The Southwest Coast Path, Cornwall, England, 2015 by Linden B. (Lindy) Sisk

A Day in Penzance

Please remember that each picture is a link to a larger version!

This day was originally scheduled for the walk from Hayle to St. Ives, but as the distance is only five miles, we decided to forego the walk, and spend the day exploring the area.

Our hosts Lynn and Ian Hicks picked Wilf and I up at our hotel, while Des, Jill Eddy's partner, picked up Sally and John. Tristan elected to complete the walk to St. Ives, and then went on to Alex sister's house.

We drove to St. Michael's Mount, which is similar to Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, in that both are islands reached by causeways, which are flooded at high tide, and both were at some time used as monasteries. You may click on the links for more information on both sites.

The adventure continues — but not for long!

The site is believed to have been used as a monastery from around the 8th century. The church in the photo was built in the late 14th century, and is still in use today.

There are many striking features about the island, but perhaps the most wonderful are the gardens. Because of the orientation of the island, the northeast corner of it has a micro-climate quite different from the rest — as you can see in the photo below, there are palm trees growing in that area.

We explored the interior of the castle structure. The dining table shown dates from 1620. The gallery pictured has drawings which have details of how the island structures have changed over the centuries. The current structures are built mostly from granite, which is very hard, so one can easily image the monumental work which when into the buildings.

And then there are the gardens. The photos speak for themselves.

We had a very good lunch in the cafe on the island, and then returned to the mainland by boat, as the tide had come in. We went to an art gallery where Lynn looked at a painting she intended to bid on in an auction the following day, then went back to Lynn and Ian's house for tea. Lynn served wonderful home-made cake, with clotted cream, and tea.

Then our gracious hosts drove Wilf and I to St. Ives, where we checked into the hotel, finding John in his accustomed place in the bar...

After dinner, I wandered down to the harbor, which was quite crowded with tourists in the many commercial buildings.

Tomorrow, Wilf and I will drive a rented car back to Heathrow. Wilf flies out the next day, which I intend to spend exploring the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

View from Ian and Lynn's house

St. Ives harbor

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