Day: May 25, 2016

Miles Today 48, Miles in total 62, Climbing today 1006 metres

Well we’re off, good night at the very comfortable Youth Hostel in Penzance,  the warden warned us to be up early as a large school party was in and if we appeared after 7.30 ” could be mayhem”. We dutifully arrived early but in fact the children were very civilised, respect though to teachers dealing with  school trips!

We cycled to Lands End with the wind behind us (not what we want as then it will be a headwind for the rest of the time). We were rather appalled at Land’s End as to what commercial enterprise can do to Britain’s natural beauty…. tacky amusements in a gorgeous place.

We declined the fee for the “official” photo in front of the famous sign and instead had our picture taken by a friendly passing tourist- and our banner generated interest and some donations.

Lands End- how not to enhance wild coastal scenery

Quiet Cornish lanes

Then we set off back to Penzance with a stiff headwind but little traffic.

View at lunch over to St Michael’s Mount. Gull eyeing up our sandwiches

Lunch and then on to Hayle , Camborne and our intended (booked ) campsite- but calamity, the lady said that the toilet wasn’t working so they couldn’t accomodate any camping on the farm. Our pleas of weary legs were to no avail- so we were glad of a  mobile signal and searched for another site, luckily not too much further but inevitably up another hill (Cornwall may have no big mountains but we can confirm other’s comments that it has some very steep hills)

Anyway all is well, the campsite we arrived, Lanyon’s Holiday Park was much nicer and the charming proprietor Jamie was interested in our project and when he found out the causes we were raising for donated us free camping-  a really generous  gift, we have put the fee into justgiving.

Because our small stove only burns for a short time we have to limit what we can cook- but tonight’s fresh pasta with sauce tasted great after 48 miles.

Lanyon Campsite

24th May 2016

Return to Penzance today.

Sunny but windy and cold. Packed, all very organised as the bags always are at the beginning of trips. Visited the beautiful health centre to acquire a stock of Sturgeron for the boat journey, the waiting room has a picture window with an amazing view. The staff were enthusiastic about our project and have put leaflets up for us

Then to the Scillies museum where we read about all the things we have seen. An old fashioned, cluttered museum, stuffed with things: Mesolithic axe heads, neolithic arrows and brooches and pottery, civil war soldiers pipes, relics from wrecks and then historyies of the schools, football clubs boats and people. We learnt that the islands were much bigger in Neolithic times with many of the islands joined together to form a single bigger landmass. Then rising sealevels divided them and the current coastline dates from medieval times. We also learnt that they were held by Royalists in the civil war long after Cromwell’s troops had won on the mainland and that all the Civil war fortifications we have seen were due to Cromwell taking the islands , fearing the French would use them as a base to invade.

We learnt that there 700 recorded wrecks but in reality many more and they contributed greatly to the islands economy as ships needed pilots and then often rescue and salvage, and then inevitably the islanders profited from goods coming ashore as well as a spot of smuggling. The islanders were hostile to Her Majesty’s Customs establishing an office there and the Customs ruled that the local boats, or gigs, would be restricted to 6 oars to prevent them being able to go faster than the Customs boats.

All fascinating stuff

After that we bought food, posted postcards and wandered down ot the pier.

Scilly post office

Waiting for the ferry

On the way over, we had been horrified to find that the bikes had been unsecured in a container and had been crashing and sliding around all journey so this time we made a fuss about seeing them well secured. The sea is much calmer and I am sitting writing this in the sun on the back deck in relative comfort.

Unloading a racing skiff from the ferry, if it fits they will take it

Mooring at Penzance Quay