LIVING AND LEARNING..

They say you`re never too old to learn new things and that`s certainly true for me.   We had a wonderful week in Cornwall; despite the unpromising weather forecasts, we enjoyed fine sunny weather every day and so our bite sized chunks of the south west coast path were a delight.   As we had promised ourselves, we revisited some old favourites and found some new discoveries, one of which was the sight of the extraordinary structures on Gwennap Head, where I took the photo above.

Now, Gwennap Head is the most southerly spot on the south coast of West Penwith and there`s a Coastal Watch Station perched high up keeping a lookout across the Atlantic.   About a mile off shore, there`s a notorious hidden danger to shipping - the Runnel Stone.  This is a hazardous pinnacle of rock which was visible until it was struck by a steamship in 1923, since when it has been fully submerged.   The two daymarks shown in my picture provide a navigation aid for mariners, who will be safe from the Runnel Stone all the while both marks are visible from sea.   However, if the landward mark becomes obscured by the red seaward mark, then the the Runnel Stone is directly beneath and it may be too late to save the vessel.   As I say, you live and learn.

The only sad note from last week was that, having walked to Land`s End and back to Sennen Cove, we witnessed the launch of the Sennen lifeboat and a circling of search and rescue helicopters looking for the missing lone yachtswoman who had left Mousehole on Saturday evening, bound for Bideford in Devon.   Close by, some flotsam had been washed up on Gwenver beach which was identified as coming from the missing yacht.   For all its stunning beauty, the coastline of Cornwall can be a hazardous place.