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Linda BennettLinda Bennett
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I am from NSW Australia. I live in a small country town. I have only recently started travelling overseas with my partner. I love hiking and cycling. It’s the best way to experience a foreign country in my opinion. Read more Molong, Australia
  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    Day 34

    Falmouth - Day 15 - Final Day

    October 28, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Monday 28th October

    We walked from Mawnan Smith on the Coast Path in the drizzle today. It was just a 15km walk and we ended it at Falmouth Docks overlooking the harbour and the wharf where people were catching ferries and Helford river cruises.

    So our total kilometres walked on our 15 days of hiking the South West Coast Path was 293 km That included 8,760m ascents which is about 1 climb of Mt Everest.
    We have achieved 30% of the South West Coast Paths 1,014 length in just 15 days!

    Including the Cotswolds Way hike our total mileage is 470 km and that included 13,250m ascent (1.5 Everest) or 45 Mount Canobolas (tea house to summit) climbs!

    We feel super fit and pleased with our ability to walk all those miles up and down the coastal cliffs.

    Falmouth is the site of the third deepest natural Harbour in the world and the deepest natural port in Western Europe. It’s furnished with cruise liners, naval ships, super yachts and ships and considered to be the finest natural harbours in the world.

    The weather was rather dismal so taking photos of the harbour didn’t really do it justice. We decided to have a late lunch of Cornish pasties in a popular street cafe on Church Street which is the mainly a pedestrian street full of colourful shops, bars and restaurants.

    Due to the weather, we got tickets to the movies at a small, cosy cinema in Falmouth and viewed Lee starring Kate Winslet. It was an incredible film set in London, France and Germany during the WW11.

    Afterwards it was dark at 5:30pm so we wandered up the hill and down a few side lanes to locate our accomodation. It was called the Cotswolds and it was a BnB with loads of charm and elegance. There were 7 rooms upstairs and we were the only ones staying so Room One it was with an ocean view!

    After a quick beer, we showered and changed into our jeans to go back to the harbour to find a place to have dinner. We found the Quay Inn with views out to the harbour. The cruise liner was all lit up looking pretty. Simon ordered a gammon which is a traditional dinner (more like breakfast as it has a ham steak with eggs) and I ordered Salmon cakes like the ones mum used to make when we were kids. I have loved experiencing some of the traditional recipes like the ones my grandmother and mother made for me as a child.    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    1
    Day 33

    Coverack to Mawnan Smith Day 14

    October 27, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Sunday 27th October

    We wake up at The Paris hotel with a sunrise view across the English Channel. It’s a gorgeous sunny day and we are choosing to go off the Coast Path to walk the road as it’s shorter! Only 10 kms to get to the Helford River where we cross by a ferry.

    Our walk lead us along narrow country lanes past dairy farms and sheep grazing in meadows with occasional views of the English Channel in the distance. We remarked how quiet it was except for the occasional tractor chugging down the lane. It reminded us of our Cotswolds Way walk. Then we met two young girls wearing their helmets and jodhpurs, leading their old grey ponies along. They were heading to an open meadow to go riding together. What a perfect day for a horse ride!

    After 2 hours we made it to Helford. We walked down to the point, checked the ferry times, and opened a brightly coloured sign to call the ferryman. It wasn’t long before a very small boat came chugging across from the other side of the wide river. It had to pick its way through the colourful sailing boats moored in this part of the river. It was just the two of us boarding. We were told that this ferry service is the oldest one running in the UK. The service has been in existence for 1000 years!! It really was a tiny boat as you can see in the photos.

    Simon had his first and long awaited fish and chips in the UK at The Ferry Inn which was located about 20 steps from the little ferry wharf. It was super crowded with locals everywhere. Roast beef was very popular being a Sunday.

    We left the pub and sat ourselves on the beachy shoreline of the Helford. Some children were playing in the sand and two were having the time of their lives on a stand up board. I was surprised that adults were sitting on the wall of the shoreline, drinking wine & beer from the pub.

    We read our books for a while as it was only another hour to walk to our destination at Mawnan Smith. The sun felt amazingly warm on our hearts and legs. It made us feel so relaxed.    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    Day 32

    Lizard Point to Coverack Day 13

    October 26, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Saturday 26th October

    We start the day early at 8am with a lovely pot of tea (Simon always has black coffee) served by Austin and a full English brekkie! The conversations today revolve around buses and taxis as we are concerned about our Sunday section being around 32km!!

    The good news is the weather for today is a sunny 14c and the wind has calmed to a fresh breeze.

    On the way out of Lizard we picked up some supplies from the deli. I took a few pics of the local produce - cabbage, cauliflower and some of the meats. Aged meat seemed to be quite popular but as we make our way towards Coverack the local delight becomes crab. 🦀

    After enjoying wonderful scenery around The Lizard, the South West Coast Path embarked on a roller-coaster route through to picturesque Cadgwith. We stopped on a small headland in Cadgwith for our picnic overlooking colourful fish boats. Cadgwith is a charming fishing village of thatched houses and small fishing boats. This is the only village where the boats are launched via the beach. There is no harbour like other villages we’ve passed through. We wondered how they manage to get their boats launched. Maybe the tractor that was parked nearby.
    We popped in to a cafe to grab a coffee and it became obvious what the local fisherman were catching. Crab 🦀 was on the entire menu. We also spotted the crab pots in the street and old crab heads used as decorations outside dwellings.

    A few more headlands on, we had the opportunity to walk along a beach where we noticed many pink jellyfish had washed up and stranded. They are known as Mauve Stinger Jellyfish and are a rare species in the UK oceans. It’s even more rare to find them washed up on a beach.

    The path continued along the cliffs to Black Head, later reaching the charming village of Coverack.

    We rested at a hotel called The Paris Hotel. As soon as we checked in, we headed back downstairs to order a Korev Ale which is the local beer. We enjoyed our pints on a rock in the sun overlooking the cove. Afterwards we wondered around the little harbour where locals were drinking their beer on the harbour wall.

    For dinner we ordered crab, smoked bacon and Parmesan linguine accompanied by a Muscadet French wine. We figured that we were hiking in crab country so this would be the perfect way to try it! It was lovely.    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    Day 31

    Mullion to Lizard Point Day 12

    October 25, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Friday 25th of October - 15km shorter day which felt longer with the strong wind factor !

    We set out on an incredibly windy day with a restless churned up sea. The weather forecast was rain clearing at 10am and then sunshine with strong winds all day. These winds blow up off the sea with quite a force over the cliffs. At times it was hard to walk in a straight line and it was even harder to take a photo with your camera because the wind shook the phone.

    Between Mullion Cove and The Lizard the cliffs were spectacular, with attractive groups of rugged stacks, especially at Mullion Cove harbour and also Kynance Cove further along.

    The strong winds made the Atlantic waves wilder than usual. The size of the waves was huge and they put on quite a performance for us along the way. Kynance Cove was a famous location where British films have been made like Game of Thrones. It was quite a dramatic coastline here.

    As we left Kynance Cove we scaled the cliff tops again to discover a small cove where the action of the waves thundering in to the shore, made sea foam which then blew up towards us on the cliff tops. It was very light and fluffy, almost like snow !!

    Lizard point is mainland Britain’s most southerly point and it overlooks one of the business shipping lanes in the world. We enjoyed a reprieve from the strong winds with a cup of tea in a sweet little cabin cafe, at Lizard Point.

    Tonight we are staying in the quaint and quiet village of Lizard in a beautiful BnB. It’s a lovely two story home. We’ve been advised to go to the local pub called Witchball as this is where the friendly locals love to hang on a Friday night.

    We ended up dining at a cafe called Coast. It was just up the narrow windy street from the pub. We both decided on the special - sausages and mash. It was perfect on a cold autumn night.
    Back home to our flash BnB to watch a couple of episodes of Falty Towers on our iPad 😂    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    1
    Day 30

    Praa Sands to Mullion Day 11

    October 24, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Thursday 24th October

    Today was a lovely overcast day which stayed dry. It was a little breezy which enhanced the ambience of walking in Cornwall on the coast. The grey skies kind of made the ocean look a milky opaque colour all day so we saw lots of soft tones in the landscape.

    We stopped for coffee at Porthleven Harbourview cafe. It was a beautiful little harbour similar to Porthreath Harbour. Porth means port and there are many seaside villages that have Porth as part of their name making it a challenge to remember them.

    Porthleven was such a cute little harbour village to stop at and we found lots of little shops that were very unique. I ended up buying more tea towels from an artist who designed Rick Steins logos and merchandise. We stopped in at a shop called Lindy Lou where Simon bought some cute canvas bags for his kids. They were made in London and they’ll make beautiful gifts.

    It was a 20 km walk today, along paths with mostly the level ground. This made it a little bit easier and more relaxing. The only wildlife we came across were the Chouffs (Cornwall National bird ) and a tiny baby adder.

    The choughs have black plumage and brightly coloured legs, feet and bills and are resident in the rocky sea-cliffs of Cornwall. They have long broad wings and perform spectacular aerobatics.

    The adder is the UK's only venomous snake, but its venom is generally of little danger to humans. It’s a protected species as its population is declining.

    We stayed at Mounts Bay Inn tonight. After checking in and having showers we chillaxed in the room waiting to see if the sunset would happen at 6:15 but the usual clouds roll in from the Atlantic and we caught a feint pink strip above the cloud line. That was it!

    We had a drink at the bar downstairs. The fire was on and so we made ourselves comfy on the couches there. I could sleep here tonight!!    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    Day 29

    Penzance to Praa Sands Day 10

    October 23, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Wednesday 23rd October

    Today’s walk was relatively easy just 15 km and the destination was Praa Sands. We started our walk through Penzance and then the path lead us around Mounts Bay. We had delightful views to Saint Michaels Mount.

    Mounts Bay is home to one of the largest submerged forests in Cornwell. At very low tides sections of trees emerge from the sands. The research says that trees have been there from between 4000 to 6000 years. Having spent thousands of years below the sand, these trees would’ve been well preserved and stretched across the bay in land and out to sea.

    St Michael’s mount castle is one of the most iconic castles in Cornwall. Once a priory and fortress, it's now a much-loved family home.

    Praa Sands Beach is a beautiful mile of fine white sand on the south-west coast that lies within Cornwall's National Landscape (formally known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty); bordered by wild headlands and backed by grass-topped sand dunes.    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    Day 27

    Porthcurno Beach to Penzance - Day 9

    October 21, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Monday 21st October

    Today is overcast but a lot less windy, which is really nice . I’ve decided today I’m not going to take ANY photos of scenery and instead I’m planning to find interesting signage that tells a a story about coastal life and the history of Cornwall and the Southwest coast of England.

    Our walk was very relaxing today as the sun was shining on our backs and the sea was so much calmer. It made for ideal walking conditions. It was still a long walk of around 20 kilometres.

    We had a quick stop at Mousehole (pronounced Mowzel), is a small fishing village situated just over three miles south of Penzance. It was once a busy harbour, famous for landing huge catches of Pilchards.

    As we walked on in the late afternoon towards Penzance we spotted a large fishing trawler just a few hundred metres of shore. We pulled out the binoculars and took turns to view the fishermen hauling the huge net in. Pretty sure there were haddock, hake and cod in the catch today. We saw these types of fish in fresh fish shops in the next harbour which was Newlyn.

    Newlyn is one of the largest fishing ports in the UK – the iconic harbour is central to the fishing industry in Cornwall.

    Finally we walked in to Penzance. Penzance is the largest town in West Cornwall, famous as an ancient market town and historic port. The town has a long history as a prosperous market town.

    We have now walked 190km of the South West Coast of Cornwall. Tomorrow is a rest day for our legs! We plan to go for a swim in the Jubilee Pool. One of its pools is geo thermal heated to around 28c. The sea water comes from 400m below ground. The other larger pool has natural sea water a temp of around 14c. We didn’t think we would venture in to that one!    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    Day 26

    Cape Cornwall to Porthcurno Beach Day 8

    October 20, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Sunday 20th October
    The forecast was raining and strong winds. We set off at around 9:30 am. A later start due to the rainy weather but it cleared off by 10. The main challenge was the strong winds today. I have never experienced wind so strong and it did not let up for the next 6- 7 hours of walking.

    Our first stop was a beautiful swimming and surfing beach at Sennen Cove. This was apparently a naval military training base back in war times. We are fortunate to be staying here tonight after our walk to Porthcurnan, thanks to a taxi transfer back. We also stopped at Sennon Cove Life Boat Station to check out a real life rescue boat. These stations are all manned by volunteers and are an important service for saving lives out at sea.

    Next stop was the Lands End. This place is considered to be one of the U.K.’s most treasured and famous landmarks. You can get your photo taken here at the lands and signpost. We chose to have our photo taken with
    Paddington Bear on his special seat because he was cute and it was free.

    Pressing onwards with the relentless wind still blowing at a gale force strength we were in awes of some Incredible rock formations past Lands End. It was hard to stop taking photos as the rock formations were so beautiful.

    Finally at around 5pm we descended down some rather steep steps to a beach at Porthcurno. Some people say that Porthcurno is the most beautiful bay in the world. There is certainly something magical about the combination of clear turquoise water and the white sand of this beach with the bold sculpture backdrop of the Granite cliffs. It is also fame for the Minnack theatre which was created in the cliffs in the 1930s. Porthcurno Beach reminded us of the Great Ocean Road.

    We stayed at The Old Success Inn at Sennan Cove. We were lucky to have a beautiful room with a lovely window overlooking the ocean. We popped it open so we could listen to the ocean all night.
    We deservedly enjoyed a beer together in the outdoor area overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
    After a delightful dinner of salmon linguine and a nice Aussie Chardonnay, we called it a night and went upstairs to find something on the tele that was uniquely UK. We ended up watching Born Free, the true story about a lioness called Elsa. It was set in Kenya and made in 1966. I remembered watching this as a young child.
    The Old Success Inn at Sennan Cove is definitely a hotel we would love to have spent another night in mainly because of the view from our room so close to the ocean.    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    111
    Day 25

    Zennor to Cape Cornwall Day 7

    October 19, 2024 in England ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Saturday 19th October

    Today was sunshine all day and 15c. It honestly doesn’t get better for walking conditions. We had a 21km walk ahead of us today.

    The track was very similar to yesterday with sensational cliff views overlooking the wild sea below us. The track was a little muddy and wet however there were many large stepping stones that enabled us to keep our hiking boots dry.

    Being a Saturday there were many locals out on the track enjoying the sunshine. There were also trail runners out today and some cliff climbers. We got our binoculars out and watched about ten cliff climbers carefully make their way up very sheer cliff faces wild the rough and wild seas raged just metres below them.

    We had our picnic lunch at the Pendeen Watch lighthouse today. The swell was wild. We’ve never seen the waves so high and powerful. They smashed over rocks and exploded high in to the air.

    We finished our walk at Cape Cornwall once thought to be the most Westerly point on the South West Coast. It’s now Lands End just a few miles further up the track.

    Our tired legs managed to walk us a few more kilometres along the road in to St Just where our digs are tonight. It’s a quiet town. After a hot bath and shower we headed across the square to The Kings Head. A very traditional Cornish pub with low selinings and open fire places. Simo had the Lambs Liver on the special board. I chose fish n chips (hake) caught down at Penzance.
    After dinner we were walking out the door when some UK local hikers that we had met on the track earlier, called us over to their posie by the fire. We ended up joining them for a drink. It was interesting to get some insights into life in England from two couples. We had lots of laughs .

    We have walked 147km of this magic Cornwall coast path.    Read more

  • TravelerEnglish adventures
    Day 24

    St Ives to Zennor Day 6

    October 18, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Friday 18th October

    From the first days of Christianity in Britain, St Ives is named after the legendary tale of a young missionary called St. Ida who according to her legend, floated here from Ireland on a leaf. The town grew with the development of the harbour during the medieval era.

    Simon had haddock and poached eggs for breakfast this morning. We remarked that it would never happen in Australia that you would have fish for breakfast!!

    We started our 14km walk through the fishing village of St Ives as we needed to pick up provisions for this section of the path. This particular part of the South West Coast path is known to be the most arduous but also the most scenic.

    There were a few other walkers on the track but not many as the weather was a little miserable today. We had mizzle (drizzle/mist) and quite blustery winds to contend with however it was still one of the best parts we have walked. Lots of high cliffs again and beautiful white granite rocks which we had to scramble over at times. Then there were the occasional streams to cross as they quietly flowed on down to the sea below.. The reddish orange vegetation that you see on the hills are small ferns that have died off after the summer. Their red tones make for interesting photos of the headlands. Walking this intensely rugged coastline, made you feel very small as a human being. The powerful sea below, the steep cliffs rising up, the huge boulders and the blustery strong winds almost carrying you off the headland, made me feel this more than ever today.

    We had our picnic of sandwiches and fruit on a huge granite rock by a stream that cascaded down to the sea turning it in to a waterfall which we could hear below us.

    We made it to our pick up point around 2pm. We were happy to step into the Tinners Arms pub at Zennor. How lovely to be in a toasty warm pub with a fire after being out in the misty rain for the last 4-5 hours. The pub was packed with locals having warm food and enjoying wine! The pub with its dark decor and low ceilings was quite the eye opener with its Halloween 🎃 decorations everywhere. Little orange pumpkins in the window, fake spider webs hanging over the bar. We had a squash while we waited for our taxi to take us back to St Ives.

    After a hot shower back at our BnB, we set off to explore the picturesque bustle of whitewashed fisherman's cottages, art galleries, independent shops, bars and restaurants of St Ives. We had a gorgeous Thai dinner overlooking the pretty harbour.    Read more

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