A couple of years ago I read the late Helen Dunmore’s fictional account of the time D.H.Lawrence and his wife Frieda spent in Cornwall during the First World War. “Zennor in Darkness“. Thus I was intrigued to visit this village : to walk to Zennor Head and back and take in the cottages at Lower Tregerthen both a mile or so out of the village in different directions. The bus service in winter runs roughly every three hours but I found arriving at 12.08 and leaving at 14.52 gave me sufficient time to do both walks there and back; to visit the pub The Tinners Arms for fresh crab sandwiches and local apple cider and to call in at the church to see the famous mermaid carving which I had also read about.

Bus Services didn’t allow time to complete any of these … next time!

I remembered from my walk from Boscastle to Tintagel along the Southwest Coast Path in 2015 just how tough this path is and how it took almost all day (certainly 5 hours) to complete the five and a half mile distance. This made me decide that the walk to Zennor Head would be enough combined with the field walk to Lower Tregerthen.

 

Of course, this weekend was a very special one – the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Marcle – and in order to raise money for the church bells fund the ladies of Zennor had dug deep into their attics and wardrobes and retrieved not only their wedding photos but also the dresses themselves. I was sorry not to be able to devote more time to seeing this fascinating and personal display.

 

 

But my main reason for calling into this particular church was to see the Mermaid pew end and read the story behind it. Read The Ballad of the Mermaid of Zennor here.

 

The rocky Southwest Coast path and Cornish stile heading towards/from Zennor Head

 

Misty view from Zennor Head

One of the many Cornish stone stiles along the path to Lower Tregerthen

 

Left : Zennor Hill site of several tumuli and ancient stones including Zennor Quoit and Right : Upper Tregerthen

Returning to Zennor without discovering which cottage was Lawrence’s

 

Refreshments at The Tinners Arms before catching the bus back to Penzance