Getting my UK hike on (part 1): St. Ives to Penzance

Leaving Luxembourg for London was one of the more difficult choices I've had to make.  On the one hand, I was lucky enough to work for a great company in a cool office with a truly amazing group of folks.  Foosball, beer fridge, and Nerf dart guns - what more could you ask?

But, the more, ah, vibrant lifestyle of London beckoned, so in May, it was back to London I went.

Arriving back in mid May, I had three weeks of glorious sloth before the start of my new job.  It's rare to have the lucky combination of both free time and spare money, so I resolved to make the most of it.

Now, think 'road trip' and most folks immediately think of cruising one of the limitless highways of the US, clocking up the miles and avoiding trouble with a sheriff named Bubba.

That does sound amazing, but carless in the UK, I had to be a little more adaptable.

The plan was to explore by foot, rail, and plane some of the more remote corners of Britain.  It seems odd, as the distances involved aren't profound, but some corners are surprisingly difficult to reach from London.  Cornwall, for example, is only 250 miles away as a crow files, yet it's a nearly 7 hour journey by car or train.  With Paris a hair over two hours away, it's no wonder most Londoners tend to hop on the Eurostar.

It was painful, trying to narrow down the options, but finally I set my sights on a week each in Cornwall, the Lake & Peak Districts, and the Isle of Skye.  Hiking boots and geeky walking stick sorted - bring on the trails!

View UK Road Trip in a larger map

The Cornwall leg was flat-out awesome.  My first day was in the postcard-pretty seaside town of St. Ives, with nearly constant sun as I explored both beach and buildings.

A sunset pint at the seriously old 14th century the Sloop Pub, and then carbo-loading with a fresh crab and homemade pasta dinner, and I was set for an early start on the trail.

Hiking-wise, the Southwest Coastal Path was my route, as I would head from St. Ives to Penzance.  Incredibly well-marked, navigation was idiot-proof as I followed the coast-hugging trail for four days.  The best part is that there was no need for lugging a tent and sleeping bag; Cornwall features charming villages every 3-4 miles, each with a B&B and local pub to recover for the next day.

The first leg was from St. Ives to Zannor, where it seemed that Cornwall was one big rocky and spring flower-covered wonderland:

…up and down the hills, I was well ready to rest up at the welcoming Tinner's Arms pub.

Next up was the leg to St. Just… another cloudy day's walk, which took in everything from abandoned stone churches, to 18th century tin mines and a modern lighthouse. 

The sun peeked out just as I was finishing my hike coming into St. Just, and I took in a Cornish real ale pint at the tiny Star pub before calling it an early night.

The sun rallied nicely again for the next two days, heading to Porthcurno and finally to Penzance.  You quickly run out of adjectives, being spoiled with such amazing views of coast and crags.  Suffice to say, it was remarkably pretty throughout, but the highlight for me had to be the stretch around Land's End, the westernmost tip of Britain.  It's a wild place - with conflicting currents, winds, and hidden rocky shoals making it a nightmare of ship captains' for centuries, with the wreck below happening as recently as 1989.

For the coastal hiker, though, it's heaven:

Odd ship-warning device - as long as the captain can see the white/black cone, he was safe from the notorious submerged Runnel Stone lurking just offshore.

By the time I got to Porthcurno, I was pretty gassed.  I dropped my kit off, only to learn that for any decent beer, I'd have to find enough energy to hike another 1.5 miles to the local pub.  I think I surprised the B&B owner when I immediately dropped my bag and legged it... cool ale justifies nearly any amount of effort.

Tired but triumphant, I finished my hike outside the larger tourist town of Penzance with a quiet beer and an afternoon wander about town, before catching the train back to London for an ultimate frisbee tournament the following day.  First leg down - two more hikes to go...