This morning was all about exploring St Michael’s Mount – a tidal island crowned by a medieval castle and church. At high tide, the only way to reach it is by boat, but we wanted to walk across the historic cobblestone causeway (and, more importantly, give Momma the chance to take yet more artistic photos), so we timed our visit for low tide.
If you’re planning a visit, make sure you book your tickets in advance. You can walk across the causeway without one, but you won’t get onto the island itself (unless in ‘Autumn season’ which starts on 13th Sept). I did enjoy watching the heated exchanges between people who had happily walked across, only to discover they weren’t getting any further.
The ancient cobbles are steep and uneven, so decent footwear is definitely required. The number of people attempting it in flip-flops and even heels was staggering. One woman was getting increasingly annoyed as her foot kept slipping out of her flip-flop wedge. I couldn’t help thinking she perhaps hadn’t done quite enough research before coming!
Once at the top, we were rewarded with great views back over the causeway, before joining the queue for the castle. We hadn’t expected it to be quite so busy on a Thursday morning, and the crowds made it difficult to properly stop and read anything inside the castle, so we made our way through quicker than anticipated. Even the deadly fart someone let rip didn’t manage to clear the room..!
Thankfully, the crowds thinned out once we reached the stone battlements, where we could enjoy the views and catch a glimpse of the gardens, which were unfortunately now closed for the season.
We finished our visit by taking yet more photos of St Michael’s Mount from pretty much every angle possible from the beach, before heading into the town of Marazion in search of a cream tea. We didn’t have to look for long and opted for Moondog.
The scone was absolutely enormous and the portion of cream was very generous… what more could you want?! We had a little wander around the town, popping into all the cute gift and nick-nack shops, before heading back to the car and onto our next destination.
Porthleven is a picturesque Cornish fishing village, with its double-walled harbour surrounded by pastel-coloured cottages, quirky boutique shops, cosy cafés and, of course, plenty of traditional pubs. I also picked up a selection of fudge to keep our energy levels up while we explored – which was delicious.
Santa was very excited to hear that Porthleven is home to a highly rated pub – The Ship Inn. A proper traditional boozer where the walls are covered in beer mats, currency, and other nautical items. His beer today was from Tintagel Brewery, and we grabbed the last bench overlooking the harbour to enjoy the drinks.
Our last stop before heading off for our chippy tea was Church Cove at Gunwalloe, where a tiny medieval church sits tucked away amongst the sand dunes. It’s nicknamed ‘The Church of the Storms’, thanks to its exposed position on the Cornish coast and the fact that it has weathered centuries of wild Atlantic storms. If you look closely at this photo, you can just about make out the roof of the church hiding amongst the dunes.
We walked a small section of the South West Coast Path before heading back down to the beach, where we stopped for a while to watch the waves crashing against the shore.
Tea was from a delicious chippy in Newlyn, and it was only right to finish off another lovely day at The Ship Inn, where Santa enjoyed an Admiral’s Ale. Unfortunately, there was a particularly fragrant gentleman sat very close to us who, judging by his enormous backpack – and, more importantly, his smell – was clearly walking the length of the South West Coast Path. However things took a turn for the worse when he decided to take his walking boots off.. The smell was too much for Momma, who started gagging… so we decided that was probably our cue to call it a night 😂
The Travelling Ginger 