Day 5 Bedruthan steps circular walk - 4.5 miles ( 2 hour
A view of the stone stacks which make up Bedruthan Steps. Photo: National Trust/David Sellman
Today was organised by Amy (green coat) who is the Challenge organiser for Cornwall Hospice Care as part of a regular get together for prospective trekkers. There were 14 (of 17) heading out to Peru next month and just 5 of us (2 no shows) of 11 signed up for the Himalayas in November. The good news is they are prepared to run the trip with just 11 of us. Amy will accompany us, as well as the Peruvians - nice job! Well you might be able to tell from the photos at the top that the weather was well....variable. The group photo saw a glimmer of sunlight and then the heavens opened half way around. Some of the cannier souls were wearing their waterproof trousers. Others had them with them but thought they'd press on without getting them out. And then there was me who hadn't even realised rain was forecast and hadn't packed any. I got well and truly soaked. Apparently it was sunny in Falmouth..Note to self - check before leaving. I've now discovered that however good your boots are, rain will track down trousers and get in there somehow. The scenery on the north coast is dramatic in any weather and this section of the coast is perhaps the most dramatic of all. Time passed very quickly in the company of others as we all exchanged stories. I was, however, mortified to hear from Amy that she's had a few calls from businesses who have received one of my letters requesting raffle / auction prizes and been required to pay additional postage because I hadn't put enough stamps on the envelopes. Doh!! Might harm my chances of getting anything in methinks. Too late now though as I've sent loads of them out. Oh well. That story was eclipsed by one of our young Himalayans hearing from Amy that she used to work for a Cruise liner but left because they didn't treat the staff very well. Our young yeti then broke it to her that that was the one he had been hoping to work for when he left college!!! Poor things...but it did raise a laugh.
Thanks to Tracey for looking after Oscar today.
Finally if you've yet to donate to the justgiving site and are enjoying my trials and tribulations please visit (link at bottom of page) and get me over the £3000 mark!!
Today was organised by Amy (green coat) who is the Challenge organiser for Cornwall Hospice Care as part of a regular get together for prospective trekkers. There were 14 (of 17) heading out to Peru next month and just 5 of us (2 no shows) of 11 signed up for the Himalayas in November. The good news is they are prepared to run the trip with just 11 of us. Amy will accompany us, as well as the Peruvians - nice job! Well you might be able to tell from the photos at the top that the weather was well....variable. The group photo saw a glimmer of sunlight and then the heavens opened half way around. Some of the cannier souls were wearing their waterproof trousers. Others had them with them but thought they'd press on without getting them out. And then there was me who hadn't even realised rain was forecast and hadn't packed any. I got well and truly soaked. Apparently it was sunny in Falmouth..Note to self - check before leaving. I've now discovered that however good your boots are, rain will track down trousers and get in there somehow. The scenery on the north coast is dramatic in any weather and this section of the coast is perhaps the most dramatic of all. Time passed very quickly in the company of others as we all exchanged stories. I was, however, mortified to hear from Amy that she's had a few calls from businesses who have received one of my letters requesting raffle / auction prizes and been required to pay additional postage because I hadn't put enough stamps on the envelopes. Doh!! Might harm my chances of getting anything in methinks. Too late now though as I've sent loads of them out. Oh well. That story was eclipsed by one of our young Himalayans hearing from Amy that she used to work for a Cruise liner but left because they didn't treat the staff very well. Our young yeti then broke it to her that that was the one he had been hoping to work for when he left college!!! Poor things...but it did raise a laugh.
Thanks to Tracey for looking after Oscar today.
Finally if you've yet to donate to the justgiving site and are enjoying my trials and tribulations please visit (link at bottom of page) and get me over the £3000 mark!!
Interesting fact?:
Some believe that the origin of the name stems from the legend of a giant named Bedruthan who used the stacks as stepping stones across the beach. Legends of giants abound in Cornwall. “It is the tradition of the country that a much larger race of men stalked over this ground”, writes J. T. Blight in 1861: the vibrations of their laughter shook the cliffs, their footprints marked the solid rocks, they hurled large stones, tossed them in games of quoits, arranged them in peculiar ways, or in the case of the Bedruthan Steps used them as stepping stones.
Ranking first on The Times best of British dramatic beaches list in 2009, the Bedruthan Steps is to be enjoyed with caution. The steps leading to the beach are steep and the staircase is closed in the winter months; swimming is prohibited due to strong currents and the beach all but disappears at high tide, so visitors should watch out for tide times before they venture down.
A memorial plaque at the top of the steps is dedicated to Alex Laurie who had drowned on these shores, a warning to visitors which does not seem to be heeded. Swimming aside, there are many rock pools with crystal clear water and of reasonable depth, plenty of caves and crevices to be explored. The views of the Atlantic are simply overwhelming.
Legends of Giants
Giants are traditionally creators of landscape features, especially associated with large isolated boulders or stones. In Cornwall, which Blight calls the “fabled land of giants”, there are many legends of giants, such as Bolster, John of Gaunt, Jack the Giant Killer, Wrath and Dan Dynas. They hurled rocks to each other in battle or threw boulders in games of quoits or in strength competitions; they were also known to take giant strides.
The Bedruthan giant of Cornwall is reportedly a late-19th-century invention of the locals for the benefit of the Victorian tourist. The Giant used the huge outcrops as stepping stones to cross the bay between Park Head and Berryl’s Point in the south. He was possibly inspired by the Bolster giant, who took a six-mile stride from St. Agnes Beacon to Carn Brea. The impressive volcanic rock stacks have been given names, like Samaritan and Queen Bess.
Bedruthan Steps Ordnance survey reference
200:SW849692
Sources
John Thomas Blight, A Week at Land’s End, London 1861.
Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson (eds.), The Lore of the Land. A Guide to England’s Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys, Penguin Books 2005.
Read more at Suite101: Legends of Giants in Cornwall, England: Bedruthan Steps Beach on Cornwall's Atlantic Coast | Suite101.com http://lito-apostolakou.suite101.com/legends-of-giants-a144664#ixzz1s33ROmXY
Thought for the day:
Pursue lifelong growth....how?
- At the start of each day, ask yourself 'How can I apply today what I learned about myself yesterday?'
- Decide to do something every day that stretches yourself
- Commit to comparing yourself only to former versions of you, not others.
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