I think this is my last walk for a while because I have got a heel problem 😦 I am over half way though 🙂
I will use my recuperation time to compose and work towards an exhibition…
It was such an interesting walk on a sunny day.
Highlights were Lugger’s man made cave (below) marked ‘Grotto’ on the OS map (below below) which reminded me of Prussia Cove, and the impressive Tregantle fort and ‘danger area’ firing range.
From one range to another I walked.
Looking back towards Looe I caught the golf strike moment 🙂  Below, Whitsand bay stretches out to Rame Head in the distance before Plymouth Sound.
The water was still, clear and inviting.  
The fields were full of colour and life like this Marbled white butterfly (Melanargia galathea) above and I try and follow the random flutter by movements with my pencil (below)Â Â 
All this beauty Juxtaposed against Tregantle fort and its brutal raison d etre. Little observation huts are dotted around.  
I relished walking into the ‘danger area’ but the red flags were down on the numerous poles.  
Built to deter French attack in the mid 19th century, the imposing battery is still used for Royal Navy training but some of the buildings are now also used for accommodation and the army use the surrounding area as a firing range.  
Willowherb (purple) and meadowsweet (cream white) combine stunningly against the blue sea.  
The very popular coves and Whitsand bay are looked on by the RNLI.  
And just below the RNLI hut was where the Navy man by the name of ‘Lugger’ dug his cave with a view and apparently recovered from an illness of gout. 
The nearby village of Freathy has holiday homes galore just on the edge of spectacular creekside hills and valleys. Perfect for scouting deer that I stumbled upon leaping and playing now in the distance, also enjoying the weather.  
Sunrise over Saltash and the Tamar estuary.
This sheep poo was the first mark on the artboard.
Strange woodland forms now occupy the area.
As well as the underrated stinking Iris-Â Iris foetidissima – good for deep shade spots.
A secret path leads down to the secluded naturist beach and shag rock… Hmm…
Fresh green sprigs of Rock Samphire Crithmum maritimum makes a tasty marine garnish to avocado crackers with a touch of sea salt! 
And we head off with Whitsand Bay in the distance. (note the Sea Kale*)
3 weeks ago Sea thrift dominated the ground coverage (below)
And the coastal path is dotted with wanderers.
In funnily named Portwrinkle we meet a genuine Wild Forager who teaches us how to cook Sea Kale!*
But the doves and pigeons have the best house of all up on the golf course outside Crafthole, complete with state of the art oculus skylight (below)
And the delightful little village of Crafthole has local volunteers selling everything you need for community life. 
Drawing 2 (completed yesterday)
I tried to capture some of the colours through the found objects
And through my violin.
Devils Coach Beetle – Ocypus olens – Chris Bass?
I had to pinch myself. Its so intensely beautiful. Beyond description.
The trigpoint has a crayon ‘Where’s Wally’ monument behind it (AKA the St Martins Daymark, built in 1683 and the earliest surviving navigational beacon in UK)Â 
Verges near the 3 little hamlets have bulbous escapees from the famous bulb industry like this red Amarylis belladonna lily.
There is one road.
And only 8 or 9 original islanders left, according to Mr Ashford (below)
No shortage of Echiums
And pretty cottages bursting with botanical beauties.
There are 2 ferry’s a day back to St Mary’s.
And I joined Lawrence once more, a St Ives potter and gig rower who helped rescue my map case which blew into the sea and shared his delicious salted foccacia bread with me 🙂 
The Monkey Sanctuary, just outside Looe, is an excellent place to visit. They have great staff like Etta (below) who kindly introduced me to the Monkey Sanctuary community and contributed to my artwork*,
They have passionate and educated leaders like Sarah (below), who are prioritising the welfare of the monkeys and campaigning of monkey issues today whilst trying to balance the very real need to obtain sustainable funding streams from being a small specialist visitor attraction and a charity that receives no government funding.
The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly, giving an intimate insight into the life and work of the sanctuary. Please visit them if you are in the area! 
Back walking again other creatures great and small were everywhere. This speckled wood butterfly below (Pararge aegeria) I saw just before an adder snake slid in front of me on the coastal path yikes (I wasn’t quick enough to capture the beauty of its patterning and movement and was of course slightly scared!)
Next thing I was nearly trampled by wild ponies who were startled by an aero glider blissfully unaware of the frightened creatures on the coastal path below (this moment my gopro just caught)
Two other ponies back tracked and ran down a lower path.
Wildflowers were also everwhere: Pink Purslane below (Claytonia sibirica) in dappled shade
Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) bursting from the banks and verges,
And our common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), not to be confused with the Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) which is larger and more vigorous, identified by taller upright spikes of flowers and lighter blue colouring as well as larger leaves. The common bluebell has a darker blue colouring, is scented and the flower spikes gently bend over at the tips.
And Honesty (Lunaria annua) is spotted this time of year by its rich purple colour and upright habit, localised on banks and steep verges, and it reminds me to try to be honest and truthful. You may know it by its beautiful oval seed disks with paper thin transluscent skin that are like little purses holding the seeds…Â 
Down a steep wooded valley and I am at Seaton where the river Seaton meets the south coast and speculative builders cash in on the Cornish riviera.
No idea what it means (and neither does google) but An Palmek (below) wins font of the week and a rubbing of this formed a central line on my artwork*
A plant which shows its greatness here – tumbling Rosemary (Rosmarinus prostratus) just loves cascading down a steep bank or wall, neatly covering any surface area beautifully whilst still providing Rosemary sprigs for cooking!
And this man was very chuffed with his Canary Island Date Palm (Pheonix canariensis) which regularly grows to house size proportions down on these sheltered coasts.
I soon had to climb back out of the coved valley, meeting more retired folk with time and projects on their hands…
Finishing at trigpoint number 50 (below) at a place which some maps call no mans land. The Skylarks were singing as I arrived and will no doubt accompany me next time I walk.
*Thanks to Harriet and Etta for their beautiful contributions ringed in red below. You girls made my day! PS the top one is Etta’s floral sage pattern, the bottom two are ‘not- looking-at-the-page-while-you-draw’ portraits of me and Etta by Harriet! x
I’m pleased to draw these modern communication beacons as they form striking outline shapes on the landscape. 
This time of the year and after a cold winter, nature is bursting forth wherever you look. Braken and fern fronds are unfurling everywhere with exquisite gracefulness. 
Away from the towns Cornwall is essentially rural and very easy on the eye…Â 
These cows were very joyful to see me, jostling for my attention, and sniffed and snorted in unison whilst I happily drew the beasts up close. 
Cornwall’s numerous valleys enclose magical streams overflowing with life. 
At St Wenna’s Church I met workers Dan (below left) and James (below right), Looe locals and RIVAL GIG ROWERS (!) from Looe Pilot Gig Club. We spoke and laughed about the good life in Cornwall. 
James spoke of stories and myths of goods being smuggled up the river from Looe out of sight of the authorities to Morval House (below). 
The well worn and remembered valley floor leading from Morval House out to the East Looe river now has a beautiful duck pond and steeply forested hillsides where in the past the best apple trees for cider were harvested and seaweed was loaded onto boats to be taken to surrounding farms for fertiliser. 
Today the land continues to be managed for small scale forestry and pheasant shooting, the cackle of the birds retorting every so often, as loud as they are stupid, a simple curious creature bred to be easy to shoot. 
Below: Where Morval (in Cornish lit. ‘Sea-valley’) meets the East Looe river, the B3252 road and the Looe Valley railway line (a very picturesque journey up to Liskeard and Bodmin Parkway)Â 
ORD 49a. Im pleased with the little rubbing of a sign with an endearing little game shooter graphic – top right above ‘ESTATE’Â 
Carrying on a little way downstream the East Looe river meets the West Looe river which winds its way back to Trelawney’s house (see 
One for Jonah Horne and graphic design fontaphiles – the Old BT ‘manual plugging wires into holes to connect you to the world’ place, with a lovely exposed aggregate classic 70’s pebble dash. Beautiful. 
Looe is where you really have to guard your pasty and pretty much anything you are holding for seagull attack. There’s plenty of unsuspecting tourists about…Â 
And fishermen and charterboat businesses daily clean their boat decks of guano.  
Around the cliff sides along the endlessly sublime coastal path black eyed Kittiwakes ( a much milder and civilised seabird than the blessed Herring gull) are smiling paired masters of cliff acrobatics who seem to be exhilarated with their daredevil aeronautics.
And boxes are also perched. Glass and brushed aluminium ones. 
White washed modernist ones.
And around into the next, somewhat gloomier looking valley of Millendreath, plastic grass and union jack flag villa boxes. Some greyer and more 70’s 80’s, even 90’s than others. All positioned for the view.  
And why not?  
Meanwhile another valley along from Looe, rural idyls and a well used muck spreader. 
And the Monkey Sanctuary. 
ORD 49b. Fish and chips fork. Piece of trigpoint broken off 
As I get going I hopelessly try to catch the Lark ascending with my pen, its melodious drone cutting through the still morning mist.
A beetle is lost on the tarmac desert road.  
Other rural creatures include the rare Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella, unphased by my awkward fumbling to capture him.  
In Menheniot after the sun has burnt the mist away Mrs Clue used to drive the children in her Coach to school and teach them. Mr Clue witnessed a WWII air battle over the village and American troop camps, stories and strong memories he captures in his naive upcycled art, their house filled with reconstructed memorabilia, which is both charming and rich in narrative.  
St Lalluwy in Menheniot village has a rare example of a Cornish church steeple and an elaborately sculptured cross near the entrance marks a Trelawney grave with the family motto ‘Sermoni consona facta’ carved into the base which means ‘Deeds agreeing with words’.
Between these old Cornish villages lie valleys, watermills and small farmsteads, fragments of an older way of life that existed long before the railway that twists slowly towards Plymouth.  
The friendly GWR worker likes keeping Menheniot and the other unmanned stations tidy and enjoys free train travel for his family.  
The Granite hole that once built the bridges and buildings of the area now has been rebranded to provide adventure tourism opportunities. Being well connected to the A38, land use diversification morphs to satisfy the zeitgeist of modern pleasure seeking and car travel.  
And just the other side of the A38 off the beaten GPS track an abandoned Landy and strange woodland creatures swell in the sudden warm spring. 
I have to avoid whizzing golf balls but the view from Trigpoint 48 atop Looe golf course is worth it.  
The found objects of this walk all had transport connections (cats eye, spark plug, mud flap etc…). Apt then, that upon leaving this drawing/rubbing upon the roof of my car and driving off, the board was crushed and poetically crumpled under a truck wheel. Fortunately I found it 24 hours later just about intact.  
