Lands End

July 12

Today was bitter sweet. I was excited to begin my trip but leaving Cindy was depressing. We travel well together and I enjoy our adventures in new places. I can take solace in knowing I’ll see her in a few weeks when I get to Scotland. Mac rented a large Mitsubishi SUV and we were able to get our bikes and gear into the vehicle with no room to spare. It seemed like it took forever to get out of London traffic and I must give Mac a lot of credit for driving. Driving on the opposite side of the road seems very difficult to me but he’s handling it like a professional. Land’s End is a five hour drive from London. We were sidetracked a little with a stop at Heathrow Airport to claim Mac’s bike and bags that were mishandled. It’s one of the largest airports in the world and misplaced luggage is quite common according to the countless number of people that I spoke to while trying to procure my own items. We’re now driving through Cornwall and the countryside seems to be very green with rolling hills and areas of golden fields There are wind generators spread sporadically in the distance. At times it feels a lot like western Pennsylvania. However, there are some very old stone structures that remind me that I’m somewhere far from home. There has been very little rain here and the fields are more golden than they normally would be at this time of year. I hope this weather stays around for a week or so. 

We arrived in Penzance around 10 PM and immediately looked for a Pub. We were starving and of course thirsty for some English Ale. Penzance is a fishing village and a tourist attraction. By the time we arrived the town was deserted. However, being great detectives we were able to find the only open pub. There we encountered the kindest “blokes” who shortly became our “mates.” In other words we met some guys who  befriended us and gave us a brief history of the area and we all drank a few pints together. It was a fun night.