Having visited Mousehole (pronounced Mouzall...trust me I learned this the hard way about thirty plus years ago...) twice previously I knew I had to go back to this charming little fishing village. Mousehole is known for its Christmas lights and I was fortunate enough to see them while on a walking holiday in the area in 1999.
So it was with much anticipation I boarded a bus to Penzance and then on to Mousehole on that Friday morning. I had gotten a day pass for ten pounds so the local transport network was my oyster so to speak.
Upon arrival it somehow seemed different - don't ask me why but it did not seem familiar to me at all yet I had been here twice and villages like this don't change. After all they can't move the harbour! Much to my dismay the local shop called The Mousehole was closed for the season....boo! Need I add that Mousehole sells mice and yours truly collects mice....
I was having difficulty speaking that day - my voice was very hoarse due to the cold I currently have. I tried to have a day of little conversation but that doesn't work well in Cornwall - not in that area of Cornwall anyway! Which is a good thing...I like friendly people. Despite being on my own I have not been lonely on this trip- and chatting with people along the way is one of the main reasons.
Anyway here we go on a short walk around the harbour area of Mousehole...
Not sure I would bother going back to Mousehole again....it didn't pull at my heart strings as it had done on previous trips. Of course maybe it was because I left with no mice...just a coaster and a tea towel of mice...well I had to get something mousey!!!
Then it was back to Penzance and on to Porthleven....I decided to visit this town on the spur of the moment as I liked the name and I had never been there before - in retrospect maybe not such a good idea...
About thirty minutes out of Penzance the bus stopped to drop someone off and did not leave .... the electrical system totally shut down....to make matters worse the driver could not get a signal on his phone so I let him use mine. We ended up sitting on the bus for another hour until the next one came along...sigh...but as I pointed out to the lady sitting opposite me...we could have been standing down the road waiting for the bus to come. I had a comfortable seat and my bladder was empty...it was all good!!
While we sat on the bus the sunny skies disappeared and the clouds rolled in - I inquired about walking and while Porthleven wasn't all that far away I was told the road was not good. And no it wasn't...nowhere to walk but on a busy road for a good portion of the way. Eventually we got there and I wandered around looking at the harbour. Not a lot of shops to look in as a lot were closed for the season...
Porthleven has some beautiful beaches but they lost a lot of sand last winter....
I decided to spoil myself and had a cream tea while waiting for the once an hour bus....I had wanted to have a meal but nothing appealed...Time to get the bus back and it was late...and it started raining - luckily there was a huge bus shelter opposite our stop so I hunkered in there. While waiting I chatted with a lady from Plymouth who told me about the storm here....funny how things work as the next day I was walking in St Ives and as a bus went by there was the same woman waving wildly at me through the window and pointing to her throat....asking if my throat was better. I nodded and gave a thumbs up...:).
So, all in all, it was a good day...
So it was with much anticipation I boarded a bus to Penzance and then on to Mousehole on that Friday morning. I had gotten a day pass for ten pounds so the local transport network was my oyster so to speak.
Upon arrival it somehow seemed different - don't ask me why but it did not seem familiar to me at all yet I had been here twice and villages like this don't change. After all they can't move the harbour! Much to my dismay the local shop called The Mousehole was closed for the season....boo! Need I add that Mousehole sells mice and yours truly collects mice....
I was having difficulty speaking that day - my voice was very hoarse due to the cold I currently have. I tried to have a day of little conversation but that doesn't work well in Cornwall - not in that area of Cornwall anyway! Which is a good thing...I like friendly people. Despite being on my own I have not been lonely on this trip- and chatting with people along the way is one of the main reasons.
Anyway here we go on a short walk around the harbour area of Mousehole...
 |
| Cornish fudge ice cream...I thought it would help my throat..:). It did while I was eating it... |
 |
 |
| On the right were the front yards of these houses...they all had chairs in the beautiful garden areas..what a view for your front yard! |
 |
| Milly the mouse in Mousehole....she's a Lewisham mouse, not a Mousehole mouse |
Then it was back to Penzance and on to Porthleven....I decided to visit this town on the spur of the moment as I liked the name and I had never been there before - in retrospect maybe not such a good idea...
About thirty minutes out of Penzance the bus stopped to drop someone off and did not leave .... the electrical system totally shut down....to make matters worse the driver could not get a signal on his phone so I let him use mine. We ended up sitting on the bus for another hour until the next one came along...sigh...but as I pointed out to the lady sitting opposite me...we could have been standing down the road waiting for the bus to come. I had a comfortable seat and my bladder was empty...it was all good!!
While we sat on the bus the sunny skies disappeared and the clouds rolled in - I inquired about walking and while Porthleven wasn't all that far away I was told the road was not good. And no it wasn't...nowhere to walk but on a busy road for a good portion of the way. Eventually we got there and I wandered around looking at the harbour. Not a lot of shops to look in as a lot were closed for the season...
 |
| A violent storm wrecked havoc on Porthleven last winter - the waves were pounding against the church shown here...just google Porthleven storm for some footage....very scary. |
 |
| The red ball was up so I didn't venture any further |
Porthleven has some beautiful beaches but they lost a lot of sand last winter....
I decided to spoil myself and had a cream tea while waiting for the once an hour bus....I had wanted to have a meal but nothing appealed...Time to get the bus back and it was late...and it started raining - luckily there was a huge bus shelter opposite our stop so I hunkered in there. While waiting I chatted with a lady from Plymouth who told me about the storm here....funny how things work as the next day I was walking in St Ives and as a bus went by there was the same woman waving wildly at me through the window and pointing to her throat....asking if my throat was better. I nodded and gave a thumbs up...:).
So, all in all, it was a good day...
Comments