Friday 12th August 2023

By: Mike

 

We catch the first Coaster at 09.25 and get off at Pendeen to walk down to Pendeen Watch. We are skipping the short distance from Morvah, having no wish to go back there yet again.  I leave a message with Brae Vean Farm camp site and they confirm four nights there for next week. We pass through an interesting landscape of former tin mines. George calls and talks about his impending job at Amnesty International.  He starts on Monday.  There is a wildfire in the distance at Botallack.  Fortunately, the wind is driving it away from the village.  We eat our lunch at Kenidjack Castle where we are bothered by flies.  Soon after lunch we are at Cape Cornwall.  It’s a grand name for a low mound with a chimney on top.  But there is a café in the NT car park where we get ice creams and rest for a moment.  A gabby NT volunteer lady is persuading people to join up.

                                                                            Cape Cornwall


We tell her that we are already members, and I ask how long she has to stay in the searing heat. 

“Oh, I don’t have to stay at all if I don’t want to” she says.  “I think I will head up to our place in St Just and then maybe go to Botallack”.  She is obviously  enjoying her work.

“It’s only 20 minutes up to St Just”, she says.  Not!  It takes us at least 35 minutes and we are very tired.  We buy cold water at the Co-op and wait for the Coaster at the St Just bus station.

We are early home and have time for tea, shower, rest before we drive into St Ives for our booked dinner at The Fish Café.  We find a parking place quite easily at Park Avenue.  We are early, so we wander through the town, ending up at Porthmeor Beach.  By now it is 20.30, but the beach is packed.  The heatwave evening is still warm and people are picnicking and swimming. Chris takes pictures of the sunset.  Dinner at the Fish Café comes to £99 including a nice bottle of rose.  I have hake and Chris has mackerel.  Driving back, we disturb a barn owl perched in the middle of the road.



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