Last night the expected storm huffed and puffed and couldn't blow the house down and we remained warm, dry and tucked up in bed. When we opened the curtains this morning it was to white cotton ball clouds, blue skies and sunshine. The weather forecast was that the blue would not last for long but it was nice to start the day with reasonably clear skies.
Our walk today to St Ives is not too long and holds the reward at the end of it of two days off, St Ives marking the rough half-way mark of our overall journey. Remember, we are not only walking the South West Coast Path (SWCP). it is a small part of our overall objective of walking the coast of Great Britain. To that end we will continue after the end of the SWCP on up to the Severn Bridge to position ourselves for Wales, which will be our next challenge.
Passing through a number of fields in which there were grazing cattle, they were completely disinterested in us and did not as much as raise a head. As we neared the coast we passed through the remains of the Iron Age cliff castle known as Bosigran Castle and where there are the remains of some very interesting ramparts. The castle is very simple in its construction consisting mainly of a wall around a hundred meters long that encloses the headland. The exact purpose of the castle is someting of a mystery and is still unknown. From the castle we passed down on to the coast path again, joining just by Porthmoina and Halldrine Coves.
Looking back, the headland was highlighted by a bright yellow burst of colour from a clump of gorse. To the front of us in the direction of travel, we could see that seriously dark clouds were drawing together on the horizon and knew rain was not far away. The rapidity with which the weather can change here has caught us out on one or two occasions and we know now not to wait until the rain starts before donning the waterproofs. Chances are if you do, you will be soaked before you know it.
On a good day, when you are walking in area like this, because of the isolation and the lack of any habitation or buildings, there can be a sense of cathedral-like space about it. However, on a bad weather day you are expremely exposed to the elements of cold, rain and wind and you do need to have the right clothing with you. There is a temptation to think that you do not need 'the gear' when walking at lower levels, but this a fallacy and, as we were finding out, even in the early days of May in Southern England the weather can be extreme.
From the heights of Burthallan, we had our first clear views of Porthmear Beach to the front of the St Ives and of the town itself. From the end of this cliff section the path drops just before Man's Head on to a flat, green approach to the eastern end of St Ives before going in to the town along Porthmear Beach. With two days off in the town we chose not to walk out to St Ives Head but to leave it to another day and instead, at the end of the beach, after passing the Tate Gallery and Norway Stores (we just liked the name) cut through the town to come out on the harbour and Porthminster Beach. The beaches were busy, as was the harbour area and the streets were mobbed, because there had been a major food and music festival on the last couple of days and the crowds were still around.