Porthcurno to Penzance – A Tough Track (But Bootiful)

At Sparrow’s Fart we got up and drove to Porthcurno on the Channel coast, parking the car up there and walking around the thin red line, although it was on land and not in the sea like my fingernail traced it!

Halfway to Mousehole is Lamorna Cove and we were aiming for breakfast there. The weather started clear and chilly, but it was dry. That’s the main thing. Then the plan was to get a bus back from Penzance to pick the car up and drive back to the tents.

David has a dangling Elvis on his dashboard and a leopard skin steering wheel cover. How cool is that? It’s so lovable that you don’t want to leave the car. But we did.

Anyway, this is a stunning part of the coast path. I know I keep saying that but it all is.

The path climbs out of Porthcurno and down to the sea and up to the cliffs and down…. etc etc.

We woke two wild horses sleeping on the bluebells. Sorry kids!

It was a very difficult section of path, including a section where you have to jump from boulder to boulder. Thank goodness we didn’t have rucksacks on.

What we thought was a quick couple of hours to Lamorna became more and more difficult. More lovely too,

It took us nearly four hours to reach Lamorna. We were hungry, tired and stroked by what had become a hot day. We lost the path for a while and ended up inland about a mile from the coast. I got worried somewhat. Oooh, somewhat is it? Yep! I got worried that there wasn’t anywhere open for breakfast, or anything else resembling refreshment.

Then we found a cafe down by the sea at the end of the road. No breakfast but pasties, coffee, treacle cake and clotted cream. Enough calories to keep us old buzzards on track.

The path got a bit Lord of the Ringsy.

Then a moment of sad and quiet reflection. Whilst David is with me we are raising money for the RNLI. I dropped down to a memorial area and it was the part of the coast where the Penlee lifeboat turned out in horrific weather on the 19th December 1981, for a stricken cargo vessel. It looks so idyllic now that it’s hard to imagine the terrible conditions of that night.

The Union Star vessel grounded with the loss of all 8 crew and passengers on board. All 8 members of the Penlee lifeboat crew perished trying to save them.

We’re so glad that we’re raising money for the RNLI.

We passed a very exotic estate on the way to Mousehole. The path was calming down. It was becoming easier to negotiate.

Mousehole was a pretty village, leading on to Newlyn, a massive fishing port by UK standards, and Penzance.

We passed the site of the old Penlee lifeboat station. A lot of sad history now locked inside the empty boathouse.

Then we got our RNLI flags, collection box and shirts on clear display.

Talking to people on the way into Penzance we collected a lot of donations. There is immense feeling for their role, history and continuing purpose.

Returning to Porthcurno we collected the car, bought some scran and went back to our lovely site at Kelynack for a barbecue of burgers and sweet peppers.

A great day.

Night night.