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| St Nicolas Church in St. Ives |
Some people are born to love the water.
Others could spend their entire lives without stepping foot in the
stuff (luckily for the rest of us personal hygiene wins out enough
for a shower).
Me? I realized I was the former when I
first stepped into the warm waters of the Pacific. From then I was
hooked. Something about its organized chaos (we already know the next
300 years of tides), its raw power, its enveloping embrace. It's
addicting.
So I swapped the warm waters of the
Pacific for the (much) colder waters of England. However, the water
still leaves me in awe, and England's varying coastline leaves no one
wanting.
I rolled into St. Ives by train. St.
Ives is a town in Western Cornwall, which got its start in fishing
and mining. It was because of mining that the famous Cornish Pasty
was born. Basically the miner needed some way to eat hearty meals
without worrying about getting soot and other nasty stuff on their
food. The answer was to nestle meat and veg in a thick savoury pasty
crust. This was the miners could easily grasp the food (and not worry
about food rolling away of falling off a plate) and keep the innards
away from soot. I know I have to get the real thing on my trip!
I am staying at The Queens Hotel,
and for a mere 60GBP a night a get an ensuite room, wifi
(questionable, I am writing this offline as we speak), and breakfast.
The best part? Sub 5 minute stroll to the coastline.
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| Tropical Paradise? No, England! |
The waters of St. Ive's do not
disappoint. When the sun hits I am rewarded with azure and turquoise
colours, undulating in an endless dance. The water is surprisingly
clear... a very far cry from the Thames. It reminds me of
Poole/Sandbanks in Dorset on the Jurassic coast. Who says England is
dreary?
Anyways, I checked in and immediately
(well after cursing at the wifi) went for a jog. I am now a firm
believer in jogging to get to know a town better and see the sights.
I jogged around the harbour, watching people soaking up the last rays
of sunlight before it dipped over the town. The Harbour is lined with
fish and chip shops and pasty shops-- I make mental notes as I jog
by.
I suppose the downside of coast line is
the, hmmm... varying elevation? I hug the coastline and start huffing
uphill to the National Coastwatch Institution. These guys got one of
the best views in St. Ives but for good reason. They are on the
lookout for ships/boats/surfers/kayakers in distress in the coastal
waters.
The NCI shares this amazing view with
St Nicolas Church, which arguably may have one of the best views as
far as churches go. Perched overlooking Porthmeor Beach, even I would
not mind attending a sermon here. Luckily there was none going on, so
on I went.
After literally running thru sand in
Porthmeor Beach, I caught up again with the South West Coastal Path.
This is a National Trust trail which, as the name suggests, hugs the
Cornwall Coastline, amassing an impressive 600+ miles. I did not feel
up to that daunting task, however went for a few miles on it,
stopping every few minutes to snap some photos and simply soak up the
coastline. I thought of my Coast to Coast walk, and wondered if I
would ever muster the courage to try a walk 300% longer.
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| Halloumi Burger |
Maybe another trip.
Food: Blas Burgerworks – Man up try the
vegan burger. Made with halloumi cheese, roasted red peppers, and
mushrooms, it is a behemoth to behold and eat.
Drink: Skinners SkinDog – a great
light accompaniment to the burger. Would be great on the beach
watching a sunset.
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