Day 20 Pandeen to Porthcorno ( 16 miles / 26km)

 Day 20   Pandeen to Porthcorno   ( 16 miles / 26km)

Make a cuppa because this is a long one – it was a day of many sights and situations.  

I woke up knowing Vivienne’s breakfast was going to be as beautiful as her dinner and it was.  When she  handed me a packed lunch to take with me I already knew without looking that  her sandwich would be up  there in sandwich rankings.   And it was.    What a memorable stop.   I love these stays and how they bookend the days of this walk.   

Today was going to see me rounding Land’s End!   Britain’s most south-westerly point and a turning of a corner .   The day would end in Porthcorno at a beach said to be one of the most beautiful bays in the world.   It began with my favourite thing to slow down for ….stone.    

The walk out of Pendeen took me through the landscape that is punctuated by the remnants of the tin mining industry.     The South West Coast Path runs through what is known as The Tin Coast and the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.  The path goes straight past what was Levant Mine and Crown Mine – the mines used in the filming of Poldark and I could see why.   So beautifully preserved which ,in this raw and exposed place, is a staggering feat of construction.  Today in the quiet and misty start to the day it was silently eerie – I took my time exploring – marvelling again at miners.     How harsh these conditions would of been , no wonder the average life expectancy for a miner was less than 40 years.     The engine houses cling to the cliff side and is all that visibly remains of this Cornish industry that for several centuries was the worlds largest producer of tin and copper.    Hundreds of miles of under ground tunnels and shafts lie silent and unseen with only a Beware Mine Shaft sign giving a clue as to what lies beneath .

As I was doing my pondering I thought how I have never seen the remains of industry blend so seamlessly and be so aesthetically woven into it’s  landscape.  Did they plan this when they were building these engine houses?   That the stone used would now, all these years later,  be both so connected with it’s environment and look so strikingly beautiful.   Yep ….I  took alot of pictures.   Stone just looks good from all the angles.    

 It was the plan that my beautiful Kate was to train in from London to join me for a few days on this section of the walk – how much she would of loved this part of the trail – for her love of being in nature , for the history of it all and for the chance Ross Poldark and Zachy Martin might emerge from a mine shaft.   Instead , the work load and timing meant she had to sacrifice this to be in the SOAS library working on her Masters .     ( She is my Demelza through and through) .  How I wished she could of seen this with her eyes.  

I had to pull myself away to get a move on ..the trail led me to Cape Cornwall – once thought to be the most Westerly point  in the British Isles.   After the first Ordance Survey in the 19th Century Land’s End took the title but Cape Cornwall has a kind of untouched by the fuss beauty all of its own.    The Walking around this headland is beautiful .    I stopped for Vivienne’s superb sandwich (egg mayoniase and red onion of thick granary bread).   I headed up to Sennans Cove – did a very quick stop as there was 10km to Porthcurno.   On to a crowded Land’s End and avoided the long line to get a picture with the famous sign – which is a package with a pic, wallet size, one for your Nan, key ring sort of situation.

After the bustle of Land’s End the walking was stunning, the cliffs are rugged granite and the walking has a moor like quality –  and it’s very exposed.   This was a problem as I needed to find a covered spot to nip for a wee.   I hadn’t seen anybody walking since leaving Land’s End ,it was remote and I had the whole place to myself so I thought I was safe to go quickly only slightly off the trail ,  down a slope I went leaving my back pack at the top.   I had just started when I heard a slight movement  behind me and the feeling I was being watched.  I turned around already forming an apology ,  expecting a couple of walkers sat on a rock eating an orange but it was much worse.    There,  2 metres behind me, with head down low and just staring at me was a huge bull with two massive horns.   It stood dead still , giving me the look that my Mum would give Em and I as children from across the room with her widened brown eyes that would mean immediatly halt whatever it was we were doing.   This had the same affect  – I immediatly halted what I was doing.   If ever a woman has pulled her pants up as fast as I did I’d like to know about it.    

I moved slowly backwards, remembering the bull code of conduct – do not run , no sudden movements.   I said in what I thought was a bull calming tone….”ooooooookkkkkkkk I’m goooooiiiiiinnnnngggggg nooooowwwww”  I used the  same reassuring voice  I used when tip toeing backwards out of Charlotte’s room when I’d just got her to sleep in a big girls bed.   It’s all I knew.     But then I realised my back pack!  I had to get back to my back pack – the bull was in between me and the back pack.   It was at this point I actually just considered leaving it and writing it off but everything phone, bank cards, passport was in there .    With heart pounding I did a wide semi circle reverse slow walk – trying to appear casual – hoping bulls know what casual looks like !?!?  It didn’t move – it just stared.   I got round the back of it and barely breathing grabbed my pack and was off up that hill walking without running but doing strides as long as I could manage until I got to a stone stile and catapulted myself over.  

I got my heart rate back down by having a drink and Viviennes surprise brownie that she’d included and I was off.    

It was the most beautiful finale, post bull, into Porthcurno.   First the stunning Ninjizal Bay , the little hamlet of Porthgwarra and then the steep steps down into Porthcurno.  Porthcurno Beach lives up to its reputation.  With granite cliffs rising up either side and golden sand it is like a hidden treasure of beach perfection.   Porthcurno is famous for the Minack Theatre – an open air theatre built into the cliff side.  The idea of what sounds like a creative force of a woman, Rowena Cade, who in 1930 devised the plan to have an open air theatre is this cliff face and over time built this unique theatre – it has something different on every night attracting acts and plays from all over to perform there.   What incredible things this walk has unvieled today – just so much in one walk .   By the time I’d climbed the final Porthcorno hill to my accomodation, it was 6.30 and  I felt my walking was done for the day. 

That was until I asked Pauline at Seaview House where would serve dinner ….she said the only place is the Logan Rock pub and thats a 20 minute walk over a field.  In what came out in a more high pitched voice than I realized I said “oh.. …a field?!!”.    The higher register must of registered and she said “how about I call the old lad with the taxi?”   I said ” oh yes! please call the old lad!!”   So she did ,  I did a quick change , while Pauline shouted up “he’s nearly here , he’s just stuck behind a tractor!”     Old lad arrived and off I  went to the cosy and gorgeous 16th century Logan Rock pub and sat in a little corner nook with a hot and delicious Logan Rock fish pie.   

Day 20 was a truly memorable day. 

Ok… last one

Cape Cornwall

A Day 20 milestone

Nanjizal Beach

Porthcurno Bay

The Logan Rock ….by taxi!

Night night xxxx