Day One – Carn Galver, Nine Maidens, Men an Tol, Ding Dong Mine
Alright, so weather forecasters aren’t the most reliable bunch, are they? They promised sunshine by the time we reached our destination, and guess what? No cigars there. But a bit of rain never hurt anyone, so we donned our waterproofs and set off. Our journey began at the National Trust car park at Carn Galver. We crossed the road and started our ascent onto the moor. Truth be told, I was a bit peeved with the weather. I mean, I was banking on some postcard-perfect snaps for the book, but you can’t control Mother Nature, can you?
But then, as if to make up for the rain, something magical happened atop the carn. I spotted not one, not two, but seven – count them, SEVEN – red kites. Absolutely gobsmacked, I was. Steve was hollering at me to catch up, but I was too enthralled by the sight. Tried to capture them on camera, but they were soaring high and fast. Missed the shot, but the memory’s etched in my mind.
This was the first time on this particular trail, but it didn’t take long for me to be smitten. Open access moorland, craggy rocks, heather, and vast open skies – just my cup of tea. Steve, on the other hand, wasn’t as taken. He’s more of a seas, rivers, and woods chap (Check out Day Two for his version of fun).
Added to this, the weather was being a right pain and I wasn’t quite sure where I was leading us. Poor Steve isn’t much for aimless wandering, getting lost and all that. especially in drizzle.
Crafting a new route isn’t a walk in the park. There’s a lot of back-and-forth while I sort it out. Some routes are straightforward, but open moorland? A whole other ballgame. The footpaths are sketchy, signposts are rarer than hen’s teeth, and you have to rely on sightlines for most of the directions. The only tougher trail is a woodland one with no clear footpath and zero sightlines. Talk about a maze! That’s why you’ll find few woodland walks in my collection, and the ones that made the cut have crystal clear routes.
Enough rambling from me. (You see what I did there, right? :D) Like I said, this was a cracking walk, with the Nine Maidens stone circle, Men an Tol, Lanyon Quoit, Ding Dong Mine, and Carn Galver all lined up for our viewing pleasure. What a delightful assortment to behold in a reasonably short walk.
Quick stats:
- Six-mile trek. A fair bit of ups and downs. Rough footpaths. Not-so-helpful signposting. Clear visibility is a must for this one. A map and an app wouldn’t go amiss either.
- No facilities on route.
- Eat at: Gurnard’s Head
Does it earn a spot in the book? Without a shadow of a doubt! Might elongate it a bit. Will re-walk and decide next time.
