A sigh. A wistful look out to sea. “Another disappointing walk.”
We hadn’t seen a basking shark. We never see a basking shark. And we REALLY want to see a basking shark.
We could, of course, make it easier. We could research the exact time and place that would give us the best chance and patiently wait until one swims past. We could even go on a wildlife cruise.
But where’s the fun in that? Far better to just go for a walk and hope for the best.
And if we don’t see a basking shark, well, it may be another disappointing walk – but really there’s no such thing. There’s always something to see, to experience, to learn.
On the day the idea for Another Disappointing Walk emerged, we learned that the cabbage-like plants we saw growing alongside the coastpath were ... cabbages. Wild ones. And if you’ve never seen a cabbage in the wild, it can take you by surprise.
And after a bumblebee flew up my nose, I learned – thankfully not first-hand – that the nostril is the most painful place to be stung.
So, no basking shark, but a stomp in the sunshine, a cheese sandwich at an old smuggling cove and a couple of snippets of knowledge learned. If that’s another disappointing walk, let’s have more of them. Come with us …
Who are we? Andrew, an editor and writer, and Clare, a photographer and retoucher, teaming up to record our wanderings along the Cornish coast and beyond.
