Walking at Carlyon Bay, Truro Harbour and Three Wise monkeys

My dear old dad would have said that it was definitely brass monkey* weather. It was cold but we ventured out to Carlyon Bay for a walk along the beach. 

There were only a few people about. Hope the couple below weren't having a paddle, brave if they were.

The sun was doing its best to make it through the cloud cover.

Just the one boat to be seen, which stayed close to the shore.

A problem with the beach is that there is Sandy River cutting through the sand, the water comes from the cliffs.

Towards the end of the beach grasses grow and in the summer a few naturists may also be on display.

At the far end of the beach the river makes its way into the sea - though the river often changes its course.

I guess the beach, in the photos above, look reasonably pleasant. One of the problems though is the fence you can see in the photo below. Behind the fence is where, in 2003, plans were made to build apartments and shops here. This never came to fruition.

So what is left behind the fence are rocks and other debris.  It's all a bit of a mess.

The cliffs are quite high in places as the next two photos show.

Good to see some gorse in flower at the foot of the cliffs.

Moving on - another day.

I had to visit my dentist in Truro for a routine check-up. Afterwards I had a quick look around Truro Harbour. The water is tidal so it often looks a bit muddy. Today though, the water was nicely polished and shiny.

From here it is possible to see the Truro Cathedral spires in the distance.

From the harbour, during the summer, there are boat trips to Falmouth. It's a lovely way to spend some time, especially on a sunshine day.

On one occassion, while on the trip, we were lucky enough to encounter a race for working boats.

They are known as Truro River Oyster Dredging Boats - the name describes their purpose. Traditionally they were made of wood. They are also referred to as Falmouth Working Boats. It's quite a sight to behold. 

There are a few more photos on my post:The Race Is On For The Working Boats 

*Mentioning my father's saying about brass monkeys reminded me that my Grandmother always had three brass wise monkeys on her fireplace. These were a reminder that we should hear no evil, see no evil or speak no evil. 

I guess though, more importantly,  we should also do no evil.

That's all for today, thanks for your visit, have a happy week ahead ~ Mike

A Winter Walk Along the Beach at Carlyon Bay

I needed a walk by the sea, so we headed along to Carlyon Bay. Not a favourite beach but it is one with a lot of elbow room. This is important in these strange times of the coronavirus.

We drove to the beach car park and, unfortunately, a few other other people had also decided to sample the delights of Carlyon Bay. Okay, perhaps saying delights is a bit over the top, as there are far better beaches.

If you should visit this beach watch out in the car park (free in the winter) as there are some nasty potholes, especially near the entrance.

From the car park we strolled down the steepish hill and alongside the crumbly cliffs.

We walked the full length of the beach. At the far end it's possible to climb up the cliffs to reach the coastal footpath.

I always like looking at rocks and cliffs seeing the patterns and any creatures hiding away.

Looking back across the beach, all was a little hazy, but can look lovely on a Spring day.

On our return walk, looking inland, there were a few trees.

Ah yes, we then arrived where the beach isn't quite as good as it should be. Back in 2003 it was planned that Carlyon Bay would have a multi million development with housing, shops, restaurants and so on. 

Unfortunately there were planning problems. To quote the developers. "The scheme was commenced in 2003 and was partially built out, before being halted by planning difficulties. After a Public Inquiry, a new scheme was designed for which consent was granted in 2011".

But this hasn't come to fruition, very little appears to have happened. This means that much of Carlyon Bay doesn't look as good as it should. Sad to see.

It's still quite pleasant though, to walk along the beach while looking out to sea.

We returned to the car park full of fresh air, despite some of my comments.

The beach can get busy in the summer season, see my post Carlyon Bay, Cornwall in the Sunshine.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

The Fin Whale Stranded on the Cornish Beach

As with all of the English population we are under lockdown because of this awful Covid-19 virus. We have to stay indoors, other than for exercise and essential trips. So, for a while, some of the photos will have to be mainly from the past.

I'm starting off with a sad story from my archives - and an evening I will never forget.

I had just been told that I had kidney cancer and would have to have my right kidney removed. I'll add straight away that I am now okay and was given the all clear a while back.

Anyway, back to that night. I wanted to have a walk on my own to get my head straight about the forthcoming surgery. I headed for the long beach at Carlyon Bay.

On the beach I saw immediately that a whale had been beached with nasty wounds to its head. 

A Coastguard Rescue man soon arrived at the scene.

Looking at the whale it was obviously in trouble as it lashed out on the shore. So very sad. 

Somehow the local radio got hold of the story and soon scores of sightseers were on the beach.

The fin whale was about 65ft long.  I've read since, that fin whales are the second largest animal on the planet and are an endangered species.

Police and maritime experts arrived, but were unable to help the whale.

 

A plan was made to float the whale out to sea but this turned out to be impossible.

I stayed for several hours hours willing the whale to somehow survive.  The weather turned for the worse and the rain poured down, almost as tears for this wonderful creature struggling for life.

When I eventually left it was quite dark. Sadly the whale died during the night. 

It is thought that a boat must have injured the whale.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'll try and make future posts a little more cheerful!

See also:

The Meeting With Barrel Jellyfish at Carlyon Bay, Cornwall

Walking Along the Cliffs and Golf Course From Carlyon Bay

The weather was in a quandary. Should it rain, dabble in sunshine, or be dark and threatening? 

Whatever the weather we decided to go for a walk and headed for Carlyon Bay golf course. Not to play though, as I agree with Mark Twain who said 'Golf is a good walk spoiled' - apologies to golfers! 

Alongside the golf course, overlooking the sea, there is a public footpath with some lovely views. You have to be aware of any stray golf balls, of course.

With the golf course stretched out before us it turned quite dark with a few drops of rain.

Clouds formed as we walked.

We decided to visit Spit Beach - from the footpath - and the sun did its best to shine.

For a brief moment the beach looked great with blue-green sea lapping the shore.

As we retraced our steps, alongside the golf course, dark clouds, again ...

... some appeared to be hovering above the horizon.

With Carlyon Bay beach in view we are nearly back to where we started. 

To walkalong side the golf course park in Carlyon Bay beach car park. It's a bit bumpy but is free out of the tourist season. Walk down the hill, a short way, and on the left is a Public Footpath sign, follow this. Note the path can get a bit muddy following heavy rain.

It's possible to carry on walking past Spit Beach and onto Par Beach.

Making the Most of the Coronavirus Lockdown: Carlyon Bay, St.Austell, Gover Valley, Charlestown and Bubbles.

With our wings clipped by the coronavirus lockdown it's difficult to know where to get some fresh air without falling foul of the regulations.

When in doubt it's usually the beach for our allowed exercise. There's plenty of elbow room, for example, at Carlyon Bay

It was a somewhat strange day as one moment it was blue sky but dark clouds soon took control.

The clouds became rain - heavy rain. We made a dash to our car and watched the rain trickling down the windows.

Onward to St. Austell town. Seemingly we needed some veg from the greengrocer next to the butchers shop. Have to try and support the smaller shops during lockdown.

The Christmas lights are ready now in the town. You can just see them in the distance in the photo below.

There was a dullness as we walked for a while along the Gover Valley

Lots of leaves on the path as it runs by the Gover Stream.

All very attractive at this time of the year - and also in the Spring.

The Pier House next (restaurant and pub) just because I like Charlestown. 

And some bubbles ... we have to try and make the best of lockdown somehow. Keep smiling.