dia 27

Day 27
“This days I mainly talk to plants and dogs”

Traveling alone can be serious. Anything that happens is about to you to clear it up. If you break a leg it’s your leg anyway. So I made some self portraits to remember me when I was traveling.


At that point I was at ChiCarne, the B&B from Joyce. This morning I brought my stuff to the YMCA where I am going to stay tonight. It was a cheaper option anyway.
My first trip of the day was going to the Marry Maidens, a stone circle not far from Lamorne. I had seen two menhirs around it and I though they could be in line. I had to see it. I buy a day ticket, so I could explore more the coast after that.
There is always some emotion when I enter a stone circle. They are very beautiful and mysterious. Merry Maidens has 19 stones in circle and two other forming a kind of entrance.

merry maidens stone circle

They stand about 19 steps (of mine) from the central circle. Most of the stone circles have other circle outside, or part of it. That was the case. I’ve been looking for other stones, but I couldn’t find any more. I heard that two of the blocks were damaged and put back again, but the whole aspect of it was pretty good (ok, they are around 4000 years old).
So I decided to walk to the two other single menhirs near by. It was impossible to say from the site if they were aligned or not. Apparently they could, but the road and several fences made impossible to observe.

In the way I could find this solitary stone apparently showing the path to the stone circle. it had both sides carved in crosses, much in the celtic way, to which tradiction I suppose it belongs.
The two menhirs stand quite close to each other although there’s a fence between them. They are known as "The Pipers".
There are a strange folk tale about them. The Maidens were on the way to the sunday mass, when they found the pipers which started to play. The maidens started to dance then, and so a flash came out of the skies and turn all of them to stones. It is a very christian-like tale as you can guess, and surely was introduced in christian times.
Other folk tale would say that two chiefs fought there and both were killed in the battle field, so were buried and the stones placed upon them. There were no traces of it when one of the Menhir was parcially excavated.

the first piper

the other piper, just across the fence

Both of the menhirs are bent and are around 3,5 to 4,0 meters high. One of them had some stones around and in a particular one you could align both menhirs. But that was a very casual and small line, conscious indeed, but not big deal, if we think that the biggest is said to cross the whole island. I still was wondering if the menhirs were in line with the Merry Maidens when I realize there were another menhir in a neighbor field, and that simply dismantled my theory, because although it was pointing to the stone circle,it was obvious that had no connection with the other two menhirs.

the third menhir

And quite close to it, there were a tomb really close to the road. The whole area was spotted with burial graves, menhirs and stone circles, and although they seen to be very close and related to each other, none of them would be clearly in line.

tombstones

After that I decided take the bus and strolled down the coast, and had the chance to see lots of those tin mines structures, and stone structures too. Some of them were impossible to date, because some modern farmers use the same kind of granite to mark their fields, and build walls. Granite is the main stone from the whole west Cornwall.


I was still in doubt where to go, but decided to drop in Zennor, a small village close to the ocean. Most of these fishermen villages has stories about giants and other supernatural characters. Zennor has legends about giants that live in the mountains, mermaids that live in the rocky coast and witches that lived in town, and a particular one was married with one of its inhabitants. Matter of fact the mermaid were imortalized in one of the church benches, as it was said it had a terrific voice. Despite the ironies of the folklore the bench is there for all to see. But I wasn’t after the mermaid, and I took the road to the mountains to see the famous Zennor Quoit, an ancient tomb specially well preserved, as it was said. The road was quite clear in the beginning but after a while I got with no direction. After choosing two of the three paths, with no results, I went back to the right one. I had no much time, because the bus takes two hours to pass, so I should make it in this two hours, or wait another two. Actually I wasn’t much worried about that, but I had it in mind. Worse of the cases there would be plenty of time for a good food in town.

uphill

There were a sign leading to Zennor Quoit and mountain, but the path wasn’t very clear, as it would open in several little paths, thanks to the cows that apparently been around there. So I had to choose one – or several- paths and go through it.


Needless to say, I got totally misled and had no option but go ahead. As the mountain were getting hilly, the path were muddy more and more, so I had to avoid the wet areas. The vegetation were getting more and more dense, and at some points I couldn’t see where I was stepping. Besides of it some of the plants had thorns, so I had to be very careful. It was too late to go back, I had to take that path uphill and most of the times make the proper path or take advantage of the stones.


Traveling alone can be serious. Anything that happens is about to you to clear it up. If you break a leg it’s your leg anyway.

That was my feeling getting to the top of the hill, amongst the thorns, climbing the stones with extreme care. Nothing could happen to me. When I finally get to the top, the most beautiful view were offered to me: I could see both sides of the mountain, the city down there, and the sea.

panoramic view at Zennor

The stones were some of the most amazing stone formations I ever seem, and could only compare to Sete Cidades, or something similar. Lots of them were on the top of each other in a very perfect way. At thins point it got impossible to say if and what were made by the man’s hand and what were not. The area looked pretty much as a rocky play ground, with each of those stones defying gravity.

Zennor mount top

Some of the cuttings were very sharp and straight, and some were like melted or soft. Some were like menhirs placed caressly amongst others. Zennor Quoit, was far beyond that point, and I could not reach it, simply because I could not recognize it. I will look for some photos of it.
At this time I wasn’t wondering where the ley lines would led, but where the ley lines had lead me.

going downhill

Going downhill were pretty easy, because from the top I could see the paths and could choose the most beaten tracks. It was a great moment to be in that place. After that I still had time to catch the bus and lead to St. Ives, which is a very fancy seaside little town.

St. Ives

I would dare to say it is even more beautiful than Penzance. St. Ives has a vibrant downtown, good food, art, books, culture, and an amazing little beach. That’s more you can ask, but I heard there’s a Tate gallery there, but I haven’t been to it.

seagull in St. Ives

Back to Penzance I still tried to find the original fortress where the ancient pre historical bronze age men lived, but could not find it. Enough for a day, it is time to rest, tomorrow I am going to Bath, where I booked for some days.