Mount’s Bay, Cornwall

Our motorhome travels around Cornwall, in the south-west corner of Britain, have now brought us to Mount’s Bay.

St. Michael’s Mount is visible all around the Bay, from Marazion to Penzance in the west. It is an ancient castle and sacred site high up on an island, accessed via a causeway at low tide, as shown in my photo below. It’s a path well-trodden down the centuries by pilgrims and travellers.

Low tide was early morning when we visited, and the mist around the Castle had yet to fully clear. I clambered across the sand to get a dramatic picture of the Mount reflected in this rockpool.

By the time we had crossed and climbed the steep cobbled lanes to the summit, the mist had cleared. There were terrific views back to Marazion, the sun now glinting on the stone causeway snaking its way across the golden sand.

We returned ashore again before the sea flowed back, a few hours later. Anyone leaving the journey too late will receive nature’s reminder that time and tide wait for noone.

The stretch of the South-West Coast Path around the Bay is also a cycle trail. We were treated to more scenic views as we rode it all the way to Penzance.

Arriving in Penzance, I enjoyed a swim in the Jubilee Pool, a vast, open air saltwater lido. It dates from the 1930s and has an art deco design.

The main pool is filled directly from the sea, and was a bracing 16C (it’s, er, ok once you’re in and moving around!) I then warmed up in the Jubilee’s star attraction, a large geothermal pool heated naturally by an underground spring to a much more amenable 30C.

After all that walking, climbing, cycling and swimming, I reckon I had earned another Cornish Pasty.

These ones had a traditional filling of chopped steak, potato, onion, swede and black pepper, in a buttery, flaky pastry crimped together at the edge. They really are the most popular street food here, with thousands baked fresh every day by little independent bakeries. Warmed up that evening in the motorhome oven, it was delicious and filling.

Time for the next track on the ADK Playlist. Those misty, early morning images of the Mount kept reminding me of the lyrics in this track by Led Zeppelin ….pack your bags for the misty mountains, where the spirits fly….: This is Misty Mountain Hop.