Date: 20180625
Time: 9:20 – 16:25
Distance: 30.6 km
Stay: The Imperial, Plymouth
Walk
Today it will be a long walk. All the way to Plymouth and then through the town to get to the hotel. It is, however, a mainly flat stretch.
The owner of the hotel tells me a shortcut. There is a shorter way from the hotel to the Coast Path than back where I came from. But then I miss a part of the path. In addition, I still want to walk through Crafthole to replenish my water supply at the local store.
After I have done that, it goes down a bit and then I am on the path again.
The first part goes along a golf course, there are already a few people playing golf on the Monday morning. I have a chat with one of them. He does not understand that we are not participating in the World Cup. I do not know what he is talking about 🙂
Then it becomes exciting, I go through the firing range, a military training ground. There are no red flags, so it will be fine, I hope. This is much better than the alternative, two kilometers along a fairly busy road without footpath along it. I walk past the shooting ranges and then arrive at Tregantle Fort. This is one of the many forts built around 1860 to defend naval bases against a French attack (that never came).
Then it goes towards Rame Head, a headland that I already can see for a while. Once there I make the effort to walk to the top, to the chapel of St Michael the Archangel on Rame Head. The chapel has been there for about 600 years, although the current version was renovated in 1882.
At the top I see that there are ponies walking around. In fact, the ponies have take over the chapel as a shelter. So the chapel has become a sort of pony stable…
Apart from that, the view from here is definitely worth it. Fortunately, the weather is clear and the Lizard can be seen to the west.
I continue to Penlee Point. Again a chapel or grotto can be admired here. For this I have to go down a bit. It is the chapel / grotto of Queen Adelaide. Originally an 18th century lookout, the chapel / grotto was created and named after Adelaide, a German princess and wife of the Duke of Clarence, who visited it.
After Penlee Point, a longer forest walk follows to Plymouth, via Cawsand and Kingsand. I come across a real fake ruin, built as a replacement for a navigation obelisk. In the end I walk through old gardens with their own Orangery.
Then it’s time for a ferry again. When I arrive, the ferry is already there. So quickly on board. When arriving at the other side, I am not quite where I expected to be. According to my data, the ferry should have taken me a bit further. No worries, I just walk there and then continue the route. So I do just that. Only to come to the conclusion that I can walk back the same stretch again because that is the route…
There was indeed a ferry on the spot where I expected it. Probably I did not look good enough in my haste and caught the wrong ferry.
The first part after the ferry is nice, after that it becomes a bit long-winded. Eventually I arrive at the Smeaton’s Tower. From here I depart from the Coast Path and head towards the hotel. That is found quickly enough and fortunately there is a bar so I can drink a beer. I have deserved that after having walked more than 30 kilometers.
After showering I go down to the Barbican, the entertainment center around the original harbor of Plymouth. Here I find, on instructions from the hotel owner, the Blues Bar. Good food and a beer while enjoying good music. Tomorrow night they have live music and I have a rest day here tomorrow. That is nice.
Weather
All day sun and quite warm. A breeze from the sea, but I only occasionally benefited from that.
Lyric of the day
Good music during dinner tonight at the Blues Bar. Therefore, a blues song as the lyric of the day, A Million Miles Away from the much too early passed away Rory Gallagher. The text is even a bit appropriate…
This hotel bar is full of people, the piano man is really laying it down
The old bartender is a high as a steeple, so why tonight should I wear a frown? (Yes, I’m a…)
Million miles away, I’m a million miles away
I’m sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay
Why ask how I feel how does it look to you?
I feel hook, line and sinker, I lost my captain and my crew
I’m standing on the landing, there’s no one there but me
That’s where you’ll find me, looking out on the deep blue sea
This hotel bar is full of people, the piano man is really laying it down
The old bartender is a high as steeple, so why tonight should I wear a frown?
The joint is jumping all around me and my mood is really not in style
Right now the blues want to surround me but I’ll break out after a while
Well, I’m a million miles away, I’m a million miles away
I’m sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay
Why ask how I feel, well, how does it look to you?
I feel hook line and sinker, I lost my captain and my crew
I’m standing on the landing and there’s no one there but me
That’s where you’ll find me, looking out on the deep blue see
There’s a song on the lips of everybody, there’s a smile all around the room
There’s conversation overflowing, so why must I sit here in the gloom?
This hotel bar lost all its people, the piano man has caught the last bus home
The old bartender is asleep in the corner, so why must I still be here, I don’t know
Well, I’m a million miles away, I’m a million miles away
I’m sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay
