Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report Walking the South West Coast Path in Cornwall -- Hikrchick & Hikrguy, step by step

Just a quick note before I start to write the Trip Report to say that we have returned from Cornwall and walking the South West Coast Path and it was a fantastic 11 days! Tremendous thanks to Annhig for all of her excellent advice; and thanks to all the others who chimed in on my various threads. The weather was, um, *variable* (cold and drizzly the first part of the trip, then sunny and warm the second half) and we were so glad we had fleece jackets and long sleeves. Cornwall was even more stunning than we had imagined and we were overwhelmed at the beauty. We were also so impressed by the friendliness of the Cornish people. Also, the narrowness of the minor roads with the 6-foot-tall hedges. (ugh!)

A little about us: Hikrchick has been here on Fodors for about 10 years; I'm in my early 50s and am an experienced traveler. Hikrguy is in his late 40s and also is an experienced traveler. We try to go on a hiking vacation at least once a year; long or short, we need to get out into Nature and breathe fresh air and walk. In May 2017 I lost my job unexpectedly. We did not expect that I would not be working for a year; but we decided early on that whatever happened, we would not be canceling this trip -- we needed it too much for our own inner balance and peace of mind. We were hoping to enjoy ourselves and still keep an eye on the bottom line. Though England is so expensive, we were sure we could have a great time and not break the bank. Luckily, I started a part-time job at the end of May and that took a bit of the budgetary squeeze off.

Trip details: June 15-27.
We departed EWR Friday June 15, and arrived LHR early Saturday June 16. We took the Heathrow Express (a splurge) to Paddington and got the Great Western Railway train at 9 a.m. from Paddington Station down to Penzance.
Three nights in Penzance. (June 16-19)
Three nights in Boscastle. (June 19-22)
Three nights in Lizard. (June 22-25)
One night back in Penzance. (June 25)
One night in London. (June 26)
Depart LHR Wednesday June 27. We took the Tube there.

Highlights: Seeing "The Pirates of Penzance" at an outdoor theater in Penzance (Penlee Park outdoor theatre) on our second night there. The hike (in the chill and mist) from Boscastle to Tintagel, which we visited as the fog rolled in. The Lost Gardens of Heligan on one of our non-hike days. 12 miles from Penzance to Lamorna Cove and back again. Rounding the curve to see the Lizard Lighthouse as we walked from Mullion Cove. Davidstow vegetarian cheeses! Cider!

More to come.