Our Trip to the UK and Europe 2010 - Day 1 and Day 2

In late Summer we travelled to the UK for two weeks and Europe for one week. We started out from Comox and flew to Vancouver on the little plane and then took Thomas Cook to London Gatwick via Edmonton. TC is a slightly discount airline that runs five times a week to London during the Summer. They pack a lot of people into the planes but we booked early and had good seats. The service is OK considering that the price is somewhat less than Air Canada. We would use them again without doubt.

We had a rental car booked at the airport but it took two hours to get away. The main hold up was getting our bags which took well over an hour, not very impressive. First port of call was Petts Wood where we arrived in time for lunch with the Beauchamps, our old neighbours from our Petts Wood days 42 years ago!


We also visited with Doreen and Frank Chapple who still live at the top of the same road and it was good to catch up with both couples.

We were staying at a B and B in Beckenham nearby so we checked in there and then went to see Mavis and Jim Wellbeloved in Bexley. One of the reasons for travelling to the UK was to attend Don and Jean's Golden Wedding Anniversary party in Kidderminster a few days later. However we knew that whereas cousin Mavis was going to be there it was unlikely that Jim would make the trip so we took this opportunity to see them both at home. We were glad we did this even though we were a little weary after a long day and a cross Atlantic flight.

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Day 3 - New Malden, Harpenden and Great Chesterford

Another busy day of visiting. We started with a brief stop in New Malden to see cousins Ken and Gladys Alexander. We knew that neither were going to be at the party because of the difficulty of travelling and we were glad we did call on because it turned out that Gladys was really under the weather but we did manage a short visit to see her. Ken was in fine form we felt.

Next stop was to meet most of the King relatives in Harpenden. We stopped off at Wendy and Peter Godfrey-Evans house where we met up with that family, Elizabeth and Paul Champion and two of their family and Angela who travelled down specially from Burford which was very good of her. After a nice visit there we continued on to Great Chesterford to see and stay with the fourth King relative, Pam, and Bob White. It was good to get away from the London area because the traffic is so intense around London, more so than our visit last year it seemed.

Day 4 - Bedford and Derby

We left Pam and Bob the next morning and made our way to Bedford where we wanted to visit the Museum which was purported to have a lace collection. That was only partly true and a lot was not available for viewing, which was a pity. Even getting to the Museum was a challenge in itself as the town centre has a tortuous one way street system to challenge the visitor. You can see where you would like to go but you have to go in the opposite direction to get there. A less than successful visit!

Then it was on to Derby where we were going to stay for a few days.

Day 5 and Day 6 - Derby and Kidderminster

The next day, Saturday, was a quiet day before the Sunday where we were going to the party. Derby to Kidderminster is a fairly easy run but we were only just in time after getting held up at a roundabout where we had to wait for a tremendously large number of motor bikes on a Sunday run. Fortunately they went down another road out of the roundabout so we weren't held up any further. There were about 50 people at the hotel where the party was being held. Just two cousins, Mavis and Joyce as well as Don and Jean, Val and Paul, Toby and Ella and Chris and Pauline. The weather was a bit disappointing and it wasn't very pleasant outside which was a pity because the grounds were very attractive. You can't legislate the weather.


Afterwards we had arranged to go back to Derby via Balsall Common where we would have a little more opportunity see visit with Val and Paul. The plane is making progress, slow but sure Paul says. No plane photo this time around.

Day 7 - Bedford College Reunion

Monday was Bedford College Students 50 Year Reunion. Robin had to miss out because he had had a bit of a recurrence of a fever problem from a month earlier. It led to a visit to the local very efficient Health Centre and some antibiotic to tackle the problem. This had been doing the trick. The medical system was quite impressive as he got to see a local doctor very quickly and was given a free prescription.

The reunion was held near Dove Dale and nine "old girls" made it that day.





Back in Derby, Robin took it easy but did manage to take the rental car back to East Midlands Airport coming back on the bus to Derby town centre. Neither of us was sorry to say good bye to the car which had served us well but driving wasn't a great pleasure. Too much traffic and too many roundabouts which are very tricky if there is much traffic. This gave an opportunity to collect a series of railway tickets. There had been purchased online some months earlier. We had three sets to collect all bought on different days covering three different journeys. The system is very easy to use and you simply go to a machine at any station of your choosing, not necessarily any one that you are going to actually use and put in the reference number and bingo you get the tickets. Buying early gets you a good selection of seats at bargain prices, in one case 75% off. Only one flaw in the system as we booked facing the engine seats and never got them, always back. This applied to European railway tickets too. Very strange because the rest of the system was brilliant.

Day 8 - Another Reunion in Macclesfield

There was another Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2010, Anthony and Carol Berwick. They took us to Macclesfield for lunch and a reunion with the wedding party from 1960.

Bridesmaids Ginny (and Bob), Sheila, Ruth (and Robin) and Anthony and Carol. We had a very nice lunch in a restaurant in a very upmarket furniture store made inside an old factory.


We recreated one of the bridal photographs from long ago.

Day 9 - To Cornwall

The second phase of the trip was to Cornwall to walk sections of the South-West Coastal Path which runs for over 600 miles around the Devon and Cornwall coast. We had prepared quite well for this and had the necessary Ordnance Survey maps and some pamphlets published by the local Path Association. We planned to walk on five days and chose two places to stay at B and B's in Helston and Penzance. We knew that we could then catch buses to the start and end of our days walks. To get there we took to the train and found all the ones we used clean, speedy and on time. The first part of the trip was Derby to Plymouth where we picked up a local train to finish in Penzance, the end of the old Great Western line.

The first B and B was in Helston, a bus ride from Penzance railway station. It was pleasant enough with a very good breakfast but on a main road leading to Culdrose RNAS airfield, so it was a bit noisy early in the morning as the workers went to the base. At least we didn't lie in.

Day 10 - Marazion to Porthleven

We took the local bus to Marizion, location of St. Michael's Mount. We were going to leave a visit to the Mount for another day as we had quite along walk ahead of us and as it was the first day out we weren't sure how fit we were for the ups and downs of the coastal path.

At the start of the walk

The Mount dominates the area. A large imposing castle like structure that is, in fact, a family home. It was in our field of view for quite a while as we made our way East.

St. Michael's Mount

The walk takes you along the cliff tops and down and up into the various lovely beaches.

Perran Sands

Kennegy Sand

Rinsey Head

Porth Sulinces

Porthleven

End of the walk at Porthleven

Day 11 - Lizard Point to Coverack

We had to do a slightly shorter walk on the second day because we were going to meet up with friends that evening and the bus we needed to catch at the end of the walk only ran every two hours and we couldn't afford to miss it. Consequently we didn't pick up where we left off the day before but started with the bus ride to Lizard Town, England's most Southerly point.

Lizard Point Town Centre

At the start of the walk

We made a bit of a mistake at the start which meant we had to walk further than planned. We hit the coast a little to the West of Lizard Point.

Lizard Point

We went around the most Southerly point and passed by the lighthouse.

Lizard Lighthouse

We passed a rock feature on the coast called the Devil's Frying Pan, a collapsed cave with a natural bridge at the inlet entrance.



Making good progress now we reached Cadgwith, a typical Cornish Harbour. Time for a cup of tea.

Cadgwith Harbour


Kennack Sands

Running a bit short of time we struck off inland and using a series of paths and roads we reached the end point of the walk at Coverack.

A leafy tunnel through the trees



Coverack Harbour

We caught the bus and arrived back at the B and B in time to meet up with Wendy and Peter Reid. Wendy was co-worker of Ruth's at the Wellcome Research Labs. We had seen her once since those days long ago and they had kindly invited us to dinner at their home in Mylor Bridge near Falmouth and not too far from Helston. We had a very pleasant evening with them.

Dinner with Wendy and Peter

Day 12 - Mullion Cove to Lizard Point

Today we filled in partially between the walks on the first two days. Technically it should have been Porthleven to Lizard Point but we felt that was going to be a shade too far for our poor old legs so we took the bus to a point in between - Mullion Cove. This was another typical Cornish harbour, small with the usual rocky breakwater.

Mullion Cove with the island of Scovarn in the background

At the harbour

Looking back to Mullion Cove

Serious currents

Soap Rock Cave


Nearing Kynance Cove

Above Kynance Cove

A steep climb down ahead

Moving on from Kynance Cove where we had stopped for tea

Last section before Lizard point - Pentreath Beach

We walked back into Lizard Town along the path we took out to the coast the day before passing the wooden horse. Time for an ice-cream made with Cornish cream. The bus arrived to time and we went back to Helston via Mullion Cove which we had passed through three times now. We collected our cases from the B and B, returned the key which we had forgotten to hand in that morning to the clear displeasure of the B and B lady and took the bus back into Penzance to find our second B and B very near the bus and railway station. A very nice couple ran the place and we had a nice room and they provided excellent breakfasts that set us up for the day ahead.

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Day 13 - Marazion and St. Michael's Mount

It was Sunday and the day of the Italian Grand Prix. We split our forces at the beginning and Ruth left to catch the bus to Marazion and St. Michael's Mount while Robin stayed behind to watch the Grand Prix. The tide was out and it was possible to walk across the causeway to the Mount.

The causeway at low tide

Unfortunately you can't get very far when you are there because the house is a private residence and there are only the grounds to see. Robin took a later bus and found Ruth on the sea wall waiting as arranged and we both walked to the Mount and its little harbour.

The harbour where a ferry runs at higher tides when the causeway is covered


The house from the harbour


Another view of the harbour

In the grounds of the Mount

We walked back across the causeway which would soon be impassable as the tide was coming in and found a nice cafe in Marazion to have our customary afternoon cup of tea.

Day 14 - Sennen Cove to Porthcurno

Up early to catch the bus to Sennen Cove via Porthcurno, where we were going to finish the walk, and Land's End. Steep road down to the town centre where the bus had to reverse up a tiny lane to get back up the hill as it left. The bus was a double-decker and sometimes the road was just and only just wide enough to make any progress. We went upstairs and had a grand view over the hedges. The driver was not so lucky and he had to be very careful getting round the many bends in the road.

Looking North back to Sennen Cove with Whitesand Bay in the background

Looking South towards Land's End


Land's End with the Longships lighthouse in the background


Longships Lighthouse


Off Land's End with a rock made of basalt columns very like the Giant's Causeway


Some lovely flowers along the way


The Lion's Den


Looking ahead to Mill Bay


Nanjizal Beach


Nanjizal Beach (again)


A last look at the Longships lighthouse


The beach at Porth Chapel

We reached the end of the walk at Porthcurno. Situated on the cliff top is the Minack Theatre carved out of the rock. The theatre was created in 1935. It is based on a natural amphitheatre and the backdrop is the sea. A program of plays is performed each Summer. The path drops very steeply as you leave the grounds of the theatre. The guide reports "a difficult descent not recommended for young children or elderly persons". It says "take a look and decide". Sufferers from vertigo are duly warned. It certainly was pretty tricky, no rails and very steep steps but we took the plunge and reached beach level and a short walk into Porthcurno which we had passed through earlier on the bus.

At the top of the climb down from the Minack Theatre

It was our last day of walking and we had promised ourselves a Cornish Cream tea. There was a pub in the little village who were ready to meet our need. Porthcurno is an important terminal point for submarine cables and a Cable and Wireless School was established here but technological advance caused it to close in 1994. The school has been turned into a museum. We caught the bus back to Penzance retracing the route to Land's End and Sennen Cove. The route back from there was a little different but it eventually connected up with the outbound route in St. Buryan where we stopped and refuelled the bus, all very casual.

Cornish Cream tea in Porthcurno at the end of our walking tour