South West Coast Path – Zennor to St. Ives

A corker of a day, we left the car mid way between Zennor and St. Ives and headed across the fields to Zennor to start the day with coffee and cake, preparing ourselves for the inevitable ups and downs of the Cornish Coast Path.

And interesting take on the country stile in these parts, large lumps of granite laid sideways in a sort of pyramid with gaps between the dissuade the hooven beasties. At other times, laid more like a cattle grid with a deep pit below. Watch your tread, you’d be guaranteed a visit to the hospital if you put your foot in the gap.

The stretch heading east from Zennor is stunning. Cove after cove, some golden sand and others boulders, the water crystal clear and oh so inviting on the warm and sunny day. We moved quickly, hoping over boulders and easily passing all the other walkers, even those seemingly prepared for the rigours of the cost path. The legs feel strong at the moment, so even the steep and rocky climbs weren’t slowing us down.

St. Ives was a welcome site after 2 hours, and it didn’t take long to hone in on a cafe for a spot of late lunch, then a wander around the galleries. We ended up in deep conversation with one owner, and spent an hour putting the world to rights. Good times.

An ice cream was the order of the day as we finished a wander round the shops, now mostly closed.

We headed on up the hill out of town and across the fields again to return to the car, then back via Penzance in order to get more provisions from the supermarket.

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