Goodbye Plymouth

Today it was time to move on to my next destination in England. My train from Plymouth to Cheltenham Spa departed at 11:25 which meant I could have a slow morning. After essentially repacking my suitcase I made it to the train station in plenty of time. Luckily the train started from Plymouth so it was already waiting for boarding. 

I haven't travelled with this particular train company before. The seats were very comfortable and I was very happy with the location I had chosen. 

The journey took 2.5h through the variety of scenery I have come to expect and enjoy. 

The most populous area we went through was Bristol toward the end of the journey. 

Parked in Bristol station was a steam engine with these carriages. Maybe that's what I should book on my next trip? 

By this time the weather was looking quite grey and wet. 

The train arrived on time and I got a taxi to the hotel. 

Down to the sea one last time

Although I know there is much more to Cornwall and Devon than busy ports and sleepy fishing villages, tomorrow I head inland for the rest of my trip so I decided I should get my fix of the sea while I still could. I tossed up between heading east to Devon or west to explore more of Cornwall. West won, mainly because I had all the information I needed to get around and I've found the Ride Cornwall pass so convenient. 

First on the itinerary was Fowey. It looked nice plus I had a recommendation from a friend. I took the train to Par and then the 25 bus to Fowey. Once again, the bus stopped at the top of the town and I needed to walk down a little way to get to the shore. 

The waterfront gave great views of Fowey and Polruan on the opposite side. 

I admired this floating advertisement. 

I walked around a bit. More narrow streets and alleys. On the way I popped into one of the many bakeries and bought a cream doughnut with caramel icing. Not my usual thing but they looked so authentic and traditional. Very delicious. I told myself the walking offset the calories but I'm sure the calories are winning at the moment.

I also admired this display of seaside essentials for sale outside one of the shops. 

There was a coastal walk that I hoped would lead to St Catherine's Castle. My friend Adam had recommended it and it certainly looked like a good spot. Unfortunately I didn't take a great shot of it from the water front, but it was a long way up the cliffs. The walk there was lovely and got more beautiful once I left the road. 

But the view was well worth the climb. 

I slowly made my way back down again and had a delicious traditional Cornish pasty for lunch by the foreshore. It was 1:00 by this time so I decided to make my way to destination number 2.

The next destination was Newquay on the north west coast. I had read that it was much bigger but I thought it might be a nice contrast. It's on the Atlantic too, which I find alluring for some reason. I caught the bus back to Par and then a train on the small branch line to Newquay. I got there about 3:00. 

The tide was out which made the beach super impressive. 

The bridge between these rocks was crazy. 

Overall though, I found Newquay a little underwhelming. Nothing stood out. The next train didn't return to Par until 5:22 so I had some time to kill. I found a pub with an outside area and a nice view. 

Then I bought some fish and chips on my way back to the station. I stopped in a park overlooking the sea to eat them. The fish was amazing but the chips were a bit soggy. The wildlife were certainly interested though. One cheeky bird swooped in an stole a bit of fish right out of the container. I had to guard my food after that. But some of the birds were very beautiful so I have to forgive them.

And speaking of birds, I spent some more time today just listening to the chorus of bird song around me. Wonderful! 

The weather report for today had been mild - high teens. For the first time I went out without a jumper. Just t-shirt and jacket. By midday I had removed the jacket. Got a little bit of sunburn on my head though. That was unexpected. I've purchased sunscreen now for the remainder of the trip. 

Off the main road

One of my objectives for my stay in Cornwall was to get an authentic small fishing village experience, which is quite odd because I distinctly remember finding images of small fishing villages quite depressing as a kid. Anyway, I had a few picked out but I had assumed I'd only be able to reach them by hiring a car. And to be honest, I'd really rather not drive somewhere I don't know all that well. So I've been checking out public transport options and it's possible to get just about anywhere by train and bus.

One village I had my sights set on was Port Isaac which is the village they use for filming the Doc Martin TV series. I worked out this morning that I could get there by train and bus but it would take me most of the day. So I looked for a plan B. Already on my itinerary was a town called Looe which was a bit large to satisfy my main craving, but I noticed that nearby Polperro looked like it might fit the bill. So off I set after a hearty breakfast. 

First I needed to catch the train to Liskeard. That was the same direction I travlled yesterday. Crossing the Tamar River I got these shots.

Which reminds me, so many of the place names here are familiar. Launceston, Devonport, Truro, Callington, Modbury, the Tamar River - except these places are the originals. 

It only took about 1/2 hour to get to Liskeard where I had to change for Looe. The train went through a lush valley. There was undergrowth and a stream running beside the track most of the way. It was too close to get a proper shot that did it justice. Really pretty. 

When I got to Looe I explored a bit. It definitely has a port feel. The tide was on its way out. 

From the foreshore I could see a road climbing up the rocks on the other side of the river. This massive brick structure was essentially a bridge along the side. 

After having a snack on the seafront I found the bus stop for the 73 bus that would take me to Polperro. No sooner had we set of that my decision not to drive was validated. The bus made its way up a steep but narrow road while a poor little car was trying to come the other way. There were barely centimetres to spare. I would hate to have been the driver of the car. 

The trip to Polperro took us through winding hedged roads. I took this picture after getting off the bus, but this part was quite wide by comparison. 

The bus actually stops at Crumplehorn.  You then walk down a winding road to Polperro. 

As I decended into the valley my sense of expectation increased. It was a bit magical. When I got there, the tide was well and truly out but that didn't detract too much from the charm.  

I wondered around the tiny alleys to get different perspectives. The village was exactly what I had hoped to find.

And to the foreshore. 

Along one side was a sign for the coastal walk which eventually split off to Reuben's Walk. I walked for quite a long way. It was a good work out.

I paused for a little while at a seat and drank in the moment. It was definitely another "pinch me" moment. 

I looked back at Polperro. 

As I walked back to the village I noticed one building on the opposite side in particular.  With the trees it just seemed a little foreboding.

All that walking had worked up a thirst so I popped into the Three Pichards for a pint. 

When I emerged it was just spotting with rain. By the time I made it back to the bus stop it was pouring. 

The timing of transport for my trip there had all worked out perfectly. Unfortunately the way back was not so perfect. Nothing seemed to connect so I had quite a bit of waiting time. I guess that's the downside to public transport. But I didn't have to be anywhere in particular so it was kind of nice to just pause. While waiting at Liskeard for the train back to Plymouth it was delightful to take in the symphony of birdsong all around me.

It's been a long day. It's 7:45pm and I'm worn out. I'm not certain what I will do tomorrow. I'm thinking of heading east to check out some of Devon. 

Penzance, and no sign of pirates

It was odd sleeping in a single bed last night. It's been along time. But this guest house is very comfortable and it was lovely to have a home style breakfast this morning. 

I managed to get out by 8:30am which gave me plenty of time to get on the 9:10am train to Penzance. As I walked to the station I heard the bird call from Kate Bush's album Aerial. It was note perfect! 

I bought the 1 day Ride Cornwall ticket which allowed me to travel on as many trains and busses in Cornwall as I like in 24h for £10. I definitely got my money's worth today.

As I was waiting for the train I couldn't help notice all the locals in their t-shirts and shorts while I was rugged up in jeans, t-shirt, jumper and jacket. 

The journey down there took about 2.5h but was full of interesting and beautiful scenery. These rows upon rows of houses as we left Plymouth were so striking. 

Then it was into the open countryside dotted with towns and rivers.

This scene caught my attention with multiple generations of industry. 

And of course we passed many stations. 

Then more rivers and inlets. 

When we reached Penzance it was clear that the tide was out. 

I wandered around. It's quite a grey looking town but you can just feel the history of it. 

The weather was very blustery and there were numerous flocks of seagulls circling around. 

I stopped at a little caravan cafe on the foreshore for a ginger beer scone with lime curd and coffee. 

After wandering around some more I made it back to the train station to catch the train back to St Erth. From there I took a short train trip to St Ives.  

As the train came around the corner and St Ives came in to view my breath was a little taken away. It looks so pretty even with the tide out. I can't imagine what it looks like when the tide is in. 

All around St Ives are some very un-English-y sandy beaches. 

I wandered along the promenade. There were so many people out and about. Must get crazy here in summer. I stopped for a Cornish pasty (naturally) which I devoured looking out to sea. This guy was hoping for a bit but it was too good to share. 

I finished off by wandering through the back streets and checking out some of the many galleries. 

By the time I got back to Plymouth it was dinner time so I regrouped and headed out to the area where most of the restaurants are. I'm not so good at solo dining but I was determined to get out there and overcome my fears. Good news is I had a great meal and nobody died. 

London to Plymouth

In some ways, flying from Bergen to London was the easy part of today. My final destination was Plymouth which will be my Cornwall base for the next 4 days. All I had to do was catch the Gatwick Express to London Victoria station, the Victoria line underground to Kings Cross, the Hammersmith line underground to Paddington then the train to Plymouth. Easy. The underground part of the trip was particularly convoluted because of maintenance - ordinarily I should have been able to catch the Circle line straight from Victoria station to Paddington. 

Anyway, I'm pleased to say it all went without a hitch. There were a few steps I had to navigate with cases, but overall it wasn't too bad. And once I finally made it to the train I pampered myself with a first class ticket to relax and take in the view. 

The train trip took 3.5 hours and I even managed to get to Plymouth a couple of hours earlier than I'd expected.

And the view was stunning. Third day in a row of incredible vistas. I feel so fortunate.  

Around Reading I saw lots of canals with barges. 

Then endless fields and towns. 

For a little while we tracked the south Devon coast. 

Before returning to green fields. 

When I arrived in Plymouth I just needed to walk 15 min to my accommodation.  Plymouth isn't a particularly picturesque town/city, but it will be a good base. As soon as I arrived I headed out to explore. I made my way to the shore and discovered you could walk up the old lighthouse. That was a good way to get a sense of the place. But then my camera battery died (and I hadn't swapped over my spare from the other bag) and it started to spot with rain. I decided to call it a day.​

This time I'm staying in more guest house-like accommodation. Small, cosy but very well presented. I wasn't quite sure when I first arrived but I've warmed to it already. I'm sitting in the little bar sipping a beer while writing this blog. Nice.