The Cornish Coast: Penzance to Mousehole

On one of our first day trips away from St. Ives, we paid £3.10 to take a local bus to Penzance, the oh-so-imagination hyped home of those operatic pirates. Our drive from St. Ives took us down the coast, past St. Michael's Mount and into a suitably modern harbour. We had high expectations. 

Which was part of the problem. The other part of the problem is that lots of little towns in this part of Cornwall are oozing charm, what with their cottages and 400-year-old pubs and coved sandy beaches. And Penzance is just another ordinary town with an ordinary British high street. Where people go to buy their shoes, their groceries in big Tesco shops, their dog food in the pet emporium. Where people go to work and go about their days. And so...

We traversed the town, took Frank to the pet emporium and then made for the coastal road. Here, the route became more picturesque.

We even stumbled upon Jubilee Pool, one of Britain's great Art Deco Lidos. It appeared as if from an era long past and Cornwall Council has done lots to ensure the facilities stay up-to-date. A few brave souls braved the 12 degree temperatures to take a dip in the cold water. More people crowded the outdoor cafe.

Past the Lido, the road turned away and the scenery became more rugged, more quiet. We meandered onto shingly beaches and onto rock formations.

Eventually, signs pointed us to the village of Mousehole, pronounced Mawzel. Because England. A good friend of mine spends summers here and sung its praises. So the 3.1 mile ramble felt like a journey with a hopeful end.

And so it was. We cynical Londoners found joy in the trust that people put in each other. This jam, all homemade, was left outside on shelves with an honesty box for people to drop the £3 cost of a jar in.

And then we hit the town, which took roughly five minutes, but this time in a good way.

At Christmastime the town turns into a giant spectacle of lights, enlisting the help of what must be the entire city to deck the beaches, shops, houses with fairy lights. From 6pm-11pm every night, the lights are kept on and it's become a local highlight in the cold winter months.  

With no Christmas lights to see, we opted for another scone, Cornish style.

Even Frank got in on the action.

With fast fading light and no more desire to walk, we caught the 20-seater pink public mini bus back to the bustling Penzance. And that, I suppose, is how you do a Cornish day trip.