticking in Penzance for the festival. I can always visit Mont Saint-Michel in Brittany some day.
Today turned out to be a very pleasant day for walking - cool, with a light breeze. I'd been a bit nervous about today's walk as it was rated as more difficult than yesterday's even though it was much the same distance. What a difference decent weather makes.
I had planned on getting an early night and a good sleep in this morning but fate had other plans. There were 4 men staying at my B&B. They are riding bicycles from Land's End to John O'Groats. They spent a fair amount of time on the landing outside all our rooms the night before planning what time to get up and what to have for breakfast. Then, this morning, one got up early and went around knocking on doors and waking up everyone (not just his mates). I hope they all get punctures.
The walking was mainly easy. Some rocky paths but not bogs and not too much mud. There was one point when you walked/scrambled along a beach covered in boulders (none of that piddly pebble stuff). Fortunately the tide was out. It would have been a bit exciting at high tide, particularly with an onshore breeze.
I lunched at a teashop in Lamorna Cove. This was partly because I wanted a lighter meal than yesterday but mainly, I have to confess, because the teashop was on the path and the pub a bit of a walk inland. I'm getting lazy in my old age.
My B&B here in Penzance is one off a row of terrace houses, every second one of which is a B&B. I wonder how they make a living out of season?
My room is delightful. It is up on the 2nd floor, tucked in under the eaves. They've done a good job fitting everything in, even tucking in a little ensuite bathroom. My own bathroom with no excursions necessary. The owner did confess to me that one room has a bath. Mine just has a shower. He didn't need to tell me that!
The male half of the owners turns out to be from Melbourne. He grew up in Viewbank and went to the Boy's Grammar. His father's family was from Strathmore and his mother's from Pascoe Vale so he is practically a neighbour. He is also an Essendon supporter, but I promised not to hold that against him.
I got here a little before 4pm and everyone was out so I had to phone to fetch the owners back to let me in. They said I got here earlier than expected. One of the other B&B people said this, even though I turned up after 4pm. My trip notes said anytime after 4pm was OK but it sounds as if at least some expect me to call ahead and let them know when I expect to arrive. This strikes me as both impractical (how can I be sure how long it will take me to walk each section? I've never done it before.) not to mention ruinously expensive.
I spent my afternoon at the laundromat. When you can smell yourself you know you must reek. After doing my laundry I went out for dinner. I went to Harris's Restaurant as I was feeling pub-ed out. After the usual dithering about whether they were willing to give a table to a solo dinner I was in. I had the duck terrine with green tomato chutney to start. It was delicious. Very earthy flavour so lots of liver and not so much padding like cream or butter. My only objection was the serving was huge. I was then given a small scoop of a thyme sorbet to cleanse the palate. Very silly but intensely flavoured. Main was lamb noisettes with fennel puree and rosemary sauce, with green beans, mange toute peas and boiled potatoes on the side. Again tasty and again a huge serving. Mrs Harris does front of house and she warned me that the lamb would be pink. I put on a shocked expression and said "Of course!". Petty revenge for the dithering about letting me in. I had treacle tart with clotted cream for dessert. Once again tasty but way too much. It was about twice as deep as it needed to be. I skipped coffee as they only do filtered coffee. I appeared shocked by that too. The total bill was almost 50 pounds (!) which was too much for what you got but it was still a good meal and a pleasant change.
I had planned to take the bus to Marazion tomorrow and then go across to St Michael's Mount as it is my rest day tomorrow. However, I've discovered that Sunday (24th) is officially Midsummer's Day and this weekend there is a festival on here in Penzance. There are bands all around playing in the street, street theatre, stalls of various types, parades, 3 legged pirate races, spoon and pasty races, even a fun fare. Apparently it is the modern day version of a traditional Cornish pagan midsummer festival. So, given the choice of pagan festival and Benedictine monastery, I'm sticking in Penzance for the festival. I can always visit Mont Saint-Michel in Brittany some day.
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Day 16 - Porthcurno
Beer drunk: 1 1/2 pints, Distance walked: 22km, Time taken: 7h 40m (about 6h 40m walking)
Today was midsummer's day. The temperature reached a high of 13C and it started raining at 11am and has only just stopped. I'm glad I'm in Cornwall in the summer. I hate to imagine what winter is like.
Not much to report today. I walked, it rained, I kept walking.
I didn't encounter many people today. A few out walking their dogs in the morning before the rain started and even fewer other hikers. I did see a fewer hardy (determined?) souls as I went round Land's End. They'd come all this way to the most westerly point in England and they were going to get their photo taken no matter what. There is apparently a theme park (what theme?) here as well as overpriced gift shops and tea rooms but I went around all the buildings on the seaward side and managed to avoid noticing any of it.
My B&B here is yet another country house turned into an hotel. My room is on the first floor at the front and my own private bathroom at the back, down half a flight of stairs, across a landing and up two more stairs. I just see myself falling over them in the night. The other drawback is my bathroom is just by the back door, which is the entrance all guests are supposed to use. I shall have to take care there is no-one about before flinging open my bathroom door, clad in nothing but pyjamas or a dressing gown.
I had lunch at a pub in Sennen Cove, the Old Success Inn. It was a mistake. While it was pleasant at the time it gave me enough time to cool down. Going out into the cold again was not very nice until I'd walked far enough to warm up again. On the plus side, the steak and ale pie (and the pint) were very good.
Dinner was at the pub here, the Cable Station Inn, as it is the only place here to eat. I had the steak and chips. It was very good steak and chips. The chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The steak was tender and tasty and cooked just how I'd ordered. But I'm so tired of steak&chips or fish&chips. I'm looking forward to getting to Penzance tomorrow as I'll have a lot more choice of places to eat there (plus a day off walking).
Porthcurno is "famous" as it is the point where all sorts of undersea telecommunication cables reach land, from 1870 until the current day. There are all sorts of notice boards and museums and the like to tell you all about it. There is also no mobile phone reception whatsoever.
Today was midsummer's day. The temperature reached a high of 13C and it started raining at 11am and has only just stopped. I'm glad I'm in Cornwall in the summer. I hate to imagine what winter is like.
Not much to report today. I walked, it rained, I kept walking.
I didn't encounter many people today. A few out walking their dogs in the morning before the rain started and even fewer other hikers. I did see a fewer hardy (determined?) souls as I went round Land's End. They'd come all this way to the most westerly point in England and they were going to get their photo taken no matter what. There is apparently a theme park (what theme?) here as well as overpriced gift shops and tea rooms but I went around all the buildings on the seaward side and managed to avoid noticing any of it.
My B&B here is yet another country house turned into an hotel. My room is on the first floor at the front and my own private bathroom at the back, down half a flight of stairs, across a landing and up two more stairs. I just see myself falling over them in the night. The other drawback is my bathroom is just by the back door, which is the entrance all guests are supposed to use. I shall have to take care there is no-one about before flinging open my bathroom door, clad in nothing but pyjamas or a dressing gown.
I had lunch at a pub in Sennen Cove, the Old Success Inn. It was a mistake. While it was pleasant at the time it gave me enough time to cool down. Going out into the cold again was not very nice until I'd walked far enough to warm up again. On the plus side, the steak and ale pie (and the pint) were very good.
Dinner was at the pub here, the Cable Station Inn, as it is the only place here to eat. I had the steak and chips. It was very good steak and chips. The chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The steak was tender and tasty and cooked just how I'd ordered. But I'm so tired of steak&chips or fish&chips. I'm looking forward to getting to Penzance tomorrow as I'll have a lot more choice of places to eat there (plus a day off walking).
Porthcurno is "famous" as it is the point where all sorts of undersea telecommunication cables reach land, from 1870 until the current day. There are all sorts of notice boards and museums and the like to tell you all about it. There is also no mobile phone reception whatsoever.
Day 15 - Cape Cornwall
Beer drunk: 1 pint, Distance walked: 20km, Time taken: 6h 58m (about 6h walking)
Not such a nice day for walking today. It was cool and overcast in the morning, but no wind or rain, which was not too bad. However, it started raining at around 2pm and hasn't stopped. Forecast for tomorrow is more of the same, worst luck.
The walking was relatively easy today (rated "moderate") but there were no villages along the path which was a bit of a nuisance. I did stop around 1pm in a village (hamlet?) about 1/2 mile inland. It has all of 1 church and half a dozen houses and a tea shop/gallery/bookshop/jewellers. These odd little places seem to pop up everywhere. If you want a painting of a cow staring straight at you I know where you can buy one in your choice of size and colour of cow.
I didn't see as many people out on the path today but the terrain was so undulating there could have been people a few minutes ahead or behind and you'd never see them. I did meet several coming the other way.
I got to see a rescue being carried out by a helicopter crew with the Royal Naval Rescue service. The path passes close to a cliff which is popular with climbers and some poor soul had fallen. The helicopter came just as I reached that point. It made several approaches before getting properly lined up and letting a rescuer down on the end of a rope. It then left and flew around in circles for about 5 or 10 minutes. It obviously is hard to hover in one spot. It then came back and someone was airlifted into the helicopter. Again, it looped for a bit before going back and picking up the rescuer. Not at all like you see on TV shows. There it would have been all over between ad breaks, but it takes a lot longer in real life. The pilot was obviously very skilled and the sailor who let himself get lowered down was incredibly brave.
I made it to my B&B by about 5pm. People who saw me arrive said I was so brave to walk in the rain. Getting mildly soggy is not brave. Foolish perhaps but at most I'm risking a nasty cold. Definitely not a brave thing to do.
According to my guide book there is supposed to just be farmland around here with the nearest village being 1 mile further inland. Fortunately, some of the neighbouring farms have been sold and turned into a dreadfully bourgeois golf course. However, golf courses have clubhouses which serve meals so I had a 2 minute scamper down the road for dinner. I had the steak and chips. It was an RSL quality meal but the main thing was it was close by (and they had 2 sorts of real ale on tap - handpumps too).
Not such a nice day for walking today. It was cool and overcast in the morning, but no wind or rain, which was not too bad. However, it started raining at around 2pm and hasn't stopped. Forecast for tomorrow is more of the same, worst luck.
The walking was relatively easy today (rated "moderate") but there were no villages along the path which was a bit of a nuisance. I did stop around 1pm in a village (hamlet?) about 1/2 mile inland. It has all of 1 church and half a dozen houses and a tea shop/gallery/bookshop/jewellers. These odd little places seem to pop up everywhere. If you want a painting of a cow staring straight at you I know where you can buy one in your choice of size and colour of cow.
I didn't see as many people out on the path today but the terrain was so undulating there could have been people a few minutes ahead or behind and you'd never see them. I did meet several coming the other way.
I got to see a rescue being carried out by a helicopter crew with the Royal Naval Rescue service. The path passes close to a cliff which is popular with climbers and some poor soul had fallen. The helicopter came just as I reached that point. It made several approaches before getting properly lined up and letting a rescuer down on the end of a rope. It then left and flew around in circles for about 5 or 10 minutes. It obviously is hard to hover in one spot. It then came back and someone was airlifted into the helicopter. Again, it looped for a bit before going back and picking up the rescuer. Not at all like you see on TV shows. There it would have been all over between ad breaks, but it takes a lot longer in real life. The pilot was obviously very skilled and the sailor who let himself get lowered down was incredibly brave.
I made it to my B&B by about 5pm. People who saw me arrive said I was so brave to walk in the rain. Getting mildly soggy is not brave. Foolish perhaps but at most I'm risking a nasty cold. Definitely not a brave thing to do.
According to my guide book there is supposed to just be farmland around here with the nearest village being 1 mile further inland. Fortunately, some of the neighbouring farms have been sold and turned into a dreadfully bourgeois golf course. However, golf courses have clubhouses which serve meals so I had a 2 minute scamper down the road for dinner. I had the steak and chips. It was an RSL quality meal but the main thing was it was close by (and they had 2 sorts of real ale on tap - handpumps too).
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Day 14 - Zennor
Beer drunk: 2 pints, Distance walked: 10km, Time taken: 4 h (3h 15m walking)
Today's walk was rated severe and estimated to take 5 hours. It was rocky and/or boggy underfoot in places and there were 2 stretches of about 50 metres each where you were scrambling across rocks rather than walking along a path but "severe" was a bit of an overestimate. If they want "severe" there are some tracks in Italy I can show them.
I was a bit disappointed by the misleading rating. If I'd known it wasn't going to be that hard I'd have headed straight to Zennor and had lunch at the pub, the Tinners Arms. Instead, I bought yet another pasty and some fruit and took a lunch break on the trail. I made up for it by having a pint when I got to the pub as my afternoon tea.
When I started the walk I felt pleased to have gotten away from all the crowds in St Ives. Then I came round a headland and there was a couple resting on the grass, another with their dog admiring the view and yet another headed towards me. When I looked back there was a group of 4 (plus a dog) coming up behind me. It only got busier through the day. The walk to Zennor by the coast path, lunch at the pub and then a shorter walk back by the inland path (or just a bus) apparently is a favorite with tourists. The pub did a roaring trade.
One point about the path. When I say it was boggy that is exactly what I mean - boggy not just muddy. My foot slipped off one of the stepping stones at one point and it sank into the bog to mid calf before I was able to grab onto something and stop putting weight on that foot. I don't know how deep it went but I do know I hadn't touched the bottom. I managed to pull my leg out, with boot still attached, with a lot of effort and much swearing.
After arriving at Zennor and having my therapeutic pint I checked into my B&B. Since this was a house attached to the (13th century) pub this meant crossing the courtyard. Very civilised. The place had 4 bedrooms, 2 doubles with their own bathrooms and 2 singles with 1 shared bathroom. There were two of us staying there so of course we had the singles, which I thought was a bit mean. The other guest was a German girl. We met at breakfast the next day. She planned to walk from St Ives to Penzance but isn't feeling well. She has a terrible cough. Given that she also told me her usual breakfast is a cigarette and a coffee I can't say I'm surprised.
I spent the afternoon in Zennor seeing it sights - the church (dull) and the local museum (fascinating). The museum has a collection of about 5,000 objects put together by a local eccentric. He has collected implements from farming and various trades (cobblers, wheelwrights, smiths, coopers, and of course, miners and fisherman) as well as items from daily life like a working kitchen, a room full of old irons and washing implements and another dedicated to how to make butter and cream. There is also a working mill and you can by grains ground by the mill in the shop. I'm so glad I was born into my generation. Life seemed just so much hard work not so very long ago.
After puttering around I had some local ice-cream from the Zennor Moomaid company (Zennor is famous for its mermaid - don't blame me, it's not my pun). The milk was provided by Daisy, Molly and Sid Vicious and the rest of the herd. They take local produce very seriously here.
I had dinner at the pub - given there was no alternative. It was very good though. At least the main was. I had confit duck leg (tasty with crispy skin) in a red wine jus with spinach and new potatoes. For dessert I had rhubarb crumble with custard, which sadly was sickly sweet. A pint of the local drop, the Mermaid Ale, helped. And then across the courtyard again and to bed. It doesn't get dark here until well after 9pm but I'm mostly so tired I'm asleep before sunset.
Today's walk was rated severe and estimated to take 5 hours. It was rocky and/or boggy underfoot in places and there were 2 stretches of about 50 metres each where you were scrambling across rocks rather than walking along a path but "severe" was a bit of an overestimate. If they want "severe" there are some tracks in Italy I can show them.
I was a bit disappointed by the misleading rating. If I'd known it wasn't going to be that hard I'd have headed straight to Zennor and had lunch at the pub, the Tinners Arms. Instead, I bought yet another pasty and some fruit and took a lunch break on the trail. I made up for it by having a pint when I got to the pub as my afternoon tea.
When I started the walk I felt pleased to have gotten away from all the crowds in St Ives. Then I came round a headland and there was a couple resting on the grass, another with their dog admiring the view and yet another headed towards me. When I looked back there was a group of 4 (plus a dog) coming up behind me. It only got busier through the day. The walk to Zennor by the coast path, lunch at the pub and then a shorter walk back by the inland path (or just a bus) apparently is a favorite with tourists. The pub did a roaring trade.
One point about the path. When I say it was boggy that is exactly what I mean - boggy not just muddy. My foot slipped off one of the stepping stones at one point and it sank into the bog to mid calf before I was able to grab onto something and stop putting weight on that foot. I don't know how deep it went but I do know I hadn't touched the bottom. I managed to pull my leg out, with boot still attached, with a lot of effort and much swearing.
After arriving at Zennor and having my therapeutic pint I checked into my B&B. Since this was a house attached to the (13th century) pub this meant crossing the courtyard. Very civilised. The place had 4 bedrooms, 2 doubles with their own bathrooms and 2 singles with 1 shared bathroom. There were two of us staying there so of course we had the singles, which I thought was a bit mean. The other guest was a German girl. We met at breakfast the next day. She planned to walk from St Ives to Penzance but isn't feeling well. She has a terrible cough. Given that she also told me her usual breakfast is a cigarette and a coffee I can't say I'm surprised.
I spent the afternoon in Zennor seeing it sights - the church (dull) and the local museum (fascinating). The museum has a collection of about 5,000 objects put together by a local eccentric. He has collected implements from farming and various trades (cobblers, wheelwrights, smiths, coopers, and of course, miners and fisherman) as well as items from daily life like a working kitchen, a room full of old irons and washing implements and another dedicated to how to make butter and cream. There is also a working mill and you can by grains ground by the mill in the shop. I'm so glad I was born into my generation. Life seemed just so much hard work not so very long ago.
After puttering around I had some local ice-cream from the Zennor Moomaid company (Zennor is famous for its mermaid - don't blame me, it's not my pun). The milk was provided by Daisy, Molly and Sid Vicious and the rest of the herd. They take local produce very seriously here.
I had dinner at the pub - given there was no alternative. It was very good though. At least the main was. I had confit duck leg (tasty with crispy skin) in a red wine jus with spinach and new potatoes. For dessert I had rhubarb crumble with custard, which sadly was sickly sweet. A pint of the local drop, the Mermaid Ale, helped. And then across the courtyard again and to bed. It doesn't get dark here until well after 9pm but I'm mostly so tired I'm asleep before sunset.
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Day 13 - St Ives (again)
Beer drunk: 500ml (does alcoholic ginger beer count?), Distance walked: dunno, Time taken: all day
Today was my rest day in St Ives. I spent the first part of the morning being very dull down at the launderette. I'm out of practice at using such places. I first had to go out and buy a newspaper I didn't want to get change for the washer. After that I had to get an ice cream (cornish fudge flavour) which I did want to get change for the dryer. Why don't these establishments have change machines?
The rest of the day was spent in glorious, uncultured idleness. I did not set foot in a gallery, most particularly not the local branch of the Tate (which is not universally popular as can be seen from the photo below).
Nope, all I did all day was saunter around the town, browse in the shops and sit on benches in the sun alternatively snoozing and reading. Actually, I tell a lie. I wasn't totally lacking in kulchur. I did visit the St Ives museum. A locally run place with an eclectic collection of items from the region, starting with Iron Age odds and ends pretty much to the local day. These sorts of places are often more interesting than professionally curated museums. It is fascinating to see what sort of things the locals think are important to retain. As expected, there were lots of items and articles on sailing and shipwrecks. The coast around here is treacherous.
It was a lovely day. Warm (for Cornwall), sunny with no wind or rain. By early evening all the day trippers had gone home and it turns out to be a very pretty place.
The weather has stayed fine so after dinner I went for a wander down to the harbour and along the pier. I saw my first seal. Apparently he generally shows up around this time of day. It looked as if he was as fascinated with all of us looking at him from the pier as we were with him, but I suspect he was just waiting for someone to drop (or better yet throw) him a fish. It is a working harbour so there were several fisherman unloading their catches. He went away empty handed today but by the look of him he's doing alright.
Dinner was at the Wave restaurant. They take the whole notion of local produce very seriously too. There was a list outside the restaurant detailing the supplier of just about everything e.g. Fred Bloggs from Lower Sandy Bottom Farm supplies the eggs etc. I had no trouble getting a table for one this time. The place is twice as large as the one I went to last night and slightly off the beaten track so I suspect they can't afford to be as fussy.
For starter I had gnocchi with a crab and star anise beurre blanc sauce. I'm a philistine. I thought it would have been tastier with a bit of cheese, but it was still very good. Main was crispy pork belly with apples and onions (just like Mum makes it!) and mashed potatoes with mustard seeds. Very good and from happy pigs from Joe Somebodies farm. Dessert was a vanilla panna cotta with a rhubarb and ginger compote topping. This was washed down with 2 glasses of an Australian Shiraz (Auction House - a brand I've never heard off) and followed by an espresso and petit fours. Hmm, given all this food perhaps the old railway scales in the St Ives museum weren't wrong after all.
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Day 12 - St Ives
Beer drunk: none, Distance walked: 20km, Time taken: 5h 54m (5h walking)
I was fed a large and hearty breakfast at Nanterrow Farm before setting off today. The landlady very apologetically admitted that the mushrooms were from the supermarket but made sure to point out that everything else on my plate was sourced directly from a farm - either theirs or one of their neighbours. I expressed sufficient pleasure at this information (at least I hope so).
The weather has improved. A little overcast but mild temperatures and no rain and only light breezes. This made the first half of today's walk was very pleasant. It was through the sand dunes along a long stretch of beach. The guidebook suggested walking along the beach if the tide was out but I preferred ambling amongst the dunes. All the rain meant the grasses and wildflowers were flourishing. The only problem was the dunes were criss-crossed by paths and it wasn't always clear which way to go. I decided that a gentle, sometimes random amble through the dunes was a deliberate policy since it was a short, easy walk today.
The second half was a little duller. As I got to the outskirts of St Ives the path was often through leafy suburbs. I amused myself by picking which houses I would live in, which ones I would burn down and which ones I would hunt down their architects and shoot them. Sadly there were a good deal more in the last two categories than the first.
My B&B for tonight (and tomorrow) is a terrace house with a lovely view over the bay. The bathroom is down the stairs but it is all mine, mine I say. No sharing thankfully. I must say I'm missing my bathroom at home. (Not the bed. I'm so tired at the end of the day I have no trouble sleeping.) I'm getting very good at figuring out how to use different hot water systems. The notion of one hot water tap and one cold water tap in the shower is much too mundane for almost all the places I've stayed in. The toilets also all seem to have their own quirks. The flush on this one is particularly recalcitrant. I had to get the landlady to show me how to get it to work, much to our mutual embarrassment. Fortunately St Ives has a wealth of public toilets.
I felt pub-ed out so I went to a very classy restaurant for dinner - the Alfresco which turns out to be one of the best here. Even though they were almost empty when I showed up, they had to frown and think before letting me have a table just for me. It was down the back needless to say. However, once they had decided to let me eat there the service was very good, as was the food. I had crispy pork belly with a coconut infused carrot puree with ginger and spring onions (I'm quoting from the menu). Main was lyburn (whatever that is) crusted hake with salsa verde (aka pesto) and parmentier potatoes and a side of samphire, heritage carrots (none of that modern stuff) and zucchini. Dessert was a (delicious) rhubarb and ginger tarte tatin. The bill for all that, plus 2 glasses of wine, coffee and tip came to an eye-watering 45 pounds. Still, I enjoyed every mouthful.
I was fed a large and hearty breakfast at Nanterrow Farm before setting off today. The landlady very apologetically admitted that the mushrooms were from the supermarket but made sure to point out that everything else on my plate was sourced directly from a farm - either theirs or one of their neighbours. I expressed sufficient pleasure at this information (at least I hope so).
The weather has improved. A little overcast but mild temperatures and no rain and only light breezes. This made the first half of today's walk was very pleasant. It was through the sand dunes along a long stretch of beach. The guidebook suggested walking along the beach if the tide was out but I preferred ambling amongst the dunes. All the rain meant the grasses and wildflowers were flourishing. The only problem was the dunes were criss-crossed by paths and it wasn't always clear which way to go. I decided that a gentle, sometimes random amble through the dunes was a deliberate policy since it was a short, easy walk today.
The second half was a little duller. As I got to the outskirts of St Ives the path was often through leafy suburbs. I amused myself by picking which houses I would live in, which ones I would burn down and which ones I would hunt down their architects and shoot them. Sadly there were a good deal more in the last two categories than the first.
My B&B for tonight (and tomorrow) is a terrace house with a lovely view over the bay. The bathroom is down the stairs but it is all mine, mine I say. No sharing thankfully. I must say I'm missing my bathroom at home. (Not the bed. I'm so tired at the end of the day I have no trouble sleeping.) I'm getting very good at figuring out how to use different hot water systems. The notion of one hot water tap and one cold water tap in the shower is much too mundane for almost all the places I've stayed in. The toilets also all seem to have their own quirks. The flush on this one is particularly recalcitrant. I had to get the landlady to show me how to get it to work, much to our mutual embarrassment. Fortunately St Ives has a wealth of public toilets.
I felt pub-ed out so I went to a very classy restaurant for dinner - the Alfresco which turns out to be one of the best here. Even though they were almost empty when I showed up, they had to frown and think before letting me have a table just for me. It was down the back needless to say. However, once they had decided to let me eat there the service was very good, as was the food. I had crispy pork belly with a coconut infused carrot puree with ginger and spring onions (I'm quoting from the menu). Main was lyburn (whatever that is) crusted hake with salsa verde (aka pesto) and parmentier potatoes and a side of samphire, heritage carrots (none of that modern stuff) and zucchini. Dessert was a (delicious) rhubarb and ginger tarte tatin. The bill for all that, plus 2 glasses of wine, coffee and tip came to an eye-watering 45 pounds. Still, I enjoyed every mouthful.
Day 11 - Gwithian
Beer drunk: 1 pint, Distance walked: 17km (estimated), Time taken: 5h (estimated)
This B&B advertises itself as a working farmhouse and they aren't exaggerating. I felt like I'd walked into Aunty Alex's place in Warragul. Just to top it off it turns out these people have family on a farm in Warragul too! I seriously lust after their kitchen. The whole house in fact. But perhaps it is best I will never have it. Every room had radiators lining the walls and they were very particular about closing the doors to each room. The walls are solid stone and I suspect it gets just a mite chilly in winter.
The lady of the house has a severe duck fetish. I counted 28 duck ornaments and several pictures of ducks in the bathroom. There were 29 if you include the duck-shaped loofah. I felt like buying her one more duck to make it a round 30. I particularly liked the duck that peers coyly out at you from behind the toilet cistern.
There is the one bathroom for all the guests and there is another couple staying here tonight which make things a bit awkward. We've had to stagger our breakfast times so we aren't all trying to get in the bathroom at the same time. As the last to arrive I got the last slot. I hope they leave me some hot water and toilet paper.
The walk here was much the same as yesterday. A few brief showers but constant howling gales. I was even passed by another mad jogger. The actual terrain was easy going but I was disappointed not to see any seals at a noted seal colony. Even they thought the weather too miserable to be out and about in. Time and distances are estimates as the batteries in my GPS died just outside of Gwithian.
For lunch I stopped at a cafe along the way, more to get out of the wind than anything. I had a Cornish cream tea that was horrid. The scones were dry, the jam commercial and the cream had obviously being sitting out in its serving dish for too long. For the rest of lunch I ate some of my fruit haul from yesterday.
This B&B is a mile inland but the owners dropped me off at the pub in the village for my dinner. It turned out to be the first gastro pub I've encountered. Here, of all places. I'd be surprised if the resident population (including farms in the area) number more than 200. I had a crab and sherry soup to start. Main was sea bass in a butter and caper sauce with new potatoes with dill and fresh mange tout beans. I was eyeing off the cheesecake in the dessert menu but couldn't fit it in.
Normally the B&B owners would give their guests a lift home from the pub but they were going out tonight. Instead, they kindly gave me the card for a local taxi service. Unfortunately, there is no mobile phone reception anywhere around here. I suppose I could have asked the people in the pub to call for me but I thought I'd better burn of some of all that dinner and walked back. It has finally stopped raining and the wind has died down. It might even be a nice day tomorrow.
There are a lot of books around the house here. I went looking for a copy of Watership Down as I saw lots of rabbits on the walk here. There is a warren in the lane leading to this place. When I mentioned seeing the rabbits the husband cursed and complained about them. Like I said, this is a working farm and to them they are pests that eat the crops, not cute little (tasty) bunnies like they are to me. I doubt I'll find a copy of WD here. Shame.
Friday, 15 June 2012
Day 10 - Portreath
Beer drunk: 2 pints, Distance walked: 20km, Time taken: 6h 16m (5h 20m walking)
On the plus side, the weather wasn't as dire as had been predicted. There were a few rain showers in the morning but barely enough to make it worthwhile to break out the waterproofs. The promised thunderstorms were a no-show. However, the gale force winds came right on cue. Fortunately, they had swung around from the south-east yesterday to the south-west today so I wasn't in any risk of being blown off the path, just into the cliff on my landward side. More than a few times it wasn't possible to move forward. I had to use all my strength just to stay put when a particularly strong gust hit.
Initially, as I was toiling up one slope with the gale blowing and the rain coming down I started to wonder when this moved from being simply unpleasant to being dangerous. I was then passed by some lunatic jogger out for his daily exercise. Note, we were both going up hill. I realised I was just being a wimp and pressed on. Perhaps that is why I made such good time today, in spite of the conditions.
Part of the walk yesterday went through Ministry of Defence land. There were dire signs warning to keep on the path and not to touch anything as it might explode and kill you. However, there were also a small herd of Dartmoor ponies grazing so either they were lying about the risk of unexploded ordnance or else they are remarkably calm about the possibility of exploding ponies. The path went through more MOD land today, but there were no ponies. Still, I kept to the path both times.
I got a packed lunch from last night's hotel. It turned out to contain 2 cheese and chutney sandwiches made with home baked bread, 1 banana, 1 pear, 2 mandarines and 2 chocolate bars. I wonder if they were expecting me to get stranded somewhere overnight or some such.
My B&B tonight is called Cliff House but is fortunately at sea level. My room is also on the ground level. My only complaint about yesterday's hotel is that they put me in one of the attic rooms. The dormer window was cute, but the stairs! This place has a glassed in front verandah which has been turned into the breakfast room. My room is at the front of the building with french doors out into the front verandah. Very pleasant when it was a house, but means I have to have the curtains drawn at all times which makes my room a bit gloomy.
I had dinner tonight at the Bassett Arms which came highly recommended. Unfortunately, I didn't realise there was a separate restaurant section until I was ordering my dinner in the public bar. I was disappointed but I've just checked their website and I think the menu was the same in both rooms so I got local colour with my meal. I had the steak and ale pie (tasty - I suspect it was suet crust pastry), with chips (crisp!) and peas (with flavour). Not classy perhaps but pleasant and filling.
Tomorrow my options for dinner are the pub or the pub as it will be for several other stops on my route. When I get to St Ives I think I will try non-pub food for a change. I haven't tried genuine English Indian food but I might save that for my last night in London.
On the plus side, the weather wasn't as dire as had been predicted. There were a few rain showers in the morning but barely enough to make it worthwhile to break out the waterproofs. The promised thunderstorms were a no-show. However, the gale force winds came right on cue. Fortunately, they had swung around from the south-east yesterday to the south-west today so I wasn't in any risk of being blown off the path, just into the cliff on my landward side. More than a few times it wasn't possible to move forward. I had to use all my strength just to stay put when a particularly strong gust hit.
Initially, as I was toiling up one slope with the gale blowing and the rain coming down I started to wonder when this moved from being simply unpleasant to being dangerous. I was then passed by some lunatic jogger out for his daily exercise. Note, we were both going up hill. I realised I was just being a wimp and pressed on. Perhaps that is why I made such good time today, in spite of the conditions.
Part of the walk yesterday went through Ministry of Defence land. There were dire signs warning to keep on the path and not to touch anything as it might explode and kill you. However, there were also a small herd of Dartmoor ponies grazing so either they were lying about the risk of unexploded ordnance or else they are remarkably calm about the possibility of exploding ponies. The path went through more MOD land today, but there were no ponies. Still, I kept to the path both times.
I got a packed lunch from last night's hotel. It turned out to contain 2 cheese and chutney sandwiches made with home baked bread, 1 banana, 1 pear, 2 mandarines and 2 chocolate bars. I wonder if they were expecting me to get stranded somewhere overnight or some such.
My B&B tonight is called Cliff House but is fortunately at sea level. My room is also on the ground level. My only complaint about yesterday's hotel is that they put me in one of the attic rooms. The dormer window was cute, but the stairs! This place has a glassed in front verandah which has been turned into the breakfast room. My room is at the front of the building with french doors out into the front verandah. Very pleasant when it was a house, but means I have to have the curtains drawn at all times which makes my room a bit gloomy.
I had dinner tonight at the Bassett Arms which came highly recommended. Unfortunately, I didn't realise there was a separate restaurant section until I was ordering my dinner in the public bar. I was disappointed but I've just checked their website and I think the menu was the same in both rooms so I got local colour with my meal. I had the steak and ale pie (tasty - I suspect it was suet crust pastry), with chips (crisp!) and peas (with flavour). Not classy perhaps but pleasant and filling.
Tomorrow my options for dinner are the pub or the pub as it will be for several other stops on my route. When I get to St Ives I think I will try non-pub food for a change. I haven't tried genuine English Indian food but I might save that for my last night in London.
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Day 9 - Perranporth
Beer drunk: 1 1/2 pints (but the 1/2 was lager not ale), Distance walked: 20km, Time taken: 6 h 20m (about 5h walking)
Well, I shouldn't have been so pleased with my navigation skills. I managed to take wrong turnings twice as I left Newquay. In my defence, the route out was tricky. First you had to made your way down to the banks of the Gannel River, crossing at the ford (assuming the tide was out) and then up the mouth of a creek that leads into the Gannel, across another ford and then back down the other bank. After walking for 1 1/2 hours I ended up on the other side of the river about 200m from my starting point. I knew I didn't like Newquay for a reason.
There were some other hikers in the B&B I stayed in last night. Three women walking the SWCP too but in the other direction. They didn't get in until after 9pm. I'm not sure if they just had to wait for tides and/or ferries or had stopped for dinner or else were taking advantage of the fact the sun doesn't set until after 9pm to do ridiculously long stages. Their room was next to mine on the 2nd floor. All the 1st floor rooms were taken up by non-hiking guests. I'm not sure why this segregation existed. Perhaps it was felt that since we hike we can handle all the stairs better than other folk. I'm on the 2nd floor of my hotel here in Perranporth too.
The weather wasn't so bad this morning. A little drizzle but nothing too much. It turned absolutely foul after lunch. Rain, not just drizzle, and a howling gale. Strong winds are a lot of fun when walking on exposed cliff tops and even better when walking along beaches or amongst sand dunes, all of which featured heavily on today's route. Below is a picture I took on my first day of walking, when it was dead calm. I should have taken heed of the omen.
When I got to this hotel I had to take off all my outwear and my boots before coming indoors to avoid trekking offensive amounts of sand and dirt on the floors. I would say I looked like something the cat dragged in, but I suspect any self-respecting cat would have turned up their nose and left me outside. Fortunately, this is a hotel rather than a B&B so it has its own restaurant. I have a table booked for tonight so I don't need to set foot out of doors again until tomorrow. Sadly the weather forecast for tomorrow is for much the same type of weather as today but with the added benefit of thunderstorms.
Whoever said walking counter-clockwise would mean you have the prevailing winds at your back is a dirty rotten liar.
Dinner was lovely. There wasn't a choice, you just got what was served, which turned out to be very good. We each had a megrim sole which was stuffed with mushrooms and topped with a roasted red pepper sauce and samphire picked in a local creek. This was accompanied with potatoes roasted in goose fat plus peas and edamame beans in a cream sauce. Dessert was a choice of bread and butter pudding or rhubarb fool. Those of us who had dessert early complained bitterly when the last table had the sense to ask for some of both (and got it). I had the bread and butter pudding, which was very tasty but I like our recipe better which spreads seville orange marmelade on the bread before baking.
There were two other groups of people at the hotel, including one Australian couple from Ballarat. They were also walking the SWCP but in the reverse direction from Penzance to Padstow. They were very put out to find out that my walking company had provided me with a (printed) guidebook plus maps. They just were given a small booklet produced by their walking company and had to buy their own maps.
After dinner we all (including the B&B/hotel owners) played a noisy game of something whose rules were never clear to me. Something about someone having to describe a word without using a set of forbidden words while others had to guess. It was fun but I never knew when I was supposed to do the guessing and when I was helping the other team. I have a feeling the rules changed with time. I think my team won but given I'm not sure what winning required or, for that matter, what team I was on I can't be sure.
There were two other groups of people at the hotel, including one Australian couple from Ballarat. They were also walking the SWCP but in the reverse direction from Penzance to Padstow. They were very put out to find out that my walking company had provided me with a (printed) guidebook plus maps. They just were given a small booklet produced by their walking company and had to buy their own maps.
After dinner we all (including the B&B/hotel owners) played a noisy game of something whose rules were never clear to me. Something about someone having to describe a word without using a set of forbidden words while others had to guess. It was fun but I never knew when I was supposed to do the guessing and when I was helping the other team. I have a feeling the rules changed with time. I think my team won but given I'm not sure what winning required or, for that matter, what team I was on I can't be sure.
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Day 8 - Newquay
Beer drunk: 1 1/2 pints, Distance walked: 22km, Time taken: 7h 7m (1h 14m stopped)
I spent yesterday feeling pleasantly smug. As a sensible Aussie I had slapped on a hat and slopped on sunscreen and made sure I was wearing a long sleeved top and full length pants. I know how to deal safely with a sunny day. Not like all the pasty Englishmen (and women) who were flinging off clothing so that the bits that weren't pasty white were going a charming lobster pink. That is, I was feeling smug until I got up this morning and realised I'd been pushing up the sleeves of my top and now have lobster red forearms.
Navigation was mainly easy again today. I only went off track once and ended up in the car park at one particularly good viewing spot. However, I used the loos and then took advantage of the shelter of the tea shop's verandah to put on my wet weather gear, so I was able to tell myself I'd done it deliberately and move on with my honour intact.
I needed the wet weather gear. After about an hour of sunshine first thing, it settled in to alternatively drizzle or just plain rain for the rest of the day. It never got very windy or very cold so it was no trouble to keep going.
I can't say I'm impressed with Newquay. It is a town rather than a village and with mostly modern buildings. There are several good surf beaches around here and it has grown to cater for them. There were lots of people out surfing today in spite of the water temperate (freezing). They are all quite mad. However, I have to confess my main objection to Newquay is that I had to walk a long way through town to get to my B&B. Concrete is hard on the feet.
I'm not thrilled with my B&B either. On the plus side, I have my own bathroom with an actual bath so I had a good long soak in hot water. On the minus side, the owner isn't very friendly. She isn't rude, just matter of fact. I think I got spoilt at the previous places I stayed. This place is more like a small hotel and it is run in a more business-like fashion. Mind you, when I asked her for recommendations for dinner she just pointed me in the direction of the town centre and said there were plenty of places to choose from. True but not particularly useful. Breakfast is also from 8:30am to 9am. Don't be late.
Lunch was a pasty and an apple again as that was all there was to buy in the shop in Porthcothan. It is a pretty place but very small and out of the way. No mobile phone coverage either which is why yesterday's post was late. I would have said pasties are convenient food for eating on the move but today I saw a seagull swoop down and take one out of someone's hand. They are big birds here. They make our seagulls look like pygmies.
I had dinner at a very old pub called the Dolphin Inn. It serves seafood or fish or seafood with a token dish for the non-seafood/fish eater. I played it safe and had fish. I started with (Cornish) crab on toast. It seemed a piddly little serve but was quite rich so I couldn't have eaten more. Main was fish and chips with all the "traditional" garnishes. It was very good but one of the traditional garnishes was a piece of newspaper lining the plate. I could have done without that as I didn't need the extra roughage in my diet. I washed it all down with a pint and a half of St Austell's Tribute ale. A very pleasing drop.
I spent yesterday feeling pleasantly smug. As a sensible Aussie I had slapped on a hat and slopped on sunscreen and made sure I was wearing a long sleeved top and full length pants. I know how to deal safely with a sunny day. Not like all the pasty Englishmen (and women) who were flinging off clothing so that the bits that weren't pasty white were going a charming lobster pink. That is, I was feeling smug until I got up this morning and realised I'd been pushing up the sleeves of my top and now have lobster red forearms.
Navigation was mainly easy again today. I only went off track once and ended up in the car park at one particularly good viewing spot. However, I used the loos and then took advantage of the shelter of the tea shop's verandah to put on my wet weather gear, so I was able to tell myself I'd done it deliberately and move on with my honour intact.
I needed the wet weather gear. After about an hour of sunshine first thing, it settled in to alternatively drizzle or just plain rain for the rest of the day. It never got very windy or very cold so it was no trouble to keep going.
I can't say I'm impressed with Newquay. It is a town rather than a village and with mostly modern buildings. There are several good surf beaches around here and it has grown to cater for them. There were lots of people out surfing today in spite of the water temperate (freezing). They are all quite mad. However, I have to confess my main objection to Newquay is that I had to walk a long way through town to get to my B&B. Concrete is hard on the feet.
I'm not thrilled with my B&B either. On the plus side, I have my own bathroom with an actual bath so I had a good long soak in hot water. On the minus side, the owner isn't very friendly. She isn't rude, just matter of fact. I think I got spoilt at the previous places I stayed. This place is more like a small hotel and it is run in a more business-like fashion. Mind you, when I asked her for recommendations for dinner she just pointed me in the direction of the town centre and said there were plenty of places to choose from. True but not particularly useful. Breakfast is also from 8:30am to 9am. Don't be late.
Lunch was a pasty and an apple again as that was all there was to buy in the shop in Porthcothan. It is a pretty place but very small and out of the way. No mobile phone coverage either which is why yesterday's post was late. I would have said pasties are convenient food for eating on the move but today I saw a seagull swoop down and take one out of someone's hand. They are big birds here. They make our seagulls look like pygmies.
I had dinner at a very old pub called the Dolphin Inn. It serves seafood or fish or seafood with a token dish for the non-seafood/fish eater. I played it safe and had fish. I started with (Cornish) crab on toast. It seemed a piddly little serve but was quite rich so I couldn't have eaten more. Main was fish and chips with all the "traditional" garnishes. It was very good but one of the traditional garnishes was a piece of newspaper lining the plate. I could have done without that as I didn't need the extra roughage in my diet. I washed it all down with a pint and a half of St Austell's Tribute ale. A very pleasing drop.
Day 7 - Porthcothan
Beer drunk: 1 pint, Distance walked: 23km, Time taken: 6h 48m (of that 5h 44m walking)
Today was Day 1 of the actually hiking bit and it was an easy day. The weather was lovely - clear skies and not much wind and no rain! Navigation was a doddle. You really don't need a map, just follow the coastline and you'll be fine.
The landlady at the B&B in Padstow thought I was being very brave to walk by myself. Not sure why walking alone is considered such a dangerous activity. In any case, I wasn't alone for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a stretch. I kept coming across other walkers. Almost all of them either had a serious camera or else a dog (but never both). I felt underdressed.
There was only one (mildly) difficult part of the path. At one point there were cattle grazing and of course they had to park themselves on the path, rather than anywhere else in the paddock. I went around them rather than through, which got me odd looks from some people coming the other way. They went through without drama but I'm a city girl and when something is that big I'm going to leave it alone.
The coastline around here is lovely. I haven't tried to take photos of it as I lack the serious camera. You'll have to google it to see for yourself. A consequence of the beauty of the area is the Cornish have a serious obsession with benches (second only to their love of dogs). If there is a halfway pleasing view then there is bench to sit on and admire it. Also, why stop at one bench when half a dozen will fit.
I like the B&B here better than the one in Padstow. It is a bungalow with the front part turned into 2 bedrooms (with ensuite bathrooms each) and a small sitting room. The owners live in the back section. The guests come and go by the front door while the owners go in the back. Comfortable and privacy all round. I was the only person staying too.
Lunch was a Cornish pastie and an apple. I can see why tin miners ate them as they are a convenient package for your food, but otherwise the one I had was unremarkable. I also had an ice cream cone (Honeycomb crunch) from a shop halfway alone the route selling Kelly's famous Cornish ice cream. I've since discovered Kelly's is the Cornish equivalent of Peters. You could eat it.
The choice for dinner tonight was easy. There is the pub in the village or the pub or else the pub, so I went to the pub. I had a pint of a seasonal ale by Skinner's Brewery which was very pleasing. I stopped at just the one (to my disappointment) because the pub was up a narrow, winding road without any shoulders (shades of walking on the Amalfi coast) and I needed my wits about me to make it safely home. This pub was definitely not a gastro pub. I had the steak and chips. The steak was tough and the chips were soggy. I also had peas and mushrooms on the side. They managed to make the peas tasteless which I think takes skill. After all, what do you do to peas except open the packet of frozen peas, pour some out and zap them in the microwave?
Monday, 11 June 2012
Day 6 - Padstow
Beer drunk: 1 pint, Distance walked: not a lot
Today I journeyed from London to Padstow so spent most of my time sitting about. The weather in London was foul. Top of 13C and when it wasn't raining there were showers. Luckily it is lovely here in Cornwall. Clear blue skies, barely any wind and a pleasant temperature of about 18C or so. I have a nasty suspicion it isn't going to last.
Stage one of the journey was a train to Bodmin Parkway. In the seat next to me was a squirmy toddler. Her mother sat across the aisle and one row up. Why me? I'm not sure if the toddler was more active than the normal one, but I wouldn't be surprised. The mother fed it crisps (cheese and onion from the smell), jelly babies and a neon orange sports drink.
Bodmin Parkway station is plonked down in the middle of Bodmin moor for no obvious reason. The nearest town in a few miles away. I had the option of taking a taxi, but since I'm cheap and the weather was pleasant I waited 40 minutes for the "connecting" local bus. This is a very doggy-friendly country. Three different people got on the bus with their dogs, without it raising a single complaint from any one. I also saw people waiting at other bus stops with their dogs. It is obviously considered a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
My B&B here is a tall, narrow house overlooking the harbour. The owner lives on the ground floor, my bathroom (shared between all the guests) is on the half landing, the owner has the 1st floor also and there are two guest bedrooms at the top. My is at the back while the one at the front with the harbour view is vacant. Not sure why I didn't rate that but I'm not complaining. It is wonderfully peaceful - just the noise of seagulls - and my bed is comfortable. My bed at the Harlingford was a little on the firm side. I discovered when I was packing that the base is a home-made job constructed out of particle board with the mattress put on top. No wonder there wasn't much give.
I got to Padstow about 4pm and went for a potter about the village before dinner. Not really all that picturesque and overrun by Rick Stein. As well as the restaurant, there is the bistro and the takeaway fish&chip shop, plus the Rick Stein patissiere, Rick Stein deli and Rick Stein gift shop. There are probably are other Rick Stein-isms but I didn't spot them. An obvious gap in the market is the lack of a Rick Stein gelateria as ice-cream is a big thing here. I didn't set foot in any of them.
My lunch was a sandwich and a small tub of fruit salad from a Marks&Sparks outlet at Paddington station. The prices raised my eyebrows even before converting from pounds to dollars. As for the taste, the less said the better.
On getting to Padstow I remedied the situation with an scoop of ginger ice-cream made with real Cornish cream. I also had my first cream tea - pleasant though I couldn't tell the difference between regular cream and what was served to me as clotted cream. The tea was genuine Cornish tea - whatever that means. They can't possibly grow the stuff here. Surely the climate is all wrong?
I had planned to have my dinner at the London Inn which is one of the oldest pubs here and has buckets of character. Unfortunately, it turns out it seems to be the preferred local of the 20-somethings of the town and England is playing someone in the soccer thingy tonight so it was crowded and not particularly welcoming to foreigners. I had a half of the Tribute ale from St Austell and then went on my way.
I ended up dining at the Old Ship Hotel which has far less character but is far more friendly to foreigners. In fact, I suspect the vast majority of its business is with outsiders and not the locals. I had a fish pie made with smoked haddock, mustard and samphire which was topped (for some reason) with a poached egg. It was interesting. With this I had a half of Doom Bar ale from Sharp's Brewery, which I preferred to the Tribute ale in spite of it being the one that has all the awards. I'm such a philistine.
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Day 5 - Last Day in London
Beer drunk: 1 pint, Distance walked: not as far as planned
They almost managed a summer's day today. There was no wind or rain and even a fair bit of sunshine. It never got very hot but was pleasant all the same - in the morning at least.
I took yet another London Walk this morning. I'd had my fill of famous historical this and important historical that, so I took the P. G. Wodehouse themed walk around Mayfair. A topping wheeze.
I had lunch at a randomly chosen Italian place in Soho called the Amalfi. I had a pizza with capers, artichokes and sausage and very good it was too. I washed it down with a large glass of a nicely boofy Tuscan cab sav. At the table next to me was an academic who was a statistician. He was bemoaning his latest project where he'd been called in by some social scientists to analyse some data they'd collected. They had done this huge, expensive study and had all sorts of questions they wanted answered but had only consulted him after the fact. They were very put out when he kept trying to explain to them they'd done their study all wrong and it simply wasn't possible to answer their questions. His date was not adequately sympathetic so I had to resist the urge to lean over and pat his hand and say "There, there. I know how you feel."
Afterward lunch I tottered off and did a bit of shopping. After that the plan was to spend the rest of the afternoon going for a saunter around Hampstead Heath but the weather gods had decided they'd had enough of this summer lark and settled in a for a good long drizzle (it is raining still). I ended up settling in at a coffee shop (not a Starbucks) with a book and a newspaper.
As the hiking part of the trip starts tomorrow I felt I ought to start drinking some real ale so dinner tonight was at Mabel's Tavern. I had the steak and ale pie with mash and two halves of some of the local brew by a crowd called Shepherd Neame. The first was the Spitfire which was pleasant but dangerously easy to drink. The second was Bishop's Finger, which was more full bodied and obviously alcoholic.
I didn't stay long at the pub as there is some soccer tournament going on. You can tell how interested I am in it by the fact that I don't know what it is called but it is some European championship thingy. Ireland is playing Croatia tonight and I'd managed to score a table with a clear view of the big TV, which was tuned to the game of course. Several keen soccer fans were watching me eat intently (mouthful by mouthful), waiting for me to go so I moved on as soon as I'd finished.
Thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow in Cornwall. Lucky me.
They almost managed a summer's day today. There was no wind or rain and even a fair bit of sunshine. It never got very hot but was pleasant all the same - in the morning at least.
I took yet another London Walk this morning. I'd had my fill of famous historical this and important historical that, so I took the P. G. Wodehouse themed walk around Mayfair. A topping wheeze.
I had lunch at a randomly chosen Italian place in Soho called the Amalfi. I had a pizza with capers, artichokes and sausage and very good it was too. I washed it down with a large glass of a nicely boofy Tuscan cab sav. At the table next to me was an academic who was a statistician. He was bemoaning his latest project where he'd been called in by some social scientists to analyse some data they'd collected. They had done this huge, expensive study and had all sorts of questions they wanted answered but had only consulted him after the fact. They were very put out when he kept trying to explain to them they'd done their study all wrong and it simply wasn't possible to answer their questions. His date was not adequately sympathetic so I had to resist the urge to lean over and pat his hand and say "There, there. I know how you feel."
Afterward lunch I tottered off and did a bit of shopping. After that the plan was to spend the rest of the afternoon going for a saunter around Hampstead Heath but the weather gods had decided they'd had enough of this summer lark and settled in a for a good long drizzle (it is raining still). I ended up settling in at a coffee shop (not a Starbucks) with a book and a newspaper.
As the hiking part of the trip starts tomorrow I felt I ought to start drinking some real ale so dinner tonight was at Mabel's Tavern. I had the steak and ale pie with mash and two halves of some of the local brew by a crowd called Shepherd Neame. The first was the Spitfire which was pleasant but dangerously easy to drink. The second was Bishop's Finger, which was more full bodied and obviously alcoholic.
I didn't stay long at the pub as there is some soccer tournament going on. You can tell how interested I am in it by the fact that I don't know what it is called but it is some European championship thingy. Ireland is playing Croatia tonight and I'd managed to score a table with a clear view of the big TV, which was tuned to the game of course. Several keen soccer fans were watching me eat intently (mouthful by mouthful), waiting for me to go so I moved on as soon as I'd finished.
Thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow in Cornwall. Lucky me.
Saturday, 9 June 2012
Day 4 - Still London
Beer drunk: 500+ml, Distance walked: quite a bit
They almost managed to do summer today. The rain had stopped and we actually had sunshine all afternoon. Unfortunately, it was still blowing a gale. However, if you found a sheltered spot in the sun it was almost pleasant.
Spent the morning doing yet another of the London Walks. This time of south London. Our guide today was Stephanie, a south Londoner born and bred, complete with appropriate accent. She took up work as a tour guide after putting her back out after spending too many years mucking out elephant enclosures at the zoo. She thinks the average tourist is almost as smart as an elephant.
We spent a good part of the walk going around the back streets of Lambeth which have featured in many a movie or TV show as they have been largely unchanged for almost 200 years. Originally, this was because they were slums. Now they are fiendishly expensive places to live but have been slapped with heritage protection orders.
On my way back to the proper, i.e. north, side of the river I stumbled across a food festival, featuring foods from around the world - including arancini just as good as your Aussie mother makes, if you are to believe the sign. I had a half of the Londoner Pale Ale by Meantime Brewing more because the man on the stall was pleasantly flirtatious than because it was particularly good. For food I had a chorizo shish kebab (from happy acorn fed free range Spanish pigs) - tasty, a spinach and ricotta muffin - interesting and a piece of coffee and walnut cake - good. That meant I had 4 of the 5 main food groups covered - beer, salt, grease and caffeine. The only one missing was chocolate.
Afterwards I popped into Harrods to check out their food hall. It was also disappointingly full of both "home brand" goods and gawking tourists. Shopping there must be quite unpleasant what with all the hoi polloi infesting the place. The food hall building itself is fabulous but the food at Simon Johnson is more interesting.
I dined, if you can call it that, at one of a chain of "posh" burger joints - the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, set up by an enterprising Kiwi. I had a buffalo burger (full of flavour and quite tasty) with chips and a bottle of Kiwi lager whose name was as forgettable as its taste. They were playing Crowded House in the restaurant which I thought was taking the whole Kiwi theme a little too far.
I was entertained listening (ok eavesdropping) on the conversation of a couple at a neighbouring table. I thought I had trouble with credit cards but the woman's saga leaves mine for dead. She was trying to buy plane tickets online but her bank decided this was dodgy and blocked her card. When she phoned to get it unblocked they asked her a series of security questions, including what was her age. Unfortunately, she has been in the habit of lying about her age for years to everyone, but not consistently, so she couldn't remember how old she had told her bank she was. Not knowing her own age raised all sorts of red flags so they blocked every one of her accounts. When she went down to her local branch to sort things out they demanded photo ID even though she has banked there for years and they know her. However, her only photo ID was her passport which was at some embassy where see was seeking a visa. They wouldn't give the visa and return her passport without seeing evidence of (return) plane tickets and she couldn't buy the tickets without her credit card which she couldn't get unlocked without her passport. The moral of the story seems to be make sure you lie consistently.
They almost managed to do summer today. The rain had stopped and we actually had sunshine all afternoon. Unfortunately, it was still blowing a gale. However, if you found a sheltered spot in the sun it was almost pleasant.
Spent the morning doing yet another of the London Walks. This time of south London. Our guide today was Stephanie, a south Londoner born and bred, complete with appropriate accent. She took up work as a tour guide after putting her back out after spending too many years mucking out elephant enclosures at the zoo. She thinks the average tourist is almost as smart as an elephant.
We spent a good part of the walk going around the back streets of Lambeth which have featured in many a movie or TV show as they have been largely unchanged for almost 200 years. Originally, this was because they were slums. Now they are fiendishly expensive places to live but have been slapped with heritage protection orders.
On my way back to the proper, i.e. north, side of the river I stumbled across a food festival, featuring foods from around the world - including arancini just as good as your Aussie mother makes, if you are to believe the sign. I had a half of the Londoner Pale Ale by Meantime Brewing more because the man on the stall was pleasantly flirtatious than because it was particularly good. For food I had a chorizo shish kebab (from happy acorn fed free range Spanish pigs) - tasty, a spinach and ricotta muffin - interesting and a piece of coffee and walnut cake - good. That meant I had 4 of the 5 main food groups covered - beer, salt, grease and caffeine. The only one missing was chocolate.
Afterwards I popped into Harrods to check out their food hall. It was also disappointingly full of both "home brand" goods and gawking tourists. Shopping there must be quite unpleasant what with all the hoi polloi infesting the place. The food hall building itself is fabulous but the food at Simon Johnson is more interesting.
I dined, if you can call it that, at one of a chain of "posh" burger joints - the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, set up by an enterprising Kiwi. I had a buffalo burger (full of flavour and quite tasty) with chips and a bottle of Kiwi lager whose name was as forgettable as its taste. They were playing Crowded House in the restaurant which I thought was taking the whole Kiwi theme a little too far.
I was entertained listening (ok eavesdropping) on the conversation of a couple at a neighbouring table. I thought I had trouble with credit cards but the woman's saga leaves mine for dead. She was trying to buy plane tickets online but her bank decided this was dodgy and blocked her card. When she phoned to get it unblocked they asked her a series of security questions, including what was her age. Unfortunately, she has been in the habit of lying about her age for years to everyone, but not consistently, so she couldn't remember how old she had told her bank she was. Not knowing her own age raised all sorts of red flags so they blocked every one of her accounts. When she went down to her local branch to sort things out they demanded photo ID even though she has banked there for years and they know her. However, her only photo ID was her passport which was at some embassy where see was seeking a visa. They wouldn't give the visa and return her passport without seeing evidence of (return) plane tickets and she couldn't buy the tickets without her credit card which she couldn't get unlocked without her passport. The moral of the story seems to be make sure you lie consistently.
Friday, 8 June 2012
Day 3 - London
Beer drunk: 330ml, Distance walked: in this weather? Are you kidding?
The Brits really haven't got the hang of this whole summer thing. The forecast for today was rain, gale force winds with a top of 16C. On the plus side, their weather forecasters are good at their jobs. They were pretty much spot on.
I spent the morning taking the Hidden London walk with London Walks. Unfortunately, instead of the promised Shaughan we had Hilary as our guide. While she was knowledgable and gave an interesting tour it was entirely lacking in the promised scurrilous gossip.
I visited Fortnum and Masons in the afternoon which was also a little disappointing. It is all "home brand" stuff and it is difficult to get excited about a packet of tea or shortbread just because it has the F&M logo on it. I was hoping for more exotic fare. One thing that amused me was that you can buy their own brand of special dog treats - in four different flavours no less. For the very pampered pooch.
I've meet the hotel dog, Chiyo, who definitely believes he deserves F&M dog treats. He is cute but has an unfortunate tendency to bark when he is left alone too long, where too long in his view is more than 5 minutes. I've also meet the hotel cat, Zizi, who seems a little unclear on her duties. She is supposed to permit feline-deprived guests to cuddle her at will, but is typically too superior to allow this.
I lunched at a very trendy Japanese restaurant called Tsunami. My presence there both increased the average age measurably while simultaneously reducing the "hip" factor. I asked about the set lunch menu advertised outside but after a short pause my waiter declared it was not available on Fridays (which is perhaps possible). I ended up ordering agedashi tofu to start (which my waiter deemed acceptable) and then pork toban (which apparently was not as there was a distinct pause before he repeated what I'd said before sighing and writing it down). It was all very tasty, as was the Sapporo beer I drank with it. One advantage of being an unsuitable customer with an unsuitable taste in food is that I got served very promptly.
I had dinner at a local Italian bistro called Balfour. I had planned on somewhere more interesting but it was also further away and while the weather had improved, it hadn't improved that much. In a way this was also an interesting choice as reviews of it are decidedly mixed. While the general view is the service is bad, reviews of the food are either excellent or inedible with nothing much inbetween.
My view of the service is mixed. It had a definite Italian flavour. My waiter had strong views about food and what were and weren't appropriate dishes to order. This time my food was correct but I failed to order sufficient wine given I was having 2 courses and entirely forgot to order any mineral water. My mistakes were pointed out to me. Then things went off. They forgot about me entirely and when I reminded them they apologised profusely and brought me my main course. All well and good, but I prefer to have my entree first. Again, more apologies and prompt service from then on. They also gave me a glass of limoncello on the house in compensation. I would have been more impressed by them knocking something off the bill, given I know how cheap limoncello is.
The food, on the other hand, I thought was quite decent. I had better on my Italian trip last year but I also definitely had worse. My entree, when I finally got it, was porcini mushroom ravioli with a fresh mushroom and cream sauce. This was very tasty but rather let down by the baby spinach garnish which wasn't as well washed as it could have been. My main was wild boar sausages with a pleasingly garlicky mash. I can't swear to the wildness of the pig but the sausages were full of herbs and very tasty.
The Brits really haven't got the hang of this whole summer thing. The forecast for today was rain, gale force winds with a top of 16C. On the plus side, their weather forecasters are good at their jobs. They were pretty much spot on.
I spent the morning taking the Hidden London walk with London Walks. Unfortunately, instead of the promised Shaughan we had Hilary as our guide. While she was knowledgable and gave an interesting tour it was entirely lacking in the promised scurrilous gossip.
I visited Fortnum and Masons in the afternoon which was also a little disappointing. It is all "home brand" stuff and it is difficult to get excited about a packet of tea or shortbread just because it has the F&M logo on it. I was hoping for more exotic fare. One thing that amused me was that you can buy their own brand of special dog treats - in four different flavours no less. For the very pampered pooch.
I've meet the hotel dog, Chiyo, who definitely believes he deserves F&M dog treats. He is cute but has an unfortunate tendency to bark when he is left alone too long, where too long in his view is more than 5 minutes. I've also meet the hotel cat, Zizi, who seems a little unclear on her duties. She is supposed to permit feline-deprived guests to cuddle her at will, but is typically too superior to allow this.
I lunched at a very trendy Japanese restaurant called Tsunami. My presence there both increased the average age measurably while simultaneously reducing the "hip" factor. I asked about the set lunch menu advertised outside but after a short pause my waiter declared it was not available on Fridays (which is perhaps possible). I ended up ordering agedashi tofu to start (which my waiter deemed acceptable) and then pork toban (which apparently was not as there was a distinct pause before he repeated what I'd said before sighing and writing it down). It was all very tasty, as was the Sapporo beer I drank with it. One advantage of being an unsuitable customer with an unsuitable taste in food is that I got served very promptly.
I had dinner at a local Italian bistro called Balfour. I had planned on somewhere more interesting but it was also further away and while the weather had improved, it hadn't improved that much. In a way this was also an interesting choice as reviews of it are decidedly mixed. While the general view is the service is bad, reviews of the food are either excellent or inedible with nothing much inbetween.
My view of the service is mixed. It had a definite Italian flavour. My waiter had strong views about food and what were and weren't appropriate dishes to order. This time my food was correct but I failed to order sufficient wine given I was having 2 courses and entirely forgot to order any mineral water. My mistakes were pointed out to me. Then things went off. They forgot about me entirely and when I reminded them they apologised profusely and brought me my main course. All well and good, but I prefer to have my entree first. Again, more apologies and prompt service from then on. They also gave me a glass of limoncello on the house in compensation. I would have been more impressed by them knocking something off the bill, given I know how cheap limoncello is.
The food, on the other hand, I thought was quite decent. I had better on my Italian trip last year but I also definitely had worse. My entree, when I finally got it, was porcini mushroom ravioli with a fresh mushroom and cream sauce. This was very tasty but rather let down by the baby spinach garnish which wasn't as well washed as it could have been. My main was wild boar sausages with a pleasingly garlicky mash. I can't swear to the wildness of the pig but the sausages were full of herbs and very tasty.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Day 2 - London
Beer drunk: 330ml, Distance walked: a lot
Melatonin is a wonder drug. According to the label on the bottle I was to take one 1/2 an hour before I wanted to go to sleep. I took one, got into bed and thought about watching TV for a bit. The next thing I remember was waking up the next morning at 6am because someone in the room above was packing. I could hear every footstep, back and forth, back and forth, as they went from wardrobe to suitcase. My body clock seems almost perfectly reset too. I was a little tired today but didn't get the horrible crash when it is 3am back home.
I spent the morning visiting places mentioned in Ben Aaronovitch's novels about a young police constable in London who discovers one day that there really are things that go bump in the night. They are very witty and have a great sense of place. I started at St Paul's church in Covent Garden as that is where the stories start. There was actually a police constable in the west portico talking to someone and writing in his notebook. As this is pretty much the opening scene in the first book I was highly amused. I wanted to take a photo but the policeman did not share my sense of humor so I moved on.
I have to report that Mr Aaronovitch has a tendency to embellish. While there is a fairly detailed plaque on the church it isn't as detailed claimed. Also, as far I could tell there is nothing written on the bums of the lions at the base of Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square. Bummer.
I spent the afternoon in the British Museum as the Brits haven't quite got the hang of this summer thing and it rained all afternoon.
I'm feeling very multicultural today. I bought some Moomintroll souvenirs from a Japanese woman with a stall in London's Covent Garden.
I had my first English breakfast today. I didn't go the "full" version as I haven't done too much walking yet. I started with a small bowl of Bircher muesli with orange juice before moving on to scrambled eggs with bacon and then topped it off with two pieces of toast with marmelade - wholemeal toast as I want to be healthy. I also had 2 cups of surprisingly decent plunger coffee.
I had lunch at a French-style bistro, the Savoir Faire. I had the 2 course lunch special which was mostly very good. I started with the chicken liver pate which was very tasty but why did they have to be stingy with the toast? I got two great slabs of the expensive bit and two tiny pieces of the cheap bit - toast. For main I had the beef daube which was excellent. The meat had been cooked long enough to tender but not so long as to make it dry. The sauce was clearly flavoured with red wine, thyme and orange peel. It also had some gremolata sprinkled on top which I don't think is traditional but I wasn't going to complain. The only real disappointment was the glass of house red I drank as it was thin and rather sour. I might go back again and have a main+dessert next time.
Following on with the multicultural theme I had dinner at a place called Giraffe which apparently serves "International" cuisine. I had BBQ ribs which were basically horrid as the BBQ sauce was way too sweet. Sadly they weren't stingy with it. It came with "fries", which as they were underneath the ribs, were soggy and also horrid, and also a small serving of coleslaw which was decent. I washed it down with a bottle (only 330ml this time) of Cusquena beer - a lager from Peru. This was also (ever so slightly) sweet. To top off a disappointing meal, the bill came to basically the same amount as my lunch!
Melatonin is a wonder drug. According to the label on the bottle I was to take one 1/2 an hour before I wanted to go to sleep. I took one, got into bed and thought about watching TV for a bit. The next thing I remember was waking up the next morning at 6am because someone in the room above was packing. I could hear every footstep, back and forth, back and forth, as they went from wardrobe to suitcase. My body clock seems almost perfectly reset too. I was a little tired today but didn't get the horrible crash when it is 3am back home.
I spent the morning visiting places mentioned in Ben Aaronovitch's novels about a young police constable in London who discovers one day that there really are things that go bump in the night. They are very witty and have a great sense of place. I started at St Paul's church in Covent Garden as that is where the stories start. There was actually a police constable in the west portico talking to someone and writing in his notebook. As this is pretty much the opening scene in the first book I was highly amused. I wanted to take a photo but the policeman did not share my sense of humor so I moved on.
I have to report that Mr Aaronovitch has a tendency to embellish. While there is a fairly detailed plaque on the church it isn't as detailed claimed. Also, as far I could tell there is nothing written on the bums of the lions at the base of Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square. Bummer.
I spent the afternoon in the British Museum as the Brits haven't quite got the hang of this summer thing and it rained all afternoon.
I'm feeling very multicultural today. I bought some Moomintroll souvenirs from a Japanese woman with a stall in London's Covent Garden.
I had my first English breakfast today. I didn't go the "full" version as I haven't done too much walking yet. I started with a small bowl of Bircher muesli with orange juice before moving on to scrambled eggs with bacon and then topped it off with two pieces of toast with marmelade - wholemeal toast as I want to be healthy. I also had 2 cups of surprisingly decent plunger coffee.
I had lunch at a French-style bistro, the Savoir Faire. I had the 2 course lunch special which was mostly very good. I started with the chicken liver pate which was very tasty but why did they have to be stingy with the toast? I got two great slabs of the expensive bit and two tiny pieces of the cheap bit - toast. For main I had the beef daube which was excellent. The meat had been cooked long enough to tender but not so long as to make it dry. The sauce was clearly flavoured with red wine, thyme and orange peel. It also had some gremolata sprinkled on top which I don't think is traditional but I wasn't going to complain. The only real disappointment was the glass of house red I drank as it was thin and rather sour. I might go back again and have a main+dessert next time.
Following on with the multicultural theme I had dinner at a place called Giraffe which apparently serves "International" cuisine. I had BBQ ribs which were basically horrid as the BBQ sauce was way too sweet. Sadly they weren't stingy with it. It came with "fries", which as they were underneath the ribs, were soggy and also horrid, and also a small serving of coleslaw which was decent. I washed it down with a bottle (only 330ml this time) of Cusquena beer - a lager from Peru. This was also (ever so slightly) sweet. To top off a disappointing meal, the bill came to basically the same amount as my lunch!
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Day 1 - London
Beer drunk: 1/2 litre, Distance walked: further than you'd think - Heathrow sprawls, it took me 10 minutes to walk from the plane to the immigration area.
Well, I've arrived. Nothing much to report regarding the flight. It was a long-haul flight in economy so it was long, uncomfortable and boring.
The universe was exercising its sense of humour on me today. On the first leg of the trip, from Melbourne to Singapore, there was a family with 5 (five!) children under the age of 7-ish sitting 2 rows ahead of me. However, there wasn't a peep out of them until 20 minutes before landing, when we started to descend. The second leg, Singapore to London, was supposed to be on a lightly loaded A380 but at the last minute it was switched to a (stuffed) 777. Mechanical problems apparently. However, I got an empty seat next to me on both legs. Finally, one of my cats was poorly when I left so I spent the first part of the flight worrying about him. However, according to my house minding cousin he perked up the next morning and is back to his usual self.
If this is all part of a cunning plan on the universe's part to teach me to not get so easily stressed but have faith that everything will turn out OK, then the universe and I need to have some words.
I'm staying at the Harlingford Hotel in the Bloomsbury area, near the British Museum and the University of London. It is an old Georgian terrace house in a crescent overlooking a garden. The Hotel Inspector would approve of this place. While it is cheap (for London) everything is also clean and in good repair. And the towels are left on the towel rail. My room is in the basement, with a window out into the area. My only complaint is that the only ventilation for my room is from this window and there is none at all in the bathroom. I can have fresh air but only if I don't mind the noise from passersby in the street. It also sits on top of a Tube line so I get to hear regular rumbles from that also.
While I'm on the fence about the hotel so far, I love the area. It is a cross between Carlton and Brunswick but not nearly as grotty or tacky as either. There is hardly any car traffic even though it is smack in the middle of a large city. I get more past my place back home in the suburbs. Long may the congestion charge reign!
Dinner tonight was at the North Sea Fish Restaurant - overpriced fish and chips for tourists but it was conveniently located. The fish (haddock) was good - moist with a crisp light batter, the mushy peas were tasty, the beer was lethal (5.2% abv) but sadly the chips were disappointing - they'd only been fried the once so weren't properly crisp. The beer I had was a bottle of Old Speckled Hen as it was the only thing on the menu I recognised and very good it was too - rich malt taste and smooth, pleasant flavour. Only drawback is the serving size - 500ml bottles!
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Day -3 (ish)
Not sure how to label this post as, while I officially leave on Wednesday, I actually have to be at the airport on late Tuesday so there are only 2 more sleeps to go!
Below is the cartoon for June from my Leunig calendar. Except for the fact he forgets to mention beer, he's got it almost exactly right.
Below is the cartoon for June from my Leunig calendar. Except for the fact he forgets to mention beer, he's got it almost exactly right.
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