Day 48 - Falmouth to Mevagissey

 

Date: Monday 21^st June 2010   Distance: 27.02 Miles

 

The B and B reminded us of a small seaside hotel with maids and silver service. Bob liked it better than Pat who thought it a bit pretentious. There was nowhere to lock up the bike except to a tree at the side of the building despite on booking being told there was somewhere inside to put it.

 

We cycled out of Falmouth and through Penryn which were busy. Then it was through lanes of Perrarnwell and Curnondowns with no refreshment stops until Trelissick Gardens just before the King Harry Ferry. These were much nicer than Trebah even though you could hear the sounds of the ferry  throughout the garden.

 

There is more colour here and the sensory garden is full of delightful smells and texture. There are immense trees and those of characterful shape. We watched a robin degrub itself- disgusting but fascinating as he seemed to have so many on his tiny body, which he promptly ate- the ultimate carry- out!

 

On the walls of the café were British wildlife photos- some we recognised from SpringWatch on TV. They are actually very exciting and inspiring. Trouble is the camera is never on hand when you’d like it.

 

The King Harry ferry operates on huge chains across the water and this is the noise we heard from the gardens. Cycles were charged 50 pence and pedestrians free.

We crossed here when we did Lands End to John o Groats and tired and hungry were peeved to find the local hostelry at Phillergh, closed till the evening and then we still had to find somewhere to stay. We never leave it that late anymore and this time  the pub was bustling with a microbrewery attached and also a farm shop.

 

Along the way, back on route 3, when met 2 German cyclists looking for a Chinese Garden?? and a man who had cycled 65 miles today. Phew! He kept pace with us for a while but we lost him after the caravan completely blocked the road and met another car. There must be many fraught moments of impasse on these narrow, high- hedged lanes.

 

B and B was hard to find being a modern house in a road that sounded like several others but despite being on an estate there was a lovely view out to sea over the tops of the houses opposite from the upstairs dining room. It was minimalist but good with a Jacuzzi outside if liked. It was a short walk through an alley to Mevagissy where a local pointed out the best place to eat- Fountain Inn, a really old pub that did huge plates of fish and chips for under £6. It wasn’t cod or haddock and we would have liked to have known its name but no one seemed to know-perhaps they were afraid it would put people off. Pat thought it like Vietnamese river fish.

 

Walking round the harbour someone stopped to talk to us and we recognised the lone cyclist’s voice and his ear which had a section cut from it! He said he wondered if he would recognise us with our clothes on. Cheek! The sun stayed out till late and we sat looking out over the harbour for a bit. It’s a lovely little place!