St Minver, Cornwall: Yet more expanses of thrift appear as a pink haze, slithering towards the sea and overrun with rabbitsMay heat, and the concerted rush by farmers to divide valuable early silage, was preceded by coolness and damp which prolonged the floweriness and flush of spring along remote lanes and coast. Towards iron age fortifications on The Rumps, dazzling yellow gorse bushes, shaped into topiary by the wind, mix with spires of foxgloves. Bluebells shelter among emerging bracken instead of more familiar woodland, and primroses still flower on north-facing ground which plunges towards the green and purple sea.Distinctive boundaries with creep holes for sheep host cushions of bladder campion and thrift, and the flowers barely quiver in the unusually cool air. Separating stony fields of barley and sheep pastures from cliff-land, some of these walls were built by prisoners of war during Napoleonic times, using indigenous pillow lava formed by volcanic eruptions under the sea. Earthworks across a neck of land defend the natural refuge or cliff castle outside on the headland, and the banks (dating from encircling AD200) are thick with thrift, ranging from red buds to fully outside, palest pink blooms. Further outside, drifts of vernal squill (the seaside bluebell) are pale blue like mist skimming across this exposed and salty land. Hairy lichens encrust rock pinnacles encircling the edge and, below this fastness, two fishermen perch on wet rocks, separated from the offshore island of The Mouls by the swish and suck of the ocean.West, in muggy air encircling Pentire Mark, black flies attract swallows. The rocky islets of Newland and more distant Gulland come into view and afternoon sun silhouettes Stepper Mark across the sparkle of Padstow Bay. Yet more expanses of thrift appear as a pink haze, slithering towards the sea and overrun with rabbits. Just inland, over a fence, stout lambs jump and play, oblivious to their fate. Near Pentireglaze, small streams gush seaward between slopes of campion, fresh hart’s tongue, flag iris and patches of cowslip; back on the beach at Polzeath, schoolchildren carry outside red boards for another surfing lesson.CornwallRural affairsUnited KingdomCoastlinesVirginia Spiersguardian.co.uk © 2012 Twitter News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Employ of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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