Our journey to Coverack was horrible. For the second year running we vowed we would never do it again, as we finally reached our destination.
Despite having left at 8:30 am from Southampton and aided by road maps and sat nav, by the time we reached the long road from Helston to Coverack we had been in the car for over six hours.
Check in was at 5 pm and it was around 3 o'clock so we had time to explore a little and decided to wander down the steep hill to see what was in Coverack village. The narrow road wound round a couple of bends with pretty houses on either side, while ahead of us stretched a spectacular coastline. In view came the pretty little harbour of Coverack packed full of colourful fishing boats and families with kids jumping into the sea in wetsuits. Dogs ran about happily beside their owners and a cafe overlooking the scene was selling local Roskilly ice-cream to a steady stream of customers.
We walked on smiling towards the Paris pub and carried on around the other side of it and up the coastal path. A little further up we finally sat down on some rocks and surveyed the view, in front of us lay the sea. We listened to the waves in silence and the rugged coastline made me wonder how many ships might have come asunder near where we were sitting.
Now, a little more relaxed we headed back to our lodgings to check in at the YHA Coverack. As soon as we entered I couldn't help but notice the grand wooden staircase that dominated the entrance lobby. A notice at the foot of the stairs soon made the staircase even more interesting, it read:
This staircase and balcony belonged to the US liner Mohegan. Wrecked on the Manacle Rocks Oct 14 1898
As we climbed the stairs we could read copies of notices for auctioned goods of other wrecked ships hung on the wall. A sale from a ship wreck in 1812 included 179 firkins of butter, 2 cases of English China and 11 iron tea kettles.
We reached the first floor and opened the door to our room and immediately were drawn to the large sash window with the most spectacular view across the sea. This was my first YHA view and it was incredible.
Later that evening we went exploring and walked over to the headland that we could see from our bedroom by Chynall's Point. Now protected by the National Trust the hillside was occupied by a small herd of Shetland ponies. On our way back we found the most incredible sculpture park, so incredible in fact, I'm dedicating my next blog post to photos of the sculptures.
The next day we met up with relatives and had a fabulous time that I think was made even sweeter thanks to sharing a delicious Cornish afternoon tea at Harbour Lights. The lady who owned the cafe told me she had opened it three years ago and that all the cakes were homemade. Commanding a fabulous view across Coverack Cove we settled down to a delicious cream tea for two.
With thanks to YHA Coverack for giving us a room for the night.
YHA Coverack, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6SA
