An unexpected afternoon.

I had high hopes! I though I was going to get to tell you how I fulfilled a small ambition today. I was going to post pictures of the island from a mile or two out, and close ups of my beloved Martello Tower.


Yep, I though today would be special. Of course it’s my own fault, I read what I wanted to read, and I was really looking forward to what I thought I read!

It came about because there was an article in the paper about ‘Walking Week’, which are simply guided walks around various parts of the island. These things tend to attract tourists rather than locals, but when I read:


Sunday 18 September. 14.00 - 16.30 hrs Napoleonic Sea Defence – ‘Round Towers'
Medium - distance- 4 miles (6.4 kilometres).
Starting at historic Harbour where the French landed, imagine being in Nelson's time as you journey along the shore. See five Round Towers and forts on this circular ramble and hear of vraic gathering and shipwrecks.


I got excited, and because the same article had mentioned the extra low tides we’re having this weekend, I read:

Starting at historic Harbour where the French landed, imagine being in Nelson's time as you journey along the shore. See five Round Towers and forts CLOSE UP on this circular ramble ACROSS THE BAY AS YOU CLOSELY PASS-BY EACH TOWER and hear of vraic gathering and shipwrecks.

You can probably guess the rest.

Yep, I promised P (as he was the only fool willing to accompany me) we’d be strolling across the sand and climbing the granite outcrops as we followed the five towers along the South-East coast. There would be stories about battles with the French with tales of daring and heroism.

Poor P wasn’t alone with his confusion when the Guide immediately led the walking group inland and followed the back roads past fields of cows and chickens. The guide stopped a lot, mostly in peoples’ driveways to tell us about the Cod Wars. Not only was my boy bored and grumbling within minutes, but the traffic was awful! Pretty soon, I was a nervous wreak from pushing him up the verge every two minutes. And I’m sure the other walkers thought me a fool to bring a child.

Or at the very least, inconsiderate. But how was I to know the Guide planned to drone on for twenty minutes at a time? And P tried to eat his crisps quietly, and he didn’t realise pulling weeds from that wall would cause those stones to fall out, and ALL kids love jumping in piles of crunching leafs. Bunch of misery guts. Though they obviously read (and understood) the itinerary because they all appeared rapt with the Guide's droning commentary.

Sorry to say not a single picture got taken, though I should have pulled the camera out when we reached the Lavertine, as that was interesting. It looked like a Roman bath situated at a corner of a crossroads, with channels for a stream to run in one side and out the other (since dried up). All made of granite (like everything else around here) with steps leading down into it, and flat stones positioned along the walls for washing clothes upon.

But that was my only photo miss, except maybe for a gross shot of one of the walker’s feet. Seriously stubby toes with ugly chipped nails (and personally, I don’t think flipflops are suitable for a four mile walk either!)

The only thing that redeemed me in P’s eyes was, we left the walking group half an hour early. Because thanks to my poor reading habits, this was where our car was parked. The rest of them all got a child-free walk back to the starting point.

All in all, I was glad we got home early. It wasn’t what I’d been expecting, and although interesting, I had a hundred other things I should have been doing.

But I’m miffed as I still haven’t walked out to my Tower.


One day I’ll get there.