Shipwrecks and Cliffs

We had a much needed day off yesterday so thought it would be nice to take a walk along the beach.....what was I thinking?  It was Bank Holiday Monday in Cornwall so despite the weather not being brilliant the car parks by the beaches were packed.  Plan B was put in place,  I found a quiet little carpark on the cliffs between Portreath and Godrevy where we took a walk along the coastal path.

It's good to see the gulls in their natural habitat 

As you can see the views are stunning along the coast and despite it being windy it was warm, even hot when the path took us through areas of high growth.  The heather and gorse looked stunning against the blue of the sea and sky.  As we neared Hell's Mouth, a well known cove, we were reminded of how deadly the sea could be.  The wreck of the Secil Japan still lies at the bottom of the cliffs.  On a stormy night in 1989 it lost it's steering and was pushed onto the rocks by the huge seas.  On board were 16 terrified Korean sailors who gathered on the deck hoping for rescue.  An incredibly brave RAF helicopter crew battled against nature to airlift 15 of the men off the stricken ship one by one.  Tragically one of them fell from the strop and was taken by the sea.  We went to see the wreck a few days later, it was a sad sight to see.

You can see the shipwreck lying in the cove

After a stop at Hell's Mouth for a cup of tea we started on our way back along the path.  There are areas where the path has been diverted away from the cliffs because of the danger of cliff falls.  Wooden barriers make it clear that you do not go beyond, but of course you always get the people who don't realise the danger.   We passed a group who stepped over the barrier to have a picnic on the edge of the cliff.  If they were local there is no way they would be sitting there, we all remember when this happened just a few feet from where they were sitting!

I hope you had a great weekend,

Chickpea xx

Quick Visit to Cadgwith

These are the last of my 'holiday' photos......honest :)


On the way home from our break at The Lizard, we called into Cadgwith a pretty little fishing village for lunch.  It is a typical little village with narrow streets and thatched cottages, I would imagine quite a few of them are holiday cottages now.  It is also still very much a working fishing port which is lovely to see.  It is a hard and often dangerous way to earn a living, you could be out all day and catch nothing, or the weather may be so bad you can't go to sea.  In both cases, no fish means no money.  The small boat owners are a dying breed, they compete against huge fleets from far and wide.  Fishing was a huge part of Cornish life in the past, I would hate to see it die out completely.

If it looks familiar, filming took place here for the film Ladies in Lavender, and there was also a BBC TV series called The Fisherman's Apprentice filmed here.

Watching the sea

Biting off more than it could chew

Having a paddle

Strange plants grow here, this looked like a cactus in the greenhouse, and I wasn't even sure if this was real until I got up close to it.  I haven't a clue what it is but isn't it beautiful.

This is a wonderful children's book about a Cornish Fishing Village

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mousehole_Cat

Chickpea xx

Cliffs and Cream Tea

Hi everyone, thank you for your comments yesterday.  It's going to take a while to fully recover, I am shattered today and sore so today is a day of rest. I probably did a bit too much walking while we were away.  Sometimes I am my own worse enemy!

 I have been working on my sock for most of the day.  We popped into town to pick up some more needles yesterday as I couldn't start the second sock with three needles, it was just too difficult.  I am really enjoying working on it and even bought more wool yesterday for another pair.....well I had to make the trip worthwhile :)

Here are some more photos from our 'mini holiday', it really is a beautiful coastline with lots of points of interest.  If you are ever in that area take a walk along the coastal path and then treat yourself to an Annes Pasty in the village.  The area is also famous for its beautiful serpentine.

Even though the wild flowers are gone, there are still beautiful shapes and colours to be seen

This fascinated me, I don't know what or why this was done.  Anyone know?

The Cornish hedge has been repaired here so you can see the stones before they are covered in growth.  The middle of the hedge is packed with earth.  It is a skilled craft which hopefully will not die out.

Having a snooze in the sun.

It is interesting to see the different butterflies here which I don't have in my garden.

 I love the big cliffs and wild seas crashing onto the rocks.

When I put this on Facebook a friend thought I was standing on the edge.  I was actually sitting safely on a rock with my feet dangling over another big granite rock.  I know my limitations at the moment :)

I wish I could fly

They didn't have gluten free scones so I had a cream tea with gluten free bread rolls instead.  As long as I had the clotted cream I didn't care what it was on :)

I hope you have enjoyed the walk,

Chickpea xx

Thank you to Doris for clicking the follow button :)

A Gentle Stoll

We have just returned from three wonderfully relaxing days.  The weather couldn't have been better.  People may have wondered why we chose to stay in a hotel in Cornwall when we already live here, but it was a chance for us both to relax and be pampered with someone else cooking.  It is about being away from everything for a little while, without a long journey to get there.  Look at the view, can you really ask for more?

I had booked it before my operation when I thought it would be straightforward, 3 weeks maximum off work and this break was a chance for me to get my fitness back by walking along the cliffs and even taking a dip in the sea from the beach below the hotel.

Well it hasn't exactly been straight forward, the doctors have signed me off for another month on top of the time I have taken already with strict instruction not to lift, strain etc.  Walking is painful and slow, so I couldn't stomp across the cliffs in my usual manner, not necessarily a bad thing as I noticed more little flowers and butterflies than I usually would.  Luckily where the hotel is situated there was a fairly flat path with lots of seats in one direction so I stuck to that as the other direction had very steep steps that I wouldn't have coped with.  I could only look longingly down to the beach as I wouldn't have coped with the climb down and certainly not the climb back up!!

The day after we arrived we walked along the coast a little way, then when I had enough I turned back while the OH walked on to Cadgwith further along the coast from The Lizard where we were staying.  In the photo above you can see the Lizard lighthouse.  It is a beautiful coastline, we have walked along the coastal path there a few years ago, which is when we spotted the hotel and thought it would be a beautiful location to stay.

When I got back from the walk I thought I would lie here and read my book, instead I fell asleep and stayed there for the whole afternoon in the sun.  It was bliss :)  When OH returned he joined me and fell asleep as well.  The only sound was the waves breaking on the rocks.

Thank you for all your kind comments yesterday.

Chickpea xx

Topless Coast Walkers - well I didn't know where to look

Wheal Coates Mine, and of course some surfers

I had lots to do today but with weather like this, it's a shame to waste it, so yet again I was drawn to the coast.  I had to go to the pretty little village of St Agnes anyway, so I thought I will just go and look at the sea while I'm here. I don't know who I thought I was kidding, of course I couldn't resist taking a walk along the coastal path.

I walked to Wheal Coates, an old mine engine house on the cliffs, Cornwall is dotted with these old iconic buildings.  The mining industry was huge in Cornwall producing tin and copper among other metals that were sent all over the world along with Cornish miners.  There was a saying that if you looked down a mine shaft anywhere in the world you would find a Cornish Miner.

Just look at the colour of the sea and sky

The old buildings look so beautiful it is easy to forget the brutal conditions that were involved in digging the ore out of the ground.  There were many mining disasters where men were killed underground when the tunnels collapsed, but there were also the slow deaths from working many years in terrible conditions.  My mum lost her father to 'Miners Lung' when he was in his early 40's leaving a widow and 8 children.  Looking back at my family tree, many were listed as miners, it employed thousands of men, but also in the past women and children.  The women who were called Bal Maidens worked 'up top' breaking up the ore and separating it.  It was hard work in harsh conditions.

The Coastal path goes right past the mine

Many of the mines were on the cliffs, their tunnels snaking out under the sea.  Miners would say they could hear the pebbles rolling around on the ocean bed above their heads.

Some of the old engine houses have been converted into houses,  but many are now preserved as a part of our history.

The men working underground needed something substantial to eat to keep them going and had to withstand being carried in their packs.  They couldn't wash their hands, which might well have had things like arsenic on them, so they took pasties down with them to eat.  They would hold the pasty by the crust and then throw that away, or as the stories go, give it to the 'Knockers', mine spirits who lived underground,  in return or keeping them safe.

The famous Cornish pasty or 'Oggy'

Oh yes, I promised you topless coast walkers....

Chickpea xx

p.s.  I've added a flags gadget to the page so I can see where all you lovely readers are from.  Sadly there isn't the option of the Cornish flag on there!