Day 6 & 7

 Saturday 15th January.

Errands to run today, some shopping for my Dad, George helping Uncle Stuart with some PS3 games - stuck on Lara Croft! Colin trying to repair Mark's oven (didn't work). A surprise visit from Debbie and Violet late at night with the new motor scooter.

Only completed 1.5 miles.

Sunday 16th January.

Today we were determined to try and get a bit further on our walk. After cutting through Warwick Street we went reverse way round Halfpenny Lane and then on the road to Chipping came to the bottom of Mile Lane and walked up this time. Just before reaching home my fitbit buzzed and I thought it was losing power but it was a Trophy for completing 10,000 steps. The Church in the distance is the view across the fields to St Paul's Church, Longridge.

Photo by Penny Green 16 Jan 2022

Completed 4.3 miles. Miles over 2 days (5.8 Miles). Total Miles 18.2 Miles.

Arrived at Zennor, Cornwall.

 (Image: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

St Senara Church, Zennor, Cornwall. 

The Myth is the tale of a mermaid enticing a handsome Cornish lad to live with her beneath the ocean forever and ever. The squire’s son and “best singer in the parish” who left solid West Cornwall ground for a life in the briny was called Matthew Trewhella. He would sing in St Senara’s church every Sunday. On one of these occasions he reversed the role of the mythic siren and entranced a mermaid with his beautiful voice. Initially, she didn’t dare get any closer than the rocks at Pendour Cove near the village, but as the week’s went on she grew bolder and finally became so brave she dressed as a noblewoman and attended a church service.

Cornish folklorist William Bottrell first recorded the mermaid’s tale in 1873 there have been constant homages to the legend, from operas to poems and indie pop and folk songs.The Mermaid of Zennor story centres on St Senara’s Church in the village. Senara is thought to have been a Breton princess named Asenora, a devout Christian, who was married to a king called Goello. When Senara became pregnant, the king’s mother falsely accused her of infidelity and the king cast her into the sea. She was put in a barrel, which was then nailed shut and cast out on the waves. The barrel found its way to Ireland and she was rescued by an angel. When her son Budoc grew up they both set out to convert the people of Cornwall to Christianity. 

Alternative tales say she washed up in Zennor and founded the church before heading to Ireland. The legend of a mermaid has grown from a church which was supposedly founded by a woman who emerged from the sea. The legend of the fish-tailed beauty stems from a piece of furniture in the church. The Mermaid’s Chair, which is thought to be over 600 years old, features a carving of a mermaid holding a mirror and a comb. Some would think a mermaid, often seen as the epitome of sin in history, shouldn't be celebrated in a church, but in medieval times they were used to explain the human and divine nature of God. 

 (Image: August Schwerdfeger / Wikipedia Commons)