March 16 - Virtual Travelling

I have begun another walk. This time I am walking in England. With everything that the coronavirus has taken away from us, I am glad that I have found the joy of virtual walks. In these COVID times when travel in real time is not recommended, I am enjoying my virtual travel experiences.

Since I last wrote about my walk in New Zealand, I have completed the ninety mile distance of Hadrian’s Wall. This wall, stretching across the English/Scottish border, was actually a fortress constructed by the Romans. It was begun in 122 AD and with labour provided by Roman soldiers, was completed in just four years. Only a few sections of the wall are visible today but there are numerous sign posts and museums along the way that give the hiker a glimpse into the rich history of the area. The website that I used to track my walking progress also sent me several descriptive postcards and I was able to follow my location on the route with global maps. I would love to do this walk in real time.

With the ease of the virtual traveller, I have now moved to the south of England, actually to the far southwest corner of Cornwall. Several years ago, Lyle and I were fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in this area. I remember that we caught the train from London to Penzance. I was excited to be going to the town with the same name as Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta, The Pirates of Penzance. Of course, these days the town is simply a peaceful seaside resort on the Cornish coast.

Last month, I started my virtual walk about ten miles west of Penzance at Land’s End. The location is very aptly named. The road goes no further. It is indeed the end of the land. From our time there in 2014, I have a vague memory of a rambling hotel, a restaurant and a few gift shops.  However, Lyle and I both have a very distinct memory of the landscape itself.

Land’s End is remote and rugged. We were there in shoulder season so it felt isolated as well. Rocky cliffs lined the shoreline and the ocean was wild. With my cane, I found it hard going on the uneven pathways but the view was spectacular. The wind whipped about us and the waves surged against the rocks. Out in the channel it was easy to imagine how so many ships had come to grief. Apparently, there are multiple shipwrecks below the surface.

On my virtual walk I missed all this as I merely started at the beginning of the road. I am glad that I am doing this walk virtually because my memory says that this section of the road was fairly narrow and walking on the edges could be hazardous. If you want to check out the website I am using, it is:

www.theconqueror.events