WEEK 43 St Agnes to Penzance

69 miles walked

(total 2,574 miles walked)

What a fantastic week. The weather was amazing and the views absolutely stunning. I can’t quite believe my luck. 

new signs in North Cornwall…

…West Cornwall’s are different again

Yet again the scenery changed this week. I moved from the big, sandy, surfing beaches to the rugged, granite cliffs of West Penwith. St Ives was the point where it changed. 

I liked St Ives, even though it was very busy. It was nice to spend extra time around Gwithian and St Ives. 

a new (or very old) take on dry stone walls in West Penwith

The rock-strewn cliffs of West Penwith look green as they are covered in lichens (there are over 80 species of lichen at Land’s End). This indicates a healthy atmosphere as lichens are very sensitive to air pollution. 

West Penwith felt like the land that time forgot. Unconquered by the Romans and the Saxons, it is alive with myths and legends. 

standing stones on the cliff top in West Penwith

This week I passed through some protected breeding grounds for the Cornish Chough, Cornwall’s national emblem. I saw lots of gulls and plenty of fulmars. The cliffs were also covered in flora and fauna, particularly pink flowers such as sea pinks, thrift and eyebright.  

Gwennap Head, Porthgwarra tucked in the dip