Some Cornish pirates in Porthtowan!

I've just returned from another interesting walk along the South West Coastal path continuing from where I left off in April (Perranporth) in North Cornwall and completing the North Cornish coastal part to finish past Land's End at Penzance. I had great weather for this time of year (surprise, surprise!!)with little wind, plenty of sunshine and the only rain I experienced was some heavy showers when I was snug and dry in my tent. The total distance was about 75 miles and included some of the wildest parts of the entire route, especially after St Ives, and long walking days. The first day I reached St Ives after a lengthy stretch over sand dunes and then found the campsite I'd planned to stay was closed, but luckily there were several bed and breakfast places nearby. One problem with this time of year is that sunset is around seven o'clock and early starts are difficult as sunrise is at seven in the morning.

Gurnard's Head with the Ebal Rocks offshore
The next day was a tough route with boggy and rocky ground for a good part of the way but the scenery was amazing, particularly with the sunshine and clear views. I reached a campsite (at Botallack) just after the Pendeen Tin Mines which was very close to the route with time to get my tent up and make dinner before nightfall. The following day was bright with a little wind and a varied route at different levels, some on the cliff tops and sometime nearer the shoreline, at one point crossing boulders on the shore. Along this section there was little chance of campsites without going inland quite a way, and as I wanted to reach Penzance early the next day, I forged on until near dusk. I then found a nice spot high on the cliffs with views in both directions and the lights of Penzance in the distance. The next morning I arose early to catch sunrise, have my porridge and then a relatively gentle stroll to the road at Mousehole and onto Penzance. Maybe I should have mentioned Land's End but I'd been there before and again found it less than inspiring with all the visitors attactions that didn't add anything to the special coastline here. One surprise for me was the long sandy beach (Sennen Cove) as I approached from the north and the lack of waymarkers around the area. However, there was a sign post to John o'Groats!!
On reaching Penzance I had a large breakfast (the cafe also had an extra large, what a temptation, but I'd already had one breakfast)! Luckily, the train to Truro was waiting for me and then a bus back to Perranporth, again this would have been a fast connection if I wasn't adjusting my boot laces when the bus flew past. On arriving in Perranporth there was a Cornish Festival with a parade which looked very sombre. Anyway, after a snack, I made my way along the coast to the "Bluehills" campsite and a beer sitting in the sun. However, the weather was changing as the sunset the temperatures dropped to near freezing at night. Further progress along the coastal path will have to wait until next year and hopefully the Penzance to Falmouth stretch which includes the Lizard which is supposed to be a special coastline; aren't we spoilt for specials in Cornwall.



View from my "freedom camping" spot at dusk and sunrise; can you spot the light house?

Beach near Pirnmill looking north
We've just returned from a trip to Scotland which included a week on the Isle of Arran and a few days on the Isle of Mull. On route we visted Emily in Stoke and borrowed her canoe to try-out during the holiday. Our first attempt on Rudyard lake went well, especially with the sunshining and little wind. After the trials we decided that it was more manageable if we paddled, one on each side. However, our seats and backrest kept deflating, especially the one at the rear so that Helen was almost on her back and trying to paddle. When we changed seats, I found it much the same but enjoyed the trip to the far end of the lake (even had a landing there!!). Managed to see Em's lab at the University which brought back memories for me anyway, and a meal at the local pub at Keele. Then drove north stopping on route at a Caravan Club CL site. We'd decided to use them this trip as they seem to be in nice locations without all the hassle we seem to get with the larger Club sites. They often have electric hook-ups but we can get-by for several days without electric anyway,
We got the ferry to Arran on Sunday 5th September and stayed in Auchrannie House hotel near Brodick (where the ferry lands), had a swim and sauna and great meal at night in the hotel. The resort next door is also open to the public so convenient for activities on a rainy day and for Helen whilst I climbed Goat Fell. After our night of luxury, we were back in our luxury camper exploring the island going up the east side to Lochranza to find an exposed campsite near the harbour but with great views of the mountains and deer grazing nearby. The site was just past the Distillery that I'd visited with Mum in 1997 and I recall looking out of the window on our tour of the distillery to see a deer approaching down the hillside. The west side of the island is stunning as the road (probably similar to our "B" roads in England) snakes it's way down the shoreline on a raised beach. I'd seen this type of beach on a walk to "The Cock of Arran" the previous evening where a footpath on the raised beach follows the coastline to the northern most tip of the island. We stopped just before Pirnmill to gather blackberries growing along the shoreline and watch the birds, some Mergansers nearby. This was proving a great time to stock up with blackberries, especially on Arran where they seemed bigger and juicy than eleswhere and very abundant on the island.
We stopped at the Torrylinn Creamery to buy some Arran made cheeses, a Dunlop!! was one and very tasty. From there we headed north past Whiting Bay to find a campsite between Kings Cross and Lamlash with a view of the Holy Isle. Again we were surrounded by blackberries on the campsite and nearby lanes. There was a path down to the beach from the campsite but wet and boggy in places. We decided to stay there for the rest of our time on the island.
The weather forcast was changing all the time but it seemed to give the best chances of a clear day on Tuesday so I opted for a stroll up "Goat Fell" and Helen to have a swim and sauna, and then meet up later. Helen dropped me near High Corrie north of Brodick and from there I meade my way up to the hills in low cloud. Unfortunately, the cloud remained above about 700 m which meant the peak at 874 m was shrouded with only the sparodic let-up to get a view to the valley. However, on the route down I got great views of the sea on either side of the island and Brodick Bay with Holy Isle in the background to the north-west.

Goat Fell peak from the path down to Brodick.
The route down, now in sunshine, was over rocks and moorland and gave views of the peaks around and also Brodick Bay. By the time I'd emerged from the forest on the Cladach road, I was ready for an Arran Ale (the track finished next to the brewery, good planning huh?)so it was a "Blondie" for me, although in retrospect, I'm better suited to the "Dark Ale"; I wonder if they have that in Poole's Tesco? Helen joined me with the camper after her swim. We also visited Brodick Castle and Gardens, and enjoyed seeing the walled garden and around the castle rooms. They had beds of "Vipers Bugloss" still in flower reminding me of the plant I'd managed to raise at home.
We went down to Lamlash again and spent some time on the beach with views over to the Holy Isle. I would have liked to have visited the island but by now the weather wasn't great with showers mingled with sunny spells. This gave some good chances to get photographs with light effects lasting only seconds as the dark clouds and sun competed.
From Arran we took the short ferry over to Claonaig from Lochranza and then drove a short way south on the west side of Kintyre to find another CL site with views of the sea and ferries to Kennacraig near Tarbet. From the campsite we could see other islands including Islay and Jura, "The Paps of Jura". The following day we headed to Oban and caught the ferry to Mull landing at Craignure. The weather so far had been mostly fine with some sun but from now on the prediction was for one good day and then getting worse, with storms predicted later in the week. Anyway, we found a campsite in Craignure as a base (there were only two campsites listed fon Mull)and then did a run up to Tobermory situated in the north of the island. This was pretty with the coloured houses and harbour but mostly for tourists we guessed. On the way back we decided to try the canoe again as the sun was trying. Anyway, to cut a long story short, we almost sank in the middle of the loch!! but we did have our life jackets on (which Bex and Em had given us) but had found steering it difficult with one side deflated, and me in the rear almost lying on the water as all my support gave way; what a sight but luckily there was no one around to laugh at us.
Then the weather showed it had been kind enough for this trip and blasted our campsite with a gale and rain making sleeping a challenge. It was so bad we stayed on site the next day and taught ourselves Mah Jong. Things did improve enough for us to go down to Fionnphort and a view of Iona, although when we reached Fionnphort the wind was up again and there was no-way I'd be going on a ferry. On the way back we decided to take "the scenic route" which involved travelling on a "footpath" between the sea and rocks along Loch Scidain. Passing places were few and far between and with the camper, the road width meant Helen spent most of the journey clutching the seat arms and telling me to put my glasses on!! Luckily, rush hour had passed and we only met three or four cars on the trip which eventually emerged at the main road at Salen.
We then left Mull; oh yes I've forgot to say, we did see a Sea Otter at the harbour in Craignure. It was a surprise as we walked along the seafront at dusk near the Cragnure pub, and we both spotted what at first looked like a seal in the water and coming towards the shore. Then I noticed it had a long tail and the movement in the water was different from a seal(budding naturlist huh?). It came ashore and we got a good view of it as it climbed up the beach towards a large rock. As we got closer, we lost it so it must have come further up the beach or escaped back to the water (or merged into the rock!).
From Mull we went south again to eventually reach the Lake District and then on to see Emily for the weekend and a pleasant walk around Tittesworth Water (not far from Rudyard and Leek)before continueing south to Derbyshire and then Nottinghamshire to see family as we hadn't been able to since our New Zealand trip. We had good weather for a trip around the Dales including a short walk in Dovedale and over the famous stepping-stones. It was good to see everyone was well and all the children, how quickly they grow.
Now back in Dorset attending to the garden and camper with plans to join in the U3A for Mah Jong and Purbeck Cycling. All my seeds and plants survived without me so I now have the greenhouse full again as the nights get cooler.

On Mull looking over to the Isle of Iona and the castle.

Trek in Pyrenees Mountains from 6 th July to 22 July 2010.

The Enchanted Mountain ...on route to Espot. The northern summit is thirty feet lower than the southern summit which is 2745 m and they are separated by an abrupt “gash”. On the saddle between the two, the “Enforcadura”, stands the isolated stone pinnacles to which the Encantados owe their name. The legend goes that two shepherds (or Chamois hunters depending on your source) were trying to scale the peaks on a Sunday morning and hearing the sound of bells from the spire in Espot, did not descend to mass and so were turned to stone. The lake below the peaks is Estany de Sant Maurici with steep wooded sides and a long waterfall at the western end.

This is the Estany del Port de Ratera with a cirque and Cap de Crabes (2720 m) on the left of the picture. It was a brilliant day with a clear sky but with the altitude, the temperature was just right for walking. Soon after this, we stopped for a cup of soup and lunch surrounded by small streams cascading down the valley.

A tarn in the Parc Nacional d’Aiguestortes I Estany de Sant Maurici just after the Port de Ratera (2534 m) looking north. At the pass the terrain levelled surrounded by mountains on all sides with small rivelets of snowmelt everywhere and lots of flowers hugging the ground. From here there was a route to Refugio de Saboredo to the north and a pista to the Val de Aran. In the morning we’d left the Refugio de Colomers and climbed to a series of lakes before the main pass. The trek from here was mainly downhill past lakes on different levels to eventually reach los Encantados and Sant Maurici lake. On the pista near the lower lake we met several day trippers from Espot.

A view looking back on our path (west) to the Collada de Ballibierna which is the notch to the left of centre in the picture with Estany Cap de Llauset in the foreground. The GR11 turns to the left in the picture after descending the first snow slope and then comes down and around to the left shore of the lake (as seen in photo). This avoids a steep scree/snow slope that is seen lower down before the lake. At the Colladeta de Riu Bueno there was a cool wind and my first sighting of Ravens on the trip.

The view looking east from the Collado de Ballibierna (2720 m) towards the Estany Cap de Llauset and the next pass, the Colladeta de Riu Bueno (2525 m). The peak to the right of the pass is Pic de la Solana de Llauset (2674 m) and to the far left the Pic de Soubiron (2815 m). There was no path down to start with, just rockfalls and a snow slope. The Maladeta and Poset massives are now behind us now; the night before we’d camped near the Puen de Corones on the south side of Aneto, the highest peak at 3404 m in the Pyrenees.

I thought a picture of a Meconopsis poppy would be appropriate. This was taken at Inverewe gardens on the west coast of Scotland. The large healthy beds of them in partial shade, show they love this mild wet climate. We have tried growing them several times in Dorset and only managed to get a couple of flowers. This involved building an underground watering supply to keep the roots wet yet they need quite dry soil above, a little too demanding for our soil and drier condition; maybe I'll try again!!

Picture of the beach at Sandwood Bay after the mist had cleared.

Just returned from a trip to Scotland calling in at Stoke to see Emily, including a barbeque on her lawn and visits to local lakes, and then up the west side of Scotland to the very top at Sandwood Bay. On return we stayed a few days at Tain visiting Helen's Mum and Dad, doing some gardening and a trip out to Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness. We also managed to see Doug, Dot and Margaret in Edinburgh enjoying another excellent meal and catching up on our news and travels. Then on to meet Emily for her birthday at Ashkirk with Helen, and a meal out at Clovenfords near Galashiels. We had intended a three week break but it became almost a month. On route we found some great campsites near Lochs or Glens offering some great walks, views across lochs and out to sea to the islands.
The weather for the three weeks was brilliant with only one day of rain whilst at Oban and torrential rain on the A1 in the midlands. I managed a few walks including "The Cobbler" near Ben Ime and Loch Long and Buachaille Etive Mor and the ridge walk to Stob na Broige ("Peak of shoes"). This was a fantastic ridge walk with great views in the clear weather. The last 100 m up was a steep scramble and the route down the east side was also difficult in places over rock slabs, but worth the effort. Helen enjoyed some valley walks nearby wth great views across the lochs and hills.
We visited Fort William, Mallaig and Inverwe gardens (to mention but a few places!). The latter was really brilliant with the azaleas & rhodies finishing, lots of border plants and shrubs in flower, views of the walled garden and of course the blue Meconopsis (Himalayian poppy) in flower, all surrounded by plush woodlands and Loch Ewe in the foreground. Our campsite at Poolewe looked over the loch.
We also walked to Sandwood Bay, a John Muir Trust Reserve to the west of Cape Wrath. We started in mist but this cleared after we reached the beach so we have some shots of the Rock Stack as it appeared from the sea mist. We saw lots of Wheatear in the dunes and moorland, a Great Skua, Ringed Plover and lots of Gannets diving offsore. There was a sandspit separating the sea from a freshwater loch just inland and nearby a old crofters cottage. or the remains, where we ate lunch overlooking the loch, sea and dunes. The dunefield on the north side is quite extensive and although not as high as Swakop, they're the closest we've seen in Europe anyway. On our return along the same route, we were amused to see a lone surfer carrying his board ,complete with camping gear, on his bike negotiating the rocky & peaty track!

Now back at home after a long journey!! that went very smoothly. During our last week or so, we made our way around Coromandel enjoying the great weather and numerous beaches before hitting Auckland and a faster pace. Our campground was convenient to the city, about 20 minutes by bus. We did a bus tour around the city including the main sites and Sky City from where the photos were taken. We had the last night of our trip in a hotel, what luxury! So now in the cold (5 C during the day and - 5 C last night) so Spring is still far off, even our "February Gold" daffodils are a long way from flowering. It has been the worst Winter here for 31 years and that's after a prediction of the Met Office of a mild Winter before we left.

We’ve now rebounded to North Island with a splash of sun and summer but with autumn leaves falling!! We finished our stay on South Island, travelling across H70 “The Inland Route” with spectacular mountains and wide valleys to reach Kaikoura. There we organised a “Whale Watching” trip for Helen and a Pennisular walk for me taking advantage of the fine weather. Helen saw Sperm Whales and Dusky Dolphins on her trip whilst I had to settle for Fur Seals and limestone cliffs (picture shows one of the coves). Moving on to Blenheim, we stayed at Whites Bay, a remote spot with a view to Port Underwood. It was a popular DOC site; the ranger told us they had 118 people there on the Saturday night whereas on the Sunday we shared with 20 others, so plenty of room. I took the opportunity to climb up to “Black Jack Whites” lookout (taking its name from a stranded sailor who lived with the local Maori) to see Port Underwood in the distance (photo). The following night we stayed on the north side of Port Underwood on another DOC site sharing with Kiwi “bus campers” but the connecting road was gravel so we went on the sealed road to Picton (from where the ferry departs) and drove around to the south.
Since arriving in Wellington we’ve had good weather in the high 20s, stopping on route along the west coast and then at a pub/campground which afterwards we found had been in the national news. We’ve been back to our old haunt near Cape Kidnappers, “Freedom camping” with the Kiwi buses, and then on to Lake Tutira amongst the crumpled hills north of Napier. This is a reserve (administered by DOC) set on the lakeshore with lots of walks into the hills and local farmland. We seem to have lost the “little black beasties” and so can enjoy the evenings outside!
Next we headed to Gisborne to see if it really exists as the local Radio “Gisborne” has a phone-in on national issues and some of the opinions we hear are very interesting!!. e.g. (censored by Helen!!). Interestingly the beasties reappeared but we have their measure now. Since then we’ve been meandering northwards returning to Lake Rotorua from Opotiki on the coast and currently camping beside Lake Rotoiti (with good internet access!!). We’ve lost the sun but it’s warm and humid so can’t complain.
You’ve got about two weeks to sort the Global Cooling issues in UK (we hear there is more snow predicted in England this weekend). From here we head north to the Coromandel Peninsular and then plan to spend a couple of days in Auckland before flying on the 3 rd March..ta ta for now.

Now in New Brighton South on the east side of Christchurch having been on Banks Peninsular for a few days, Sumner and Taylor's Mistake. The latter is an ideal little spot if you like surfing and local walks in the scrub/hills but you need a sense of direction to find it!! At Akaroa we did a "Spot the Dolphin" trip and Helen swam with a pod of Hector's Dolphins in the Harbour; these are unique to NZ and the smallest dolphins in the world (we're told). Meanwhile I was the photogapher for an Aussie and another Brit lady who'd been forsaken, so I was busy clicking (see photo of Helen and a dolphin). We also did a day walk around (and up) the "Stony Peak"(806m) near Akaroa; it was hot & sunny and gave great views of the harbour and to the Pacific Ocean on the other side of the Peninsular (see photo).
The weather has improved in that we are dry and getting some sunshine so we're heading back into the mountains (Arthur's Pass through the Southern Alps)so hopefully it will keep clear for us to see the peaks. That's all for now..

Now at Timaru south of Christchurch. It's a cloudy day but not raining so far and we'v been travelling from in Southland down to Tuatapere near the south coast and east to Invercargill and the "Lands End" of NZ, Bluff. We took a ferry over to Stewart Island and spent a couple of days there with fine weather. We did some short walks including that around Ulva Island which is a wildlife sanctuary and we were lucky to see may rare birds including the South Island Robin and Saddleback.
After that, we went to Curio Bay and camped there amongst the flax plants and saw our first Yellow-eyed penguins coming up the beach after their day out at sea. They were nesting amongst the scrub on the shoreline and bringing back food for their youngsters. Also Alan managed to get charged by a Sea Lion which had decided to sunbathe next to the door of the camper. Undaunted we continued on up the coast to Dunedin where we needed a repair to our camper fridge, so whilst that was being done we went around the "Cadbury's World" factory. After that we visited the Royal Albatross Centre and saw loads of birds soaring around and on nests. This is the only mainland nesting site in the world as the others are on off-shore islands.
Last night, staying in Oamaru, we visited the Blue Penguin colony and saw over a hundred returning to their burrows at an old quarry site, that was between 9.30 and 10.30 pm; again they were nesting and the parents took it in turn to go fishing for the day, leaving at daylight and returning at dusk. The pics are of the Yellow-eyed penguins at Curio Bay and us at the Invercargill Gardens amongst the roses (we had a picnic lunch in the sun here!). Couldn't photograph the Blue Penguins because they are too shy and easily disturbed....oh didnt mention all the different Shags around here, lots of photos but won't bore you !!

Now south of Millford Sound on the west coast. We’ve had a bout of cold and wet weather but did get a few hours of almost clear sky for our cruise in Milford Sound. Because of the torrential rain over the last few days, all the waterfalls were flowing giving us some spectacular sights. We didn’t stop in Queenstown because of the weather and camped at Te Anau before travelling to Milford Sound and camping at Cascade Creek in a DOC site. Also saw a few Kea Parrots (Mountain Parrots) on route through the rain forests

Happy New Year..we’re still in Golden Bay near Collingwood spending a few days exploring the area and catching-up on camper jobs with plans to move off tomorrow towards Greymouth on the west coast and onto the Glaciers etc.
The tramp along the Abel Tasman coastline went well and we had our frozen Christmas lunch at Totaranui by the beach. We started at Wainui Bay on 24th and walked over the hill through Manuka scrub to Whariwharangi Bay where we camped. This area was very quiet as most walkers start or finish at Totaranui further on so we had the Bay to ourselves, apart from a Fur Seal and Pied Shags on the beach; we also mixed with hundreds of bees that swarmed over patches of sand (we think pouncing on sand fly larva) but they didn’t bother us. We did manage a campfire here with wood from the beach (lots and lots as usual) reminding us of Namibia and were later joined by another couple camping.
The next day to Totaranui was a climb and descent to Mutton Cove and other Bays before reaching the long beach and big campground. The “Trampers” camp was separate in a grass field by the beach and also covered with bees, funny to us! It had been a hot walk and sunny, so for the first time we went for a long swim (even though it was cold water!) and once in we noticed the changes in the sea temperature as pools of warmed water mixed with colder, very refreshing! Spectacular sunset for an evening walk along the beach and then to see all the Kiwis with their massive tents, freezers, boats, kayaks and you name it, they had it, camping in style!
On Boxing Day we followed the coast, sometimes on the beach, e.g. Goat Bay, before climbing over a wooded ridge to Awaroa Estuary, our first “critical” river/estuary crossing. This was easy but did entail removing boots and cooling our feet and legs (up to our knees) even at low tide, mainly because of the river crossing. This was a pleasant site but with lots of sand flies near the beach and again lots of bees on the sand paths nearby.
In the morning, to avoid the “heat of the day”, we were soon toiling uphill to the Tonga Saddle and down to our second “critical” crossing. I had been a little concerned about this one, the Onetahuti River crossing, as the park authorities warned that it could sometimes stop progress even at low tide. In the event we stepped across it in our boots over two hours before low tide! After more forest including lots of tree ferns and gullies, we reached Bark Bay in time for a wade across to the campsite. The Bark Bay campsite set on a peninsular of sand was pretty busy and although quiet to start with, we were soon joined by many other groups, the site next to us being South American students studying in NZ. Then we got our first rain in the night and a Possum, or something, had feasted on pasta in the students’ tent next door. We decided to have a quick breakfast in the covered kitchen area, pack our wet tent and get on our way hoping things improved…which they did. So next we had the added excitement of a passage over a long suspension bridge over the Falls River (the largest river in the park) and meandering around-up-down many gullies now with flowing water after the night’s rain. Soon we were sitting on a bench overlooking Torrent Bay and figuring out the route across the estuary and whether it was too early to cross. It turned out that the route was easy (being marked with large orange discs!) and the crossing possible. The Anchorage campsite is large with lots of space and many local walks to Bays and lookouts etc. We found a nice sunny spot and explored Te Pukatea Bay, a sandy bay just 20 minutes over a low ridge. At the campsite we met an Australian who’d come over especially to do the “Tramp” and was busy exploring all possibilities in the area, and also a group of Kiwis on their summer break. Also this was the first time we saw as well as heard the famous Bell Bird which with Tui (Parson Bird because of its white bib), were feeding on the nectar of wild Flax around our tent.
We had a night of rain, which in a small tent, tends to disturb our sleep! so by 7.20 h we had broken camp and left without breakfast, with a plan to stop later when the sun was out. Well it did work out that way but only after a long “drag” over a pass in drizzle to eventually reach picturesque Apple Tree Bay and breakfast with a cup of tea. From then on the going was easy, contouring close to the coast to reach our destination at Marahau. We did spot our first “Rifleman Bird” (about the size of a golf ball and no noticeable tail and so-called because of its green colour) on the way. By now we were looking forward to a hot shower at the campsite (they are use to trampers/kayers asking to use their showers!!) and a nice lunch at the café at the entrance to the park. From here, we’d arranged to get a bus to Riwaka and change to the “Golden Bay” coach to Pohara our campsite near the start of the walk.

The “Tramp” covers some stunning coastline and beautiful coves with soft or grainy sand. Our route was in the opposite direction to that taken by the majority of walkers and because of the tides it meant that we had the track to ourselves most of the time apart from the last hour near the end when we met lots of “day walkers” (a bit like dog walkers on the South West Way when approaching a town!). After Christmas and during January is the busiest time of year on the track but the number of people allowed into the park is decided by the number of camping & hut places. Apart from the campsites we stopped at (these had filtered water and covered kitchen areas) there are many smaller campsites, mainly in small coves, that also have idyllic settings but lack potable water (there is water but you have to treat it yourself) and they have toilets (usually long-drop). Of course all hut places and campsites have to be booked (the wardens did check us at every site). We did meet a couple without a tent having to do 9 hours walking on Christmas Day because there were no hut places available on route and because of the tidal crossing at Awaroe, they had to start before 6 in the morning. In general the track is very well maintained, well marked (I challenge anyone to get lost there), it does have a few steep gradients but less than 200 m altitude and is similar in difficulty to “moderate” graded sections of the South West Coastal Path.