St.Martin's - rocks and run!

We've been camped on the island for 2 weeks plus now. Inevitably, the talk has been about the weather – apparently the worst summer for very many years!

Here is my weather rating chart so far. The rating doesn't indicate the enjoyment of each day which has been very high, rather the weather conditions we are experiencing. We've adapted our activities to suit?!

Our new, bigger tent has been an advantage on rainy/misty days as we are dry and warm with plenty of head room. Rain largely equals reading and both Chris and I have read a number of books (an enjoyable though infrequent activity for me – they have been about railways and canal builders though! Now onto Bryson's Shakespeare.)

Home for a month!

Campsite from the main road!



Heather and gorse on the tops



Campsite Beach

St.Martin's is relatively big which is giving me a great area to run over, with stunning views. I have been running every 2/3 days with some swimming in between.

The area is a gritstone base with heather and gorse and grass tracks making running an absolute delight.



Top rock - a scramble to the top! L.H. Outcrop.



My running routes take in some rock scrambling and a longer ridge run upto the DayMark. This was built in 1683 and originally painted white and it is said all red before the red/white stripes.



A good climb and a scramble to the Day Mark @ 47m







The Day Mark viewed from the ruins of the old Napoleonic Signal Station.

However, it was supposedly mistaken for the St.Agnes Lighthouse (further SW and built in 1680), an event recored on a small gravestone St.Martin's Church yard – see photo – which is given a date of 1830. The 'Hope' is one of many hundreds of ships to have foundered on the Scilly rocks [the latest being the container ship the 'Cita' in 1998].



Gravestone in Churchyard