A fairly early start today, we decided to set off at 7:30 to ensure we'd finish at something approximating a respectable time. The obligatory photo of Hero the bear was taken in front of the figurehead of a former HMS Raliegh – and it was then onwards ever westward.
We were heading into Cornwall to see 2 more of the locations on our list, but first we stopped at a small cove for bacon sarnies and a coffee. Our first ferry of the day tok us to Fowey, which looked very pretty.
Then came to St Mawes, and the small castle that used to protect the entrance to Falmouth from whichever European country we weren't friends with (French, Spanish, Dutch, you decide!) From there we headed north to King Harry's ferry, so we could cut the corner and get that bit closer to Lizard Point. A surprise for me was going past the collection of massive communication dishes at Goonhilly – I didn't even know they were there until today! It wasn't long until we arrived at Lizard Point – a surprisingly small café was all that really marked Great Britain's southernmost point. We did however have a chat with a few people in the car park who kindly donated some money for our causes – it's surprising how a few stickers and a mass of bungee'd stuff on a bike draws attention!
On the way to Land's End, we took a stop to see St Michaels' Mount. This famous island is accessible via a causeway at low tide – think I might buy it if those Euro Millions numbers finally come up! Sadly, today I had to settle for a Sandwich and a coffee.
We then set off towards Land's End, dodging the worst of the showers, only getting briefly caught once. To be honest, Land's End is quite a strange place – if ever you want to see a tacky, over-commercialised exploitation of something, use Land's End as your template! We got our photos and escaped fairly rapidly. (The 'Doctor Who Experience' didn't tempt us.)
We were heading into Cornwall to see 2 more of the locations on our list, but first we stopped at a small cove for bacon sarnies and a coffee. Our first ferry of the day tok us to Fowey, which looked very pretty.
Then came to St Mawes, and the small castle that used to protect the entrance to Falmouth from whichever European country we weren't friends with (French, Spanish, Dutch, you decide!) From there we headed north to King Harry's ferry, so we could cut the corner and get that bit closer to Lizard Point. A surprise for me was going past the collection of massive communication dishes at Goonhilly – I didn't even know they were there until today! It wasn't long until we arrived at Lizard Point – a surprisingly small café was all that really marked Great Britain's southernmost point. We did however have a chat with a few people in the car park who kindly donated some money for our causes – it's surprising how a few stickers and a mass of bungee'd stuff on a bike draws attention!
On the way to Land's End, we took a stop to see St Michaels' Mount. This famous island is accessible via a causeway at low tide – think I might buy it if those Euro Millions numbers finally come up! Sadly, today I had to settle for a Sandwich and a coffee.
We then set off towards Land's End, dodging the worst of the showers, only getting briefly caught once. To be honest, Land's End is quite a strange place – if ever you want to see a tacky, over-commercialised exploitation of something, use Land's End as your template! We got our photos and escaped fairly rapidly. (The 'Doctor Who Experience' didn't tempt us.)
As we headed away from Land's End, it occurred to me that we'd actually completed the entire south coast of England, from now on we'd be heading roughly north until John O'Groats!We were now heading along the north coast of Cornwall, through surfers' favourite Newquay, and past the former RAF St Mawgan (why did we close that one?) We also took the opportunity to visit where some members of Rupert's Family were buried (including those named on the Battle of Britain memorial we visited on Saturday), which it must be said is a fine resting place with a great view.
Again, the shadows were growing longer, and after a brief burger stop, we arrived at former RAF Chivenor (why did we close this one?) Now Royal Marine Barracks Chivenor, the staff sorted us out with accommodation for the night, and a bar to have a couple of beers.
A fifth of the trip now done, we will be heading further north tomorrow to end up in south Wales.
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