To Scilly

October 10-13
After celebrating Pam's mum's 101st birthday on the 9th, we drove to Tiverton TravelLodge on the10th. The M5 duly rewarded us with a splendid Red Kite.
Sunday the 11th was ghastly, constant thick drizzle, poor visibility and dark grey cloud cover. The planned visit to Prawle for Cirl Bunting was aborted. Seeing a sign for the Eden Project, a place we'd planned to visit one day, we turned off and did so.Unfortunately we'd chosen a very busy day, Half Marathon and Fun Run. The car parks were fullish and the place teeming with children. Our 'close' car park was at the top of a wooded valley, the Eden Geomes glistening far below.
We zigzagged our way down to the entrance and then walked the Tropics and Mediterranean geomes. I found it rather disappointing but Pam loved it. Not enough labelling and we're used to the real thing and.....too many flaming children. they run, push and shout and generally get in the way of peace. BUT, it was good to see whole families enjoying the place. We'd had enough so took the land train back up the hill. We should have taken it down as well. After a coffee and a quick walk through the shop, back to the car and on to Hayle across a dreary Bodmin Moor,I was half expecting The Beast of Bodmin to appear. Too early to enter our room so we did the estuary after buying a pasty at Philps. Hundreds of Gulls and Wigeon but little else. We ate the pasty at Marazion before returning to check in to the TraveLodge and driving to The Lizard.A delicious double cone, me strawberry and Thunder and LIghtning, Pam the latter + lemon meringue lifted the spirits. No sign of Choughs at Kynance car park - nor any other birds either.
Monday the 12th dawned blue and sunny. Lovely. Porthgwarra was seemingly devoid of all birds apart from the common garden ones and a regular flight of Gannets. The road leading to the tiny bay is steep, bendy and very narrow with hardly any passing places. The touristy Lands End is still a lovely place to walk and see the rocky coastal views and to enjoy a lunch of hummus and carrots and crisps bought at M and S this morning. Fed up with my WiFi mouse only working intermittently, I bought a new cord one for £5 in Tesco, had a look at Drift Res and retired to our room. Very disappointing bird wise.
The planned early rise and drive to The Lizard on the 13th was very successful. Along the road to Kynance Cove NT car park, we saw several Stonechats and at least two, poss, 3 Dartford Warblers. That was a surprise. A walk and a sit at the cliff edge, scoping the distant grassy cliffside brought 2 Ravens,preening each other atop a rock and, 2 Choughs. Excellent.
An Ann's Pasty bought for lunch which we again ate at Marazion. It was delicious. In good time for the 2.20 helicopter, we didn't see any go out at all beforehand and our load were the only ones in the airport. Another lovely sunny day to welcome us to the Isles - and Duncan to meet us at the airport.