Thursday morning saw us waking up to Momma’s birthday, and she decided she wanted to spend it with a coastal walk from Mousehole to Lamorna.
Although this is a beautiful stretch of the South West Coast Path, it turned out to be a little more rugged than anticipated! The walk started gently, winding through Mousehole and into a wooded area, with some lovely views back towards St Michael’s Mount.
Things soon became a little more challenging, with steep stone steps, narrow dirt trails, muddy sections, tree roots and plenty of scrambling over large boulders. What started as a leisurely birthday stroll quickly turned into a bit of an adventure!
It was definitely a challenging walk, and one that neither Momma nor Santa will be rushing back to do in a hurry. But, for a pair of more mature farts, they absolutely smashed it! Thankfully, there was a café waiting at the end, which was very welcome. We also decided that, as Cornwall has an excellent bus network, catching the bus back would be the safest, and undoubtedly more enjoyable option.
The bus dropped us off in the village of Paul, where, unfortunately, there happened to be a pub conveniently located right next to the bus stop. So Santa enjoyed a very well-deserved pint before we tackled the downhillwalk back into Mousehole.
After a quick freshen-up, we set out on another walk.. although this one was a lot less squeaky-bum! This time, it was a gentle downhill stroll along a proper pavement into Newlyn before continuing on to Penzance.
Newlyn is home to one of the largest working fishing fleets in the UK, but there’s more to the town than just fishing. It also has a trendy food scene, traditional fishermen’s cottages, contemporary galleries and plenty of acclaimed seafood restaurants. All of this, of course, meant one thing: the perfect setting for Momma’s birthday photo session!
As we continued into Penzance, we stumbled across the highlight of the whole trip — Cornwall Pride! 😂 We arrived towards the end of the event, so some of the stalls were already starting to pack away. Despite this, the promenade was still buzzing, with food vendors, craft stalls and plenty of people enjoying the festivities. The main stage was also still going strong, hosted by some fabulous drag artists.
It was definitely not something Momma had planned on seeing on her birthday! That evening we had a lovely meal and finished the day off with a glass of fizz.
For our last morning in Mousehole, we headed to Mousehole Deli for a delicious breakfast before taking one final stroll around the harbour and the village’s little shops. There was also a craft fair taking place, with local makers selling all sorts of lovely handmade goodies — from jewellery and paintings to cosmetics and Christmas decorations. It was the perfect opportunity for a bit of last-minute browsing (and, of course, a few purchases!) before saying goodbye to Mousehole.
Our final destination of the trip, before the epic drive home, was Godrevy. Being a Sunday with decent weather, it was pretty busy. Thankfully, we managed to find a parking spot up by the lighthouse end, which meant we could head over to see the seals.
We strolled along the dunes, taking in the views, and of course, a treat from Kabyn — a horsebox-style café right on the beach. Getting down onto the beach is slightly challenging, as it involves navigating the dunes or tackling a long set of steep steps. So, if you have limited mobility, this probably isn’t the beach for you. The surfers, however, appeared to have absolutely no problems whatsoever, shimmying up and down the rocks like a bunch of barefooted mountain goats.
And with that, our few days in Cornwall came to an end. Momma had a birthday filled with walks, cake, craft stalls and plenty of opportunities for photographs, while Santa managed to locate a pub almost everywhere we went — so I think it’s safe to say they both had a successful trip!
The Travelling Ginger 