We've come to Penzance to finish up a gap from Zennor Head to Sennon Cove. Today we walk the part that has no bus service on Sunday--Zennor to Pendeen Watch. We know big rain is coming and we know it's rated "strenuous" in the books, so we expect some difficulties. Hover over photo to see caption.

Wet. Cold. Slow.

The cows leave us alone. At first.

Then one gets a bit aggressive and I hop the wall.

Then I can't find a way over that doesn't involve a huge pile of wet cow crap.

Eventually, I just yell at them--something like EEYAA! EEYAA! which I think is what cowhands yell. I am so not in the mood.

Finally, we see the promise land: its the lighthouse just over there on the far right! We are going to make it; we're not going to die in the dark on the coast path among the cows after all.

But then we discover there's a huge walk down and back up. Fooking coastal path always does this, especially in the rain, when you're mentally and physically already checked out.

The path goes down forever. Now we're a bit worried that it's getting dark, and that we've missed the last bus.

And then we go back up. But when the trail starts heading back down and around, we decide we're finished. Enough. It's raining too hard to get photos but picture this: crossing a huge cow pasture skirting between cows and animal-sized cow patties; climbing a fence into a second field; then a third and fourth. The last one has a bull and I'm terrified. Finally we find a road with not a sign of life anywhere. Eventually we flag down a car and get a looong lift to the bus stop, where we've missed the bus by 5 minutes. Luckily a kind man takes pity and offers us a ride to Penzance. We arrive at our AirBnB sopping wet from head to toe, and undress in the shed. The coast path has beaten us.

Sunday morning it's a brand new day. We take a suitcase of clothes to the laundromat.

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