With a sunny day and 17 degree temperatures forecast, we decided to walk 6 1/2 miles North up the coast to Mawgan Porth, and then get a bus back. Randy and I even checked the printed bus schedule to ensure that there would a bus, it being Sunday, and given our previous Sunday bus challenges.
The walk took us past Towan Beach, Great Western Beach, Tolcarne Beach, Lusty Glaze Beach (I can understand a lusty gaze, but what the heck is a lusty glaze?), Porth Beach, Whipsiderry Beach, Watergate Bay, Beacon Cove and finally to Mawgan Porth.
We generally stayed up on the cliffs above the beaches, but we had some magnificent views of beaches, caves, villages and open ocean.
Another beach
After 4 1/2 miles we stopped at a swanky hotel in Watergate Bay for coffee (and a much needed bathroom break), where we got to sit at a table on the deck, overlooking the beach and ocean. The only thing missing was an umbrella to shelter us a little from the sun. It was hot!
We then trudged on to Mawgan Porth, and the first priority was to check where the bus stop was. The printed schedule said that the bus stopped outside the newsagent, and would arrive at 2:09 pm, but there was no bus stop sign. We found a bus stop around the corner, on the road to Mawgan, and the sign at the bus stop indicated that the bus would stop there at 2:44 pm (the pitch and putt versus the newsagent). We were confused, so I phoned the Cornish Traveline number which was on the back of the schedule and was greeted by Traveline Scotland (the accent was a giveaway). I was eventually transferred to a Cornish person, who told me that the bus would leave Mawgan Porth pitch and putt and 4:50 pm. Now we were thoroughly confused!!! It turned out that the printed schedule ended YESTERDAY, and the sign at the bus stop must have been even older.
Just to be sure, we waited at the road junction until 2:20 pm, but of course no buses arrived. So we started walking back towards Newquay, 6 1/2 miles away. Grrrrrr!
When, after an hour, we got back to Watergate Bay, Randy went into the hotel and they phoned us a taxi which got us back to our B&B much faster, much happier, and only 12 pounds poorer. No more Sunday walks relying on buses.
After a few hours of recuperation at the B&B we went in search of dinner, which we planned to pick up at Sainsbury's supermarket, but it had closed at 4 pm. So we wandered aimlessly around town looking for something suitable, finally settling on an Italian restaurant with good views and sun still on the deck. It turned out to be a good choice.
I must close for today, as episode 2 of Downton Abbey starts in a few minutes, but hopefully the adventure will continue tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment