It’s been a while since I did a post about the lanes around me, having nowhere else to go during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 meant that once we were free to go wherever we wanted to I lost the incentive to explore locally, but the lanes are still there and there is always something lovely to see no matter what the season.
My reason for going out was initially to capture the large Fuchsia hedge down the lane, but once out in the warm September sunshine I was spurred on to continue my walk around the hill and look for the flowers and seed-heads that are around this month (not to mention the blackberries).
The views on this particular day are wonderful, the air is clear, the sky is blue and the sun is warm. The air is filled with the sound of birdsong and buzzing of bees around the ivy flowers.
It will be more of a gentle stroll than a brisk walk as there is much to see along the lanes, plenty of blackberries and the ones I tasted were very sweet, but better get picking quickly as it’s not advisable in October.
English folklore warns about picking blackberries after Michaelmas Day, for then they belong to the Devil. It is said that when Satan fell from Heaven, he landed in a blackberry bush. He was so angry with the bush that he spat on it and cursed the blackberries still remaining.
Pollinating moths are attracted to the sweet scent of honeysuckle at night, when it is strongest; and birds, including thrushes, warblers and bullfinches, eat the berries when they ripen in late summer and autumn.
The route around the base of the hill is somewhat overgrown now with bracken and brambles reaching out across the tracks, not wise to have bare legs in this terrain. We meet a young lady walking the St Michaels Way – “…am I half-way to Marazion?” she asks – “where did you start from?” we reply – “Lelant”. “Well it’s about 6 miles to the mount” we say. She smiles, “that’s good” she says. We wish her well on her journey, one we have yet to do ourselves, but then we are wary of the route across fields containing cattle.
We continue along the edge of the hill, deciding against going up to the top. The views around us are good from here anyway. The pretty cottages with their view of the hill. The sprawl of the farmyard, and fields of sheep. Nearly home now.
And finally, my favourite view of all, towards St Ives Bay, the Godrevy lighthouse and the 3 miles of golden sands that stretch from Hayle to Gwithian.
Cornwall in Colours 
What beautiful looking countryside, love the sheer vibrant green of the surroundings. I have never heard the story about blackberries before, but I will pass it on!