20180614 Porthleven – The Lizard

Date: 20180614

Time: 9:15 – 17:00

Distance: 30.5 km

Stay: Hellarcher Farm, The Lizard

Walk

I am off to good start today, even before I am at Loe Bar, I have a detour. A piece of the cliff edge has collapsed and therefore I can not get through. There is no fixed new route yet, but a temporary one. A diversion of more than 4 kilometers for a stretch of about 100 meters.
In the distance I see that several people just go through and walk a bit higher between the bushes. A sort of alternative path already seems to be taking shape. For a moment I doubt, but then I decide to just follow the diversion. I am here to walk and 4 kilometers extra is nothing.

I do not regret it afterwards. The diversion goes inland and is a nice alternate route between meadows, with a piece of forest and the last part goes along Loe Pool. Nothing wrong with that.

Loe Pool is the largest fresh water lake in Cornwall. It used to be a river mouth (from the Cober), but in the 13^th century the sandbank that is now called Loe Bar was formed and thus the river was closed off from the sea. Fresh and salt water separated by a little sand…

There is a lot of wind today, that is difficult with the hat. I need it, otherwise my hair blows in my eyes. Well, there is always something.

After the diversion it continues on the regular route. Mainly over the cliffs and with a regular descent and adjecent climb.

In Dollar Cove there is a small cafe, no more than a counter in the wall with a few chairs in front of it. But in the shade, so I take a break for a cup of coffee.
Dollar Cove is so called because in the middle of the 18^th century a Spanish treasure ship was shipwrecked here. Since then, everyone still hopes to find silver coins, but no one has ever found anything.

After Dollar Cove, Gunwalloe Church Cove follows. It is called that because they have built a church here, the church of the storms, with the associated cemetery. Not the most obvious place. They found out for themselves because a lot of maintenance is needed. The church suffers a lot from the sea (and the storms).

The rest of the route also goes over the cliffs and regularly up and down. I pass a monument to Marconi (the one of the radio waves). From here, he has sent the first wireless message into the world and received it in North America.

To give an impression, here is a list of names that I came across / passed through today:

• Porthleven
• Loe Bar
• Gunwalloe Fishing Cove
• Baulk Head
• Halzephron Cove / Cliff
• Pedngwinian
• Dollar Cove
• Castle Mound
• Gunwalloe Church Cove
• Poldhu Cove / Point
• Angrouse Cliff
• Polurrian Cove
• Mullion Cove / Cliffs
• Men-te-heul
• Higher Predannack Cliffs
• Predannack Head
• Ogo-dour Cove
• Vellan Head
• Soapy Cove
• The Horse
• Rill Point
• Kynance Cliff / Cove
• Pentreath Beach
• Caerthillian Cove
• Old Lizard Head
• Pistil Maedow
• Lizard Point

Lizard Point is the southernmost tip of England. Another milestone. I celebrate it with a pint of Fire Raven from the Cornish Chough Brewery in the southernmost cafe in England.

Around Lizard Point I also see a lot of Hottentot figs, both purple and yellow this time. some rocks are completely overgrown with the stuff. I begin to see what the problem is.

Although I have now reached two milestones (Land’s End, the most westerly point and Lizard Point, the most southerly point), I am still far from there. I’m not halfway (that will be in a few days). I still have a long way to go …

Then it goes to the B & B of today, in The Lizard (the village). That’s another 2 kilometers.
With this, the total of today exceeds 30 kilometers. Quite a tough day with all the descents and rises. But I managed and tomorrow it will be a lot easier.

Weather

It rained last night. No problem, it has to rain once in a while and that can be better at night. It looks a bit gloomy in the morning, but it soon gets better. The rest of the day it is alternately sunny and cloudy. However, there is a strong wind. Especially on top of the cliffs, the cord on my hat is not enough to keep it on my head. If I don’t hold it, it is blown away!

Lyric of the day

Because I still have a long way to go, today It’s A Long Way There from the Little River Band:

Hey, everybody, yeah, don’t you feel that there’s something

People on their own are getting nowhere
I’m on the road to see
If anything is anywhere or waiting, just for me

Everynight I walk around the city
Seems like I’ll never know
That feeling of being together when I go

And it’s a long way there
It’s a long way to where I’m going
And it’s a long way there
It’s a long way to where I’m going

Hey, everybody, don’t you feel that there’s something
But you know in a moment it is gone
I live for the day when I can hear people saying
That they know and they care for everyone

But I feel like I’ve been here for the whole of my life
Never knowing home

It’s a long way, it’s a long, long, long way there
I’m gonna keep on tryin’, I’m gonna keep on tryin’, yeah
I’m gonna keep on tryin’, keep on tryin’

Been away from home for such a long time
And got to know this town
But I don’t seem to matter much to anyone who’s around
Is there anybody around

Everynight I walk around the city
Seems like I’ll never know
The feeling of being together when I go

And it’s a long way there
It’s a long way to where I’m going
And it’s a long way there
It’s a long way to where I’m going

Everybody knows it’s a long way there
Oh, everybody knows it’s a long way there
Mmm, it’s a long way

Driving around’s kind of getting me down and I know, and I know
It’s a long long way there
It’s such a long long way, long way

Hey, everybody, yeah, don’t you feel that there’s something
Feel it, feel it
Hey, everybody, yeah, don’t you feel that there’s something

Photos