On a day when the cloud was down to ground level - an Englishman might say it was almost raining - we tackled the northern end of the St Michael's Way. This runs from Lelant to St Michael's Mount by a route which is said to be the part of the route to Compostela if you are Irish. Landing at Lelant at the head of the Hayle river, you would walk across to Mount's Bay and from there catch a boat across to Brittany. Anyone who followed the marked trail had serious geographical problems as it starts by going along the coast for 3km northwest when you really want to go due south. We ignored the northerly bit, parked in Carbis Bay and headed uphill to Knill's monument, raised to celebrate the life of a former mayor of St Ives. His motto was Nil Desperandu (sic) and we were glad of the reassurance having been promised spectacular views over St Ives Bay towards Godrevy light.
The views, as you can probably see, lacked the promised clarity. Onwards along paths and roads, across a camp site and paddock; past a barn and out into a field where the Beersheba menhir stood 3m high. 
From here there is a charming little downhill path, everything a Cornish path should be: squelchy mud underfoot, a stone wall either side and covering shelter of black and hawthorns. This took us past a lonely cottage where camellias blossomed until we emerged by the bowl stone. This magnificent stone was one of many tossed by the giant of Trencrom hill: a perfectly smooth pebble no doubt collected from the beach. Crossing the road, we made our way uphill once more in a field which was full of other smaller pebbles the giant had tossed aside and a large herd of bulls who had so churned and manured the ground that boots got stuck and panic nearly set in. Emerging on the far side, we thankfully mounted the grounds of the hill itself, entering the fort through the eastern gateway with its large gate posts. The fort has a lovely surface of short-cropped grass with rock outcrops and the hints of hut circles to tantalise the archaeologist. Around the crown of the hill is a well-brackened defensive wall.No doubt on sunny days one can enjoy the views of Mount's and St Ives Bays but this was not one of those days.
A biscuit revived us before a short exploration of the 300BC fort including one of its wells (the other is said to be too well hidden and anyway, we were tired after our fight with the mud).The return journey took us back to the menhir, thoughtfully obvious on the crest of the opposite hill, through the camp site and then across country on a contour walk through more Cornish paths before emerging tired but refreshed in Carbis Bay three hours after we had started.
No doubt someone will explain why, as well as camellias, we saw osteospermum, campanula, lithodorum and campion in flower in the first week of January.
