Combing the Cornish Coast

Arriving back on the mainland from the Scilly Isles we spent the night at the Premier Inn in Hayle, just because it was convenient as a pit stop.

The following day we set off to Falmouth to collect Racheal’s medicines from my brother’s colleague, who had stored them while we were on Scilly. From there we went into Falmouth to the National Maritime Museum. There was an exhibition on surfing, which was interesting as surfing is part of the itinerary for this trip, while we are in Wales. We couldn’t visit all the museum because both lifts were out of order, but there was plenty we could do and it filled the time we had available. More frustrating was the fact that the town’s Changing Places toilet had been double locked so we couldn’t use it.

From Falmouth we took the A39 and A30 to Bodmin for our next base. Not on the coast, but ideally located to explore from. This time we were staying in a modern, ground floor flat called ‘The Bethany’, on the edge of town.

We had booked tickets for an evening show at the Minnack Theatre, an outdoor theatre on the cliffs west of Penzance. To get there, we decided to spend a day meandering along the north coast starting in Perranporth where we had a picnic overlooking the beach after exploring the village. Continuing along the coast, we drove through St Agnes, Portreath and other small villages, eventually stopping again in St Ives. One of Racheal’s favourite things of this trip has been ‘driving with the windows open’ and this was a good day for it!

St Ives is a lovely town, but challenged us with it’s steep hills and tiny shops. Despite that, we had fun exploring until it was time to move on. When the time came to return to the car, I thought had found a less steep route back to the car park. We set off along the seafront and down a narrow lane, only to discover that the car park, although next to us, was also 20ft above us! The only way up was a flight of steps. After some deliberation, Summer set off back to the seafront with Racheal while I climbed the steps and drove around the one way system to meet them with the car.

Reunited, we drove to the Minnack Theatre, pausing at a supermarket to pick up nice things for our second picnic of the day. We were shown to the accessible seating area which was quite a long way from the stage, but we had a good view. It’s such a stunning location, you can’t help but be awestruck wherever you sit, especially on a lovely, sunny evening. By this time Racheal had had her tea, so Summer and I settled down to have our picnic before the show began. Called ‘Shantify’, there was a very loose plot , into which the group wove a number of popular songs which they had arranged in the style of sea shanties. As the evening progressed, the wind became quite cold and we were glad of the blankets we carry in the car. Our return drive to Bodmin should have only taken about an hour, but a major road was closed for overnight works so it was quite late when we got back to the flat.

A day at Tintagel concluded our Cornish coat exploration. Another challenge for the Treki, which is still waiting to be repaired. We followed an uneven track down to the ticket booth, from the village. Then, after showing Racheal’s membership card and access card, we continued on a level path to the bridge across to the island and castle ruins. Most of the site is inaccessible due to the rugged landscape, but there were some artifacts for Racheal to feel and the crashing sea to listen to. It was a pleasant place for our picnic lunch and to sit for a while. The trek back to the village almost defeated us, because it was so steep, but a couple of kind men offered to help. We attached straps to the front of Racheal’s chair which they pulled, while Summer pushed. I couldn’t keep up and came along, panting, a few minutes later.

The village provided further interest to keep us occupied for the rest of the day. A friendly café provided welcome refreshment after the climb from the castle, and Racheal thoroughly enjoyed her own personal little bowl of clotted cream! Browsing the small shops passed an hour or so, and to finish we visited the old post office, now owned by the National Trust. Here we tried our hand at rag rug making and found herbs and flowers to smell in the garden.