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And God planted a garden in Eden…

About a mile after starting from Tregrehan Mills we took a footpath to the Eden Project. I was pleased to be able to walk here. It was one of the places I had hoped to visit on my End to End.

It was a glorious day, almost too hot in the Tropical Biome where we climbed up to the lookout in 66 percent humidity and nearly 30 degrees centigrade. There’s a lot to take in: information, colours, shapes, beauty and surprises like the little jungle fowl running between our feet.
The Temperate Biome was equally impressive, beautifully laid out and the whole place seemed highly accessible. I was thinking that the hexagon shaped frame of the Biomes would make a good background for a textile project to reflect the Eden Project. Clearly others had had similar thoughts as a colourful textile hanging has a home in one of the Biomes.

Not just inside but also outside where there were tasty looking fruits and vegetables.
One of my favourite corners was a labyrinth of woven willow set amongst spring flowers. This would be the corner I’d take with me if I could.

Two hours wasn’t long at Eden but it was time to move on as the day would be the longest walk so far, and also the hottest.
Outside the Eden Project the lanes an paths are as lovely as ever, like an extension of Eden itself. The last lane is as beautiful as the first. More than that, there was an exceptional riverside path from St Blazey to Treesmill Farm, probably the loveliest path I’ve walked along so far: tranquil and green.

Mile 63 was memorable. Bob was with me and having moved out of the way for a small tractor to go passed dragging a roller, we then had a cheerful conversation with the driver and exchanged stories of the walk. Much to our surprise he later returned with a donation for the youth work of the Lay Community of St Benedict
There was still a way to go, some of which was along the A390. Just before Lostwithiel, one corner of the main road included the Pelyn Cross. The Saints Way formed part of my route for about half a mile.

Lostwithiel was the ancient capital of Cornwall and the bridge has medieval origins. The last couple of miles out of the town were along more flowered lanes each as beautiful as the next. Today was the longest days walk so far at over 11 miles, part of a total 78 miles of LEJOG so far.

Creator of all, the colours of Spring and the new life emerging are truly wonderful.
Help us to use the knowledge we have to make the balanced decisions the world needs to thrive. May we be responsible gardeners and may the earth be renewed.

JAL 09.04.2012
Day 8 of the End to End from Tregrehan Mills to Fairy Cross Farm via the Eden Project and Lostwithiel

From Psalm 25

Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

These days of walking the small lanes and paths of Cornwall are lovely. There is a pleasing gentle rhythm to the walking and this has been generally very calming. There’s birds song from every tree and bush. Today several black caps entertained me and also a goldfinch.

A practical welcome at St Mewan church 

At one point this calm was interupted by the moving of cattle on their way to be TB tested at a local farm. It’s a stressful time on any farm and I wonder how farming people cope with these kinds of stresses on a regular basis.
The local churches are often dedicated to Cornish saints not commonly known outside the peninsula. One such was St Mewan who’s churchyard was the venue for todays picnic lunch. St Mewan started in Wales, came to Cornwall and went onto Brittany on what was a well trodden route. Once again this was overflowing with Primroses and had a special local memorial for the 100th anniversary of WW1.

Inside the church, this inscription on the Roll of Honour is not one I’d previously seen anywhere else:
‘The men were very good unto us and we were not hurt. They were a wall unto us both by day and night‘.
Just after St Mewan I encountered four Lejoggers on three bicycles (one was a Tandem) who started from Land’s End on Saturday. I mention them just to prove there are other folk out there doing this! They are due to get to John O’Groats on 22nd of April.

Today we also moved on to our second accommodation. Now at Doublebois in a small wooden chalet which us very comfy.
Week 2 starts tomorrow. I am amazed that we have been going for a week now (and I have walked 67 miles).

God grant us a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 08.04.2019
Day 7 of the End to End, Trenowth House and Woods to Tregrehan Mills via St Mewan and St Austell

Some of the End to End I am walking covers the same route as that taken previously by Bob in 2003 and Hannah in 2012. Each one had its own variations too but today from Truro was largely the same for the 3 walks, except for the post lunch section.
I started at Truro Cathedral and a visit to a small chapel inside the West Door to pray for various folks and concerns and to ‘Bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity‘ (St Patrick’s Breastplate).

St Clement’s Hill out of the city was a steep start. Then there was a long section alongside the A390 that I remembered from Hannah’s walk. Whether a lane or main road the wild flowers are numerous and primrose still predominate with the promise of bluebells to come in a short while.

Probus is a neat village with a large Parish Church. Dedicated to St Probus and St Grace, it has the tallest tower in Cornwall. On the main road there was a unique memorial made by local residents to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the End of WW1. It was made of many hand painted stones that recalled the names of the local people remembered.

The Hawkins Arms may be named for some of my ancestors and it certainly serves good soup and cake. After lunch I crossed over Hannah’s route outside the Probus fish and chip shop (closed Sundays). I well remember the day I walked through Probus with her. It was raining and we were wet and cold. We stopped for chips to warm up and we were given a £5 donation for her walk (Hannah was raising money for Oxfam).

The small lane to Grampound Road had not just wild flowers but inquisitive cattle.
I took a short cut by footpath over a few stiles. These were the steep stone Cornish type of styles which can be quite a challenge.

The last section of the walk was on the road through Trenowth woods. Here wood anenome were flowering and some bluebells emerging: altogether a lovely day.

Let all creatures praise God,
Even the young inquisitive cattle!
Let all wildflowers praise God,
Like jewels in every hedge!
Let all birds praise God,

Wading Egrets and soaring Buzzards!
Let everything created praise God,
Reflecting Glory to the Creator.

JAL 07.04.2019
Day 6 of the End to End, Truro to Trenowth.

I wonder if you’ve ever heard if St Kea? Well, on Day 5 of the End to End we had a picnic in the churchyard of the Church of St Kea on the way to Truro. It’s a beautiful place to rest with camelia and primrose all over. And St Kea? More later.

The lanes were beautiful today. Lined with greenery and flowers with Butterflies making an appearance too. I saw two Orange-tip Butterflies, which are my top pick for these beautiful insects.

There was a brief distraction of the farm shop at Cusgarne and a lovely path beside the mill stream to Hicks Mill to get me back on track. After lunch the last couple of miles into Truro delivered me to the west door of the Cathedral.
And St Kea? One of our exported saints. From the age of the saints, St Kea came down from the North, a bit like I’ve done. Many stories about St Kea have him wandering around Devon and Somerset until finally developing his hermit habits in Cornwall. But then later in life, he left Cornwall, possibly as the result of a dispute with a local leader, and ended up in Brittany. At the time of course there were strong links between the two places. But an exported saint none the less. Like so many others; saints without Borders. Go where God calls you. Indeed crossing borders is very much one of the hallmarks of the saints of the time and one we need to reclaim.

No walls, no Borders:
May we, remembering your saints,
Respond to the needs of the world
And its wandering people,
As they did of old,
Making a home with the marginalised and rejected,
Showing hospitality,
Making God’s call our priority.

JAL 06.04.2019

Day 5 of the End to End, arriving in Truro 

During WW2 my father was a child in North London. He was evacuated to Cornwall with his brother for part of the war, his sister and mother joined them later. Today, now aged 88, he is coming back by train.
It’s not the first time he’s been back. In 2012, when his granddaughter Hannah, then aged 18, walked the end to end he came to Land’s End with us. But long before that, as a child myself, I enjoyed our summer holidays to Cornwall together as a family to visit Chrissie and Bill, who had welcomed the Evacuee back in 1940. Chrissie made the best pasties and Bill told the best stories.
They were Methodists, hence today’s side visit to Gwennap Pit. I remember Chrissie taking me there about 40 years ago.
The Evacuee is on his way back to stay with Chrissie’s and Bill’s Son and Daughter in law. We will meet him at St Erth. However a delay caused by high tide at Dawlish means I’ve time to fill you in on Day 4.

I began at Praze-an-Beeble with a visit to the pasty shop. Today’s walk was via lanes and paths sprinkled with flowers. I took a few risks off piste on an old downhill path leading to a spring lined hollow and up again via a very muddy farm yard where I came face to face with a very large bull. Fortunately I had the farmer with me who moved the bull aside for me.

The next section was via a path next to the Nine Maidens Stone circle. I was only able to count 5. The path included some very challenging stiles, one I went under rather than over. It culminated in a stile at the end of the field which was entirely surrounded by water. I bailed out over the wall.

The next stretch included a heavy and cold shower. A chilly stop in the cemetery to see another old cross was only a brief pause before the welcome site of the Golden Lion. Instead of a picnic in the rain we opted for a pub lunch in the warm.
Dried off and sun coming out, the last three miles of the day were straightforward. Bob took me to Gwennap in the car on the way back as a side trip.

Meanwhile we’re still waiting for the Evacuee. As Hannah says ‘They can’t have random grandfathers floating around the national rail network’. It is with this hopeful thought in mind we go to meet him at St Erth 79 years after his first journey, but without his gas mask or luggage label.

As the tide rises and falls,

The signals stop and go,
When you come to the end of the track,
May the lifelong friends you have made,
Welcome you back again.

JAL 05.04.2019
Day 4 of the End to End

It’s a good idea to have a subtitle for your End to End. Bob’s was called End to End via the Margins, as he was reflecting on life on the margins at the time. Yesterday Hannah said that mine would be End to End via the Distractions as I’d be distracted by everything.
She knows me very well. Today was a good day for distractions. We began at Marazion where we planned to walk part of the Causeway as Hannah was going to visit St Michael’s Mount. The Causeway wasn’t open when we arrived so I got distracted by some hot chocolate while we were waiting.

The tide receeded and it was possible to cross the Causeway. Hannah went on with her visit and Bob came with me to find the route to Leedstown.
The next seven miles were full of distractions. Almost every step there was the distraction of wild flowers in the hedgerows. The Primroses were especially profuse and there were Celendines, bluebells, stitchwort, red campion and later wild garlic.

At the Church of St Hilary there were a great many distractions. The churchyard includes several of the simple stone crosses I passed on the first day. 

Inside there is a wide range of art courtesy of several different local artists who have contributed to making it a very unique place. This included two rows of paintings representing the Cornish saints, in the Cancel.

At this point it was clear I needed to get a move on. I finally arrived in Leedstown nearer 2 pm. Thankfully an earlier distraction of free pastries at a shop in Goldsithney helped to keep me going. In addition there was a farm shop just before Leedstown for some dates and vegetables.

Meanwhile with the pub at Leedstown not open, Bob and Hannah went to Hayle to fetch some pasties. At this point one of my twitter followers suggested that the walk was going to be fueled by different local delicacies. I do hope so.
The last distraction was mud. I took a back road and footpath from Leedstown to my destination today which was Praze-an-Beeble. All was going well until we got to the cauliflower fields. You smell them before you see them. The trucks that have been collecting the cauliflowers had churned up the pathways and this was serious mud. It was difficult to decide where the actual path went such were the rutted muddy field edges. Bob appeared in time to dig me out of my dilemma and we squelched back to the road.

So there you have it: End to End via the Distractions, and that was only day 3.

Prayer

Remembering the examples of the Cornish Saints: Sennen, Buryan, Morwenna, Petroc and Hilary,
May we walk carefully, cheerfully and courageously,
Mindful of the company of the Holy Three:
Creator, Companion and Spirit,
To whom be Glory, Glory, Glory now and forever.

JAL 04.04. 2019

Day 3 of the End to End,  Marazion to Praze-an-Beeble 

About a mile and a half into the 2nd day of the walk I joined the South West Coast Path and stayed on it for the rest of the day as it wound its way round Mounts Bay.

From Psalm 107
People who go to sea in ships, who work on the oceans, they see the work of God and the wonders of the deep waters.

It was another day of mixed weather: wind, rain and hail with sunny intervals. On the journey round the bay this weather provided a changing backdrop to the day.

At Mousehole the sight of the Penzance bus as it squeezed down the narrow streets and around the harbour was part of a normal mornings activity.

On the path out of Mousehole the route passed the old Penlee Lifeboat House and next to it the memorial garden that remembers the crew of the Solomon Browne Lifeboat. The entire crew was lost on 19th December 1981. The memorial reads ‘Service not Self’.

The path continued into Newlyn and the weather took a turn for the worse. I was looking for the place my friend Sue lives just as the rain got heavier. Thankfully she opened the front door just in time and I dripped into her hallway. We talked for about an hour. I dried off and the sun came out again.

Psalm 107 again

The storm is calmed and the waves are stilled.

I carried on into Newlyn, enjoying the fish vendors on the way and bought some kippers. I found an excellent fish and chip shop in the centre of the town for a lovely portion of haddock and chips for lunch.

Back on the coast path I walked on along the sea front at Penzance and the beach at Long Rock. Shower clouds came and went. Sometimes the wind was behind me, sometimes in front. Hail stung my cheeks. The sea changed colours from deep and dark ultramarine to clear and bright turquoise as the sun chased the clouds away.

More of Psalm 107

People are glad for the quietness: grateful to be bought to their final destination, a haven of peace.

Looking out into the bay St Michael’s Mount got closer. The mount crowned by the castle, with the harbour buildings nestled at the base and surrounded with its rocky garden. I first visited it over forty years ago. Today we stopped at the car park opposite on the mainland, the same place we used when Hannah did the End to End seven years ago.

For now we end the day saying:

God grant us a quiet night and a peaceful end.

JAL 03.04 2019 Day 2 of the End to End, Castallack to Marazion

Land’s End was quiet this morning as we timed our departure before most of the attractions opened. A photo of a sign post and a quick look at the stories of other End to Enders was enough and we were off. 

Wind, sun, rain, hail and eventually a rainbow: such was the weather in the first two miles.

On the way up to Sennen village, I was joined by Bob and Hannah, two experienced End to Enders. This short section to Sennen has now featured in all three of Team Lees Warwicker End to Ends.
At Sennen village the church of St Sennen claims to have been founded in 520AD, possibly named for an Irish saint. There are a number of early Stone crosses in the churchyard and others on the route across to St Buryan.

These are simple slab crosses, a shaft and a rounded head which is often incised with a cross or a figure. Due to age and exposure to the weather these are often quite difficult to make out. They are found at cross roads and in church yards, but also in fields, at field boundaries and just anywhere along the side of the road. These ancient stones were not the only ones in the landscape. Much older standing stones, burial cairns and stone circles are also scattered across the landscape clearly indicating what an important area for human settlement West Cornwall has been for millenia.

The crosses continued to occur beyond St Buryan, also named for an early Irish saint, and together meant that the whole days was very much a cross marked way.

Prayer

Creator, who made the darkness for rest,
Surround us this night
So that our words, our thoughts, our breath,
May rest in you.

JAL 02.04.2019

Day 1: Land’s End to Castellack

It’s now the day before I am due to start the End to End at Land’s End. This morning we left Devon for Cornwall. As a child we’d take the A30 from Bodmin each summer. Now some of it is even dual carriageway.
We stopped first at St Buryan. This is part of the route tomorrow. The church tower is under repair and the pub won’t be open on Tuesday lunchtime. We had enough time for ice-cream: it’s a holiday ritual with us.
We went onto Porthgwarra, a tiny hamlet near Gwennap Head for a short walk on the coast path. The lanes were full of flowers: violets, alexanders, three-cornered leeks, primrose, bluebell, celandines. This is one of the things I love most about walking in the Spring.

It was a bit cloudy such that rays of sun pierced the cloud layer and played across the grey sea like spotlights. The rocks on the coast were bearded with lichen, covered with a grey green fleece. It was an unexpected part of the South West Coast Path to add to our itinerary.
Later we met Hannah at Penzance from the London train. We are ready, as team Lees Warwicker, to begin our third End to End.

For the jewelled hedgerows
I am thankful.
For the bearded rocks
I am thankful.
For the sun’s spotlight on the sea
I am thankful.
For meeting, greeting and starting again,
I am thankful.

JAL 01.04.2019

On this walk

I’m looking forward
To the long road,
The well trodden path,
The greening hedge,
The stony edge,
The blue sky
The veil of cloud,
The slanting rain,
The stinging hail,
The unplanned trail,
The tiny Violet,
The bluebell carpet,
The peeping primrose,
The clinging bramble,
The unexpected scramble,
The tumbling stream,
The mirror puddle,
The incoming tide,
The singing lark,
The laughing crow,
The nurturing ewe
And the suckling lamb:
I’m looking forward, I truly am.

JAL 31.03.2019