Grand Tour of England Day 10

We knew from the stunning mackerel sky sunset last night that the weather would be different today. There had been rain in the night but it was warm when we got up.

We had a relaxed morning catching up on reading the old newspapers - it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside though. Jo called for us and we drove to Porthgwarra where we got one of the last parking places £5. On the way her car showed a red light and beeped at her. The engine had overheated. I remembered when that once happened to us in our ancient Peugeot we had to turn on the heating full blast. Would they listen but it did work and when we got back after our walk Mr C put water in. The car had recently been serviced and he found the oil cap hadn’t been replaced - it was still lying on top of the engine.

We went down steeply bro a small beach and walked back up through a tunnel in the rocks. Apparently it is a location for Poldark. The path was quite narrow and steep and where the path split we went to a cliff top for our picnic. The spot overlooked Jo’s favourite beach. Then the path took us steeply down to the point where a bit of cliff scrambling was required to reach the beach. There was no car park so only an intrepid few made it.

Clambering up the other side we kept meeting people where it was very narrow and precipitous. At one point Jo pointed out the row of houses where the late John Le Carre lived. We reached the theatre which had a big car park. Fortunately Jo had bought us timed tickets as people were being turned away. It was all very manicured with pretty flowerbeds built into the cliff. The seating was like in a Roman amphitheatre. It wasn’t quite how I imagined though it must be lovely to sit there overlooking a moonlit sea and watch a performance.

We carried on down a very steeply stepped path facing right down hundreds of feet to the sea - I’d have been happier going up! There was a large beach below called Porthcurno. From there we walked up through the village and cut across a field to St Levan church where Jo’s elder son got married. At the entrance to the churchyard was a coffin shaped stone where people walking the way we’d come rested the coffin before bearing it into the church. The interior was beautifully simple, ancient and austere. Then it was another field to get back to the path and back to the car. Only half the steps of yesterday but quite a lot more height.

Jo had booked a meal for us at her favourite fish restaurant in Mousehole but had been phoned to say they were having to close due to Covid. What a lucky escape - had we gone last night we’d have had to isolate for 10 days. Numbers have gone from 6 to 60 in Cornwall in the last week. We are blaming the G7 influx. Instead we went to sit in Jo’s courtyard and had fish and chips with her son Alix who we met in Iran and her ex Adam, Alix’s Dad. They had come from Bristol for a visit.

It is 13 degrees with a north wind. The whole bay below the van is full of rollers crashing in. Wonderfully dramatic.

Another fantastic day. The ankle is a bit sore as are the creaking knees with all the steep steps. I must do my exercises now!