Walking the Pentewan Trail to the Village and Harbour

Once upon a time this was was the Pentewan Railway carrying china clay - up until about 1918, Now it is part of the Pentewan Valley Trail.

We didn't walk the whole trail but started at a pull-in on the B3373. This leads to the bridge as shown in the first photo.

From here we simply followed the St. Austell River sticking to the riverside. The path isn't wonderful but less people take this option.

The path leads to the village of Pentewan.

And Bob's your uncle, here we are in the village. This cottage dates back to 1823

More of the village. At the far end of the road there is a steep hill.

We headed for the beach - can never resist a stroll by the sea. Pentewan Beach must be slightly over half a mile in length. All is very peaceful at this time of year, but it gets busy in the summer season.

To reach the beach you pass Pentewan Harbour.

The harbour is no longer used and is now  landlocked

In the late 1800s, and early 1900s, however, the harbour would have been full of tall sailing ships exporting local china clay, metals and the like all over the world.

Here's a photo of the harbour from 1900 with a few tall ships in dock.

Now on the way back from Pentewan to our car. On the return we took the popular path used for walkers, cyclists, and horses. Luckily there didn't seem to be any of these about, so an empty path ahead.

A bit muddy in places.

Nearly back to the start and a wooden bridge crossing the river.

A sign by the bridge points the way to Mevagissey, Heligan, St. Austell and Pentewan.

Two little ducks minding their own business.

And finally, here we are back to the bridge where we started.

That's all for today, thanks for visiting my blog. Enjoy your week ~ Mike.

Kernow Air Ambulance and a Walk in Kingswood

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No,it's the Kernow Air Ambulance. Kernow is the Cornish language name for Cornwall. 

While out walking we heard the helicopter overhead. It was on it's way to the Co-operative Supermarket car park - the only place it could land safely. As soon as it was on terra firma the team were off to the local town where there had been an incident.

Once the crew had gone people started to check out the Air Ambulance.

The crew returned and were soon back in the air.

The Cornwall Air Ambulance is called to over 1000 seriously sick or injured people every year in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. As a charity, they rely on the public to fund these life saving missions.

Moving on: We thought a walk in Kings Wood, at Pentewan, might be a good idea despite it being a dull day.

We didn't walk that far and kept to the main trails.

Walking in the ancient Kings Wood has been a well trodden path for hundreds of years. After walking for a while there is a sign asking: "Did you feel a little shiver just now?" They are not talking about any coldness from the weather - but more ghostly things!

Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, Lord Ordainer (1278-1322), and one of the most powerful men in England is believed to have once owned King's Wood. 

He was the cousin of Edward the Second and led the barons' revolt against the King in 1332. He was was defeated at the Battle of Borough Bridge. On March 22nd of the same year. Thomas was found guilty of treason and beheaded.

Who knows, perhaps the ghost of Thomas still walks these ancient paths.

Not a lot of colour within the King's Wood at the moment but the bluebells will put on a display in the Spring. In the meantime here's a Colourful camellia flower from my garden.

Thanks for visiting my blog, have a happy week ~ Mike.

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 Wander Around Charlestown on a Blue Sky Day

A chilly, but beautiful winter's day with a blue sky, so we headed to one of our favourites : Charlestown.

I noticed later that there was a brave soul swimming in the sea - see above to right of the photo.

Quite a few boats on view in the dock /port.

It was good to see that the bridge is back in use to cross the water to the main harbour. It looks a bit wibbly wobbly but it's quite safe.

The couple below made it across the bridge and lived to tell the tale.

Looking up at the cottages looking down on us, very popular with holidaymakers.

A few people roaming about on the edge of the harbour.

And looking across to the cliffs. Have to be a bit careful on the stoney beach as there have been a few cliff falls.

A view of the old cottages and the chimney, which is a listed building.

The tide was out in the main harbour.

A closer look at the chimney and cottages. 

Steady if you go below - the cannons are at the ready.

The remains of an old boat, keeping a watchful eye of what is happening.

Finally another look at the cliffs and the blue sky. Looks more like summer than winter - other than people are wearing heavy coats.

Moving on, I found another chimney, also once used in the China Clay Industry. This one is in the Gover Valley.

Also in the valley there is a pleasant small river, with a white tinge from china clay in the local soil.

It's a bit damp in the valley and this makes for some interesting rocks covered in green moss.

A final photo for today, the river and some more greenery.

That's all for today, enjoy your week, all good wishes ~ Mike.