My monthly walking roundup and journal for July 2023.
So here we are in July already! How time flies.
Last month I wrote how dry it was, not much rain. We later learnt that it was the hottest June recorded for the UK.
Well, July was anything but dry. It rained most days and, although no records were broken, it was pretty cool too, hovering around 20 degrees. Typical really, the kids break up for school and the bad weather sets in.
The good news – my water butts and overflowing!
It’s been a busy month with one thing and another. Aside from work, there’s been some family gatherings and a wedding to celebrate. I have managed to get out of the house most days for a lunchtime stroll, as well as a few longer walks.
Country and Coast – July
The wild meadows have turned brown with just a few flowers still showing. I guess the meadow will be cut back soon in preparation for next year’s new growth. I learnt that farmers are subsidised to plant wildflowers and other plants like herbs, all in the interest of promoting and improving wildlife. I’m OK with that. I commented a while back that quite a bit of land has been given up for our wildflower patch in St Germans. It’s productive land that could easily have been planted with potatoes, as with all the land around it this year.
There are lots of butterflies and moths about this year. I noticed them more towards the end of June, but on the coast paths in particular there appeared to be at least one butterfly in every step. I’m sure I am seeing more bees as well.
Towards the end of July, the evenings become noticeably shorter, especially on cloudy days. The sun sets at around 9.15pm, about half an hour earlier than mid-June. The day is shorter by just over 1 hour already.
Although many blooms have gone to seed, the rain has certainly promoted growth and verdant foliage.
Walks
At the start of July, the Rame Peninsula Cornish Beer and Buses event went ahead as planned and, once again, I took to the lanes and coast paths to Kingsand and Cawsand. I had to catch 2 buses to get home. The first to Antony and the next to St Germans. The vintage buses are privately owned and maintained, and the drivers are all volunteers. They rely on denotations to pay for the fuel. They are absolute stars. I was pleased to see a mixed-age group. Some were dressed like me, out for walks and bus rides. Others made the effort and were quite smartly dressed for an afternoon and evening of excursions around Rame Peninsula. It really was a great day out.
About 3 weeks into July, I did a walk from St Germans to Looe. I met my wife and, amazingly, got a parking space in the town car park. This is rare indeed at the start of the school holidays. We ordered fish and chips and set off to find a bench overlooking the beach. Sam the seagull had the same idea.
I took a day off work on the last Friday in July. I caught an early train to Lostwithiel to start a walk along the River Fowey to Golant, Fowey, Readymoney Cove, Coombe Farm, Gribbin Head and Polkerris. Finally, onto Par to catch my train home. It’s a 15-mile hike that takes in riverside, woodland, coasts and beaches. I’ll write it up soon.
I’ve had plenty to contribute to my walking journal for July.
Until next time.
