Myers Cooper

Some people collect stamps; others collect railway locomotive numbers; since arriving in Cornwall I have been collecting kilometre grid squares.

I decided that I would set myself three objectives:

1. Walk the South West Coast Path from St Ives to Land’s End to Penzance to Lizard Point to Falmouth.
2. Find as many places as possible where I could see both the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean from the same point.
3. Walk somewhere in every kilometre grid square covering the English mainland west of a line drawn north-south through St Ives Head (excepting inaccessible cliffs and foreshore), of which I calculated there were 254.

Today I completed objective 3, visiting square SW4737.

This is what it looked like:

Amalveor Downs

There was not much more here than when I visited the emptiest grid square. So I pressed on to Zennor Quoit,

Zennor Hill,

and finally Zennor Head.

254 grid squares visited. Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

I have reached my next objective on my walk around the tip of Cornwall on the South West Coast Path.

Leaving the first and last refreshment house in England at Land’s End,

I hastened away from the crowds at the Land’s End ‘attractions’ and took a last look at the Longships lighthouse

before turning towards the south-east.

I passed smugglers’ caves

and strange rock formations, like this one near Gwennap Head,

which reminded me of a madonna and child; fishing coves,

and John Le Carré‘s (“I live on a Cornish cliff and hate cities”) enviable cliff-top home.

I sustained my only injury on the approach to Lamorna Cove,

a wasp sting in the muscle at the base of my thumb. I considered this to be sufficient justification to indulge in a coffee and a piece of millionaires’ shortbread in the café there.

After covering the section between Lamorna Cove and Marazion via Mousehole

I then embarked on the next main section in distinctly autumnal weather.

Bidding farewell to St Michael’s Mount,

I headed through rather less spectacular scenery than so far to Praa Sands and Porhtleven. There followed a trudge across Loe Bar, a shingle beach with the sea on one side and Loe Pool on the other.

Then it was on past St Winvaloe Church (‘The Church of the Storms) with its tower embedded in the headland

and numerous small coves

until, on the approach to Kynance Cove,

my objective came in sight. Just a couple of miles more, then, having started this stage at the most westerly point of mainland England, I concluded it at the most southerly point, The Lizard.

One of my intentions on moving to Cornwall was to walk part of the South West Coast Path (in short stages).

Starting from St Ives,

I trod the narrow cliff-top path past Zennor Head and Gurnard’s Head, observing striking rock formations,

passed the lighthouse at Pendeen Watch (glad not to be standing next to the fog horns when in operation),

noting how even the tall chimneys of abandoned tin mines are dwarfed by the Atlantic coastal scenery,

scrambled over rocks at Aire Point that barred my way,

until I arrived at Land’s End.

Was it really only 24.1 miles (38.7 km) from St Ives?

Having reached the most westerly point of mainland England, I shall now turn the corner and start heading south-east, then east.