So we bit the bullet and went away to Mousehole for two weekends and the week in between. This had been booked before Covid as a family holiday and was meant to have allowed for a visit to the rally in Wales. As it was we managed it just before the second surge.
We used the Mazda3 because it could carry a week’s (previously delivered) food as well as our walking gear, and we were no longer taking the NC to the rally, and no longer eating out for main meals.
Mousehole is a brilliant little village/town, just don’t expect to take a big car or RV through it! We stayed in the “Old Watch House”, superb garden down to the sea wall and with private parking behind big gates just off the quay carpark. There were going to be six of us, but that didn’t happen, so we had the place to ourselves.
First day was a bit hazy, Penzance in the distance, Marazion off the right edge, our little white house is in the centre of the picture behind the carpark.
A close-up taken from the same spot, this shows the white house and its big garden, and people walking along the coast path below its sea wall, others sitting in the garden of the hotel behind the house.
We went to Marazion to see St Michaels Mount, but were unable to book a slot to walk around, just as well because again it was quite hazy.
We were able to book a slot at Tregwainton Gardens, and the ferns are amazing, it has a vast selection of plants so is a definite day or two for any keen gardeners. The tea room near the carpark is well worth a visit too.
Finally we made the mistake of going for a short (2.5 miles) walk along the coast path from Mousehole to Lamorna. A clear day gave us a good view of St Michaels Mount, but the phone camera is not that good.
While Google maps suggest 55 minutes and a couple of walkers we spoke to the day before said “It’s OK, no big deal, less than two hours, fantastic views, well worth it.”
SWMBO said “That sounds good.”
it is a big deal, the guide books in the house were well out of date, and it took us 2.5 hours scrambling over big rocks and up and down slippery random steps and steep gradients often close to the cliff edge, and in some places less than a metre from the edge of overhanging unstable sandy cliffs that had recently crumbled and moved inland.
The final half mile to Lamorna might look grotty, but it is actually the easiest and most stable part. The path goes below the purple bit and through the middle of that rocky shoulder.
We were lucky to get a lift back when the sun turned to rain!
SWMBO does not plan to do that walk again.
The Mazda3 was relaxed and happy, doing 51mpg for a total of 640 miles with cunning detours around expected roadwork blockages pre-planned into the helpful Garmin. The Mazda satnav was useless as usual.
