Walk 6: Praa Sands to Long Rock, Penzance

                                               Praa Sands to Long Rock (9 miles exactly)

Today's walk was a classic example of how we are trying to fit in our walks around family. My daughter needed to go to Penzance to visit a relative so Sarah and I dropped her off, parked the car and hopped on a bus to Praa Sands. Sarah also had a family birthday celebration to get back to, which left us quite tight on time,  and so we opted for a fairly flat 9-mile route. 

The weather was cold and windy as we set out and, although the path wasn't too challenging in terms of steepness, it was very narrow and full of twists and turns with lots of roots to trip over. Although, Long Rock to Marazion is one of my favourite haunts, I haven't visited Praa Sands for several years and I have never walked this whole stretch of coast before. It was great to look down on Prussia Cove - a place which conjures images of old Cornish smugglers - and remember the passageway I found in a cave when I was very young. 


As it was high tide, we kept to the cliff path, stopping for lunch just before we arrived Perranuthnoe. One of my highlights was climbing up a rocky outcrop to see the shape of a sleeping dragon laid out in front of us, just like one from a fantasy story. After that, we had the stunning view of St Michael's Mount to spur us on as we trekked quite a long path towards Marazion, with its gorgeous houses, art shops and bakeries.


Once through the village, I felt like I was on home ground (I lived near Long Rock for a while). However, as we picked up the cycle trail, there was no hiding from the chilly wind which was blasting sand at us and creating a good amount of resistance. We waved at a couple of passing trains like schoolkids and then headed back to our starting point to pick my daughter up. 

On the way home, I spent some time trying to plan our upcoming routes. I was daunted by the visual distance from Penzance round to Lands End and back up the North coast to St Ives. However, when I looked at the actual distances, they didn't feel quite as scary. Heading out into more isolated areas, where the buses are fewer and farther between will be another challenge, but we are making progress step by step. 

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