January Sunshine

St. Michael's Mount, Marazion

My new ecological calendar is telling me that today is a day to forage for food and build up fat reserves for winter.

This message doesn’t seem to have reached Penzance, it is definitely spring here. My crocuses are poking out of the soil in and it is warm and beautiful outside. I have spent the afternoon sunbathing at the beach!

What Penzance lacks in economic prosperity, it more than makes up for in proximity to the beach. When the sun is shining I fall in love with my coastal town all over again. The coastal path between Marazion and Penzance was full of people gently wandering and looking shocked to be outside without rain coats and snow hats.

This fantastic January sunshine has left Penzance smiling. I hope everyone else has found a sunny spot to enjoy this lovely high pressure system.

Happy New Year xx

Winter Wonderland

Early morning snow on the Abbey Slip

This morning, my advent prayers were answered and the snow arrived in Penzance. It has been falling heavily since early this morning and Penzance is looking lovely. We are catching up with the rest of the country and now have a few inches.

I understand that snow can be problematic, and I am sure that the joy it brings might wear off after a while. But, we don’t get too much extreme weather down here and I was feeling a little bit left out.

Having been sent home from work, I am looking forward to an afternoon of mince-pie magic and I might even bake my Christmas cake.

Happy snow day!

Early morning snow on the Abbey Slip

Towns are for people, not cars

Fantastic public transport - but no integration!

As all fans of Jaime Lerner know, towns and cities should be about people not cars. Lerner transformed the bustling urban metropolis of Curitiba into one of the world’s most sustainable cities. His ideas have inspired urban planners around the world; unfortunately, his ideas have not yet reached Penzance!

A sustainable living environment must be people centred rather than car centred – an integrated public transport system is essential. This is almost a reality in Penzance. We have a bus and train station in the middle of the lovely cycle path between Marazion and Mousehole. You can even walk to the Scilly ferry terminal after arriving in Penzance by train. However, there is one major flaw.

These systems are not as integrated as they seem, when trying to take my little fold-up bike onto a First bus I was greeted with the unfriendly salutation “no bikes”. The driver continued to repeat these two words at me as I unloaded my little bike, locked it up at the bus station and bought a ticket. I was left under no doubt that bikes were not allowed on the double-decker to Porthleven.

People cannot truly reduce the reliance on their cars without a public transport system that is affordable and integrated.

An ode to the Cycle Centre

The Mounts Bay cycle path

As a lover of the slow bicycle movement, I am almost fully reliant on my friendly local bike shop (LBS) to keep me on the road.

A year ago, The Cycle Centre Penzance let me test drive a number of bikes and spent a long time matching up my requirements. As a consequence of their help, my bike is a perfect fit, I love her!

Unfortunately, with bikes, love is not enough. My poor little bike needs a lot of attention; but is unfortunate to have found an owner who is clueless about maintenance. Luckily, the lovely cycle centre seem to have endless patience and have shown me how to pump up tires, change brake pads and lubricate the chain.

If you visit Penzance, be sure to pop into the cycle centre. Hire a bike and spend a fantastic afternoon cycling between Marazion and Mousehole.

If you are not popping through Penzance anytime soon, please support your own local bike shop, I am sure that they are just as knowledgeable and encouraging as the Penzance LBS.

(Just to clarify – I’m not on commission – the Cycle Centre is truly fab!)

Sustainable Penzance

Penzance's wonderful windmill

I am in love with Penzance’s newest landmark.

If you enter Penzance from the A30, you will see our wonderful new wind turbine sitting at the top of the town.

Wind turbines are not the perfect solution to climate change and peak oil, but they are one of the best options that we have at the moment. I am very proud that Penzance is now home to a lovely windmill!

Lets hope that our new Government will support the construction of even more windmills in our windswept landscape.