An Evening Ride

My current favourite evening ride takes me around the peninsula.
Starting off posting the day’s letters in my local box on past Penzance’s triffid and heading to Battery Rocks for a swim, it is good when the tide is right for diving Thanks to Carol and Patrick the buoys are a real treat this year, the first is painted with oyster catchers and waders, the second has a mermaid and seals and the third has star fish, after that they are plain orange.
On up Paul Hill which is always a bit of a chain snapper but worth the effort and past the gate post with it’s mysterious hole After St Buryan and Crows an Wra there is a wonderful down hill swoop to the airfieldmore hills and on to St Just, a rugged little town built around the square with its healthy mix of pubs, the Co-op, two branches of Warrens and more pubs all dwarfed by the solid church tower catching the evening sunDown Nancherrow Hill and up the other side to the north coast where foxgloves are at their best, pink campions everywhere each with its face tracking the sun like mini Goonhilly dishes The little clump of orchids that I watch out for each year is doing well Turning right at Gurnards Head takes me up the last hill to home.
It’s a fantastic ride which ought to be 30+ miles but is probably only about 26.

Sore Feet

Last week I invested in a pair of cycling shoes lean and mean and brilliant for cycling with their rigid soles but not the best thing for walking around Penzance putting finishing touches to the Golowan Grand Treasure Hunt.

Penzance is a lovely town of granite and slate and sea. The more I look the more I see.

Sad reminders of immortality disappearing shops quirky windows Egyptian myth and everywhere John the Baptists head neatly served up on its plate.The banners are up ready for Golowan, this year they are ranged in rainbow colours.Last year hotel guests complained their flapping in the wind kept them awake but we can still enjoy them down by the pool side cafe and along the PromTraining went by the board but I had a lovely time wandering the town:cycled 30 miles, swam at Skilly and got sore feet - it was great.

See you at 2.30 on 21 June at the Barbican for the Grand Treasure Hunt, you may not win a prize but I hope you will enjoy the treasure that is my local town.

Grand Golowan Treasure Hunt
Meet at 2.30 outside the Golowan Office, The Barbican(next to the Dolphin pub)
'Test your powers of observation almost to the limit as you are led through the byways at the historic heart of Penzance' £2 per sheet of clues