May 21 - 22, 2016 - Mevagissey, Polperro and Home

Dyed dal all,

Sadly on Saturday we woke up to heavy rains but the sky did appear to be lightening up. At breakfast we chatted with Mike and his wife Leslie, they are heading home to Manchester today and he told us about their visit yesterday to Polperro. We had met Mike two days earlier in the pub over a few drinks. Leslie, his wife was not feeling well that evening. After breakfast we said our farewells and headed up to our room to wait a bit for the weather to break. Eventually we headed off to Mevagissey another small Cornish fishing village. Thankfully it was clearing up and the rain was more like a light mist. The town's first mention in recorded history was from 1313 although there was evidence of a settlement dating back to the bronze age. The current harbour was built on the site of a medieval quay and an act of parliament allowed a new port to be built in 1774. There was an inner and outer harbour built from this act, the the outer harbour being added in 1888. The outer harbour was seriously damaged by a blizzard in 1891 and rebuilt in 1897. The harbour was given a charitable trust status in 1988. In the summer you can take a ferry to Fowey which was something I would have like to do but today the ferries were not running because of the weather. We did not explore the town any further as the heavens opened so we headed back to the car.

Our next stop was Polperro a quaint village and fishing harbour that has been around since medieval times. The picture on the right is of a mechanical fisherman that greets you as you enter and leave the parking lot. There are no cars allowed in the village proper unless you are a resident. On a nice day would be awesome to explore all the narrow streets and alleys. We had lunch at the Three Pilchards a pub built in the 16th century. As we were in Cornwall and a fishing village we would be remiss if we did not have some fresh seafood or fish. Fred had the crab bisque and I had scallops as pictured below on the left.

Now I have never had fresh scallops and was not sure if the red part attached to the scallop was edible. I tried a bit and it was tasty so I ate everything. It was absolutely delicious though I am sure it was artery clogging as I had my scallops prepared in garlic butter. I mopped every bit up with the fresh crusty bread provided. The best meal I had while in Cornwall and I would highly recommend a visit to this pub if you are ever in the area. We explored a bit and I came across the boat that according to the menu caught my scallops. Sadly the heavens once again opened so we headed back to the car and into St Austell to the grocery store to pick up wine, cheese, grapes, a selection of Italian cold cuts and crackers for our dinner as we did not want pub food again but something light. Rainy weather certainly curbed our exploring but we have enjoyed our mini break. Back at the B & B I uploaded pictures, enjoy a nice cup of tea and relaxed organising the cases for our trip home. The sun did come out at about 6:00 pm so typical of British weather.

May 22 - Once again after a hearty made to order breakfast we did our final sorting, paid the bill and headed off home. Thankfully, the sun was shining as I really hate driving in the rain especially when we were covering a long distance. I am the world's worst passenger as Fred, I am sure will attest to. Our drive home was on motorways and A class roads. There was a hefty £6 toll on the bridge crossing the mouth of the River Severn into South Wales. We saw some different countryside as we had not previously travelled this area and also partly due to a serious accident, we were diverted on to country lanes.  The last picture is of one of the many flax fields in full bloom that we have seen both on our trip south and back home.


Cha welesl (see you)
till our next adventure,

Sandy & Fred

May 20, 2016 - Tintagel Castle & Looe

Dyed dal all,

After breakfast which was again plentiful and fresh, we headed off to Tintagel parish and Kastel Dintagel a'gas dynnergh. Thankfully, the weather was dry and sunny though a bit cool. Tintagel is located on the Atlantic coast and the castle which is a ruin, dates back to 1230. The site has been occupied since the late Roman period and became a thriving Dark Ages settlement and port. In the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth named it as the place where the legendary Arthur was conceived. It was almost certainly this link to the legendary hero that inspired Richard, Earl of Cornwall to build his castle here.

The climb up was once again steep and it took us a while but the effort was well worth the spectacular views you have looking up and down the coast. In its time the castle must  have been the size of a small village. The castle was built on a headland, but over the centuries the land has collapsed which gives the impression now that it was built on an island. The picture upper right is the Island Courtyard and Great Hall. To get to it you descend stairs cross a bridge then climb back up. The picture on the left is of the remains of the upper mainland courtyard taken from the island. We spent a couple of hours walking around the ruins taking photos before heading back to the town. The picture

on the right is one of the spectacular views we saw from the top of the island.

It started to spit rain so we headed to the car rather than walk around the village. Our next stop was Looe, a fishing town. The nav chick once again took us along some single lane roads and we had a few interesting moments but thankfully we did not meet much traffic.

Looe has evidence of being inhabited as early as 1000 BC and was once held by William the Conqueror. The town is centred around the harbour and the tide was out when we arrived. We both liked this little town as for us it had more character than St Ives and while busy it did not seem as crowded.

We found a pub for a late lunch, only to discover the pub only except cash, no debit or credit card service at all. We found this a bit strange given that the area caters to tourists and most of the industry except for fishing is centred around that trade.  We enjoyed a nice late lunch and wandered around the town a bit. My back was now killing me with two days in a row of steep climbing so we headed back to the B & B. It was late in the afternoon and while things are relatively close the roads make travel time longer. Once again we traveled some interesting roads and were very lucky to see sheep being moved from one pasture to another. They were being herded by a SUV rather than dogs which was interesting. The sheep must be used t it as they ran ahead of the vehicle and remained together.

Back at the B & B we relaxed and were in bed early as all the fresh sea air and climbing had been tiring.

Duw genowgh hwil,

Sandy & Fred

May 19, 2016 - Marazion, St Michael's Mount to St Ives

Dyed dal All,

We were up early and after a very hearty breakfast especially for Fred, as he had the full Cornish breakfast which consisted of bacon, egg, sausage, baked beans, tomato and special type of Cornish sausage that to me tasted a bit like haggis.  I had poached egg on english muffins. There was cereal, fresh fruit salad and toast with juice, tea and coffee all freshly made to order.

We headed off to Marazion, a small village from which you visit St Michael's Mount or in Cornish Karrek Koos yn Koos which means " hoar rock in the woodland". We arrived just after 10:30 and as the tide was out we were able to walk across the bay on the causeway. It is man made from granite setts. The picture above on the left shows St Michael's Mount from the beach in Marazion and the one below to the right is of the causeway taken from the top terrace of the castle.

There is evidence on the island that people lived there in the neolithic era when it was once part of the mainland before the bay was flooded. Radiocarbon dating on the remains of hazel wood found at low tide have them dated to about 1700 BC.

The island was once a priory, then an abbey before it reverted to the crown. It is historically the Cornish counterpart to Mount Saint- Michael in Normandy France. There is a great deal of history around the site with it changing hands numerous times. It was sold to Colonel John St Aubyn in 1659 and remains in the family today.

The climb up to the castle was very steep, on uneven granite stones and not for the faint of heart. Thankfully, it stayed dry as I would not like to be climbing up or down the wet stones. With quite a few rest stops for me I finally made it to the castle. The climb was well worth it. The mount has been conquered on a number of occasions, and I really wonder how. A soldier in full armour would be exhausted by the time they reached the summit. Most of the interior has been refurbished in the mid to late 18th century to make it a more comfortable domestic home. The picture on the left is the Chevy Chase. It was once a refectory for the priory and the main dining room for the family until 1950's. We spent a good couple of hours exploring the castle, church  before heading back down to the causeway.  The tide was just starting to come in but we were able to cross the bay back into the town using the causeway. The island is one of 43 unabridged tidal islands in Britain that you can walk to from the mainland. St Michael's Mount is also home to some 34 families as well as Lord St Leven, a descendant of St Aubyn.

Back on the mainland, we did a walk about of the village and stopped in one of the local pubs for a drink. By the time we headed back to the car the tide had covered most of the causeway as you can see by the picture on the right. To get to the island now, you have to take a boat, for a small fee.


While at the castle we came across the most miserable man ever. He was very loud and kept saying he doesn't know why people bother taking pictures, what was the purpose and rushed his wife along. He repeated the same thing in each room and was still carrying on as we departed. I really had to bite my tongue everytime we came across him. Unbelievable and I kind of felt sorry for his wife but only kind of because I certainly would not put up with him and his attitude.

We now head along the coast to check out the little fishing village called Mousehole. There was not much worth noting here. As it was now raining, we did not stop to walk around but we wanted to check it out given it's name. From here we headed out to Lands End. As you drive toward Lands End there is a pub which has a sign "The Last Pub in England". Then as you leave Lands End its sign says"The First Pub in England". With the rain and a heavy mist that rolled in we couldn't see anything so we just turned around and continued on our way heading to St Ives a very popular seaside town. The nav chick we discovered really liked to take us along single lane roads. While everything in Cornwall was relatively close, travel takes time due to the narrow roads. St Ives is a pretty seaside resort town once a fishing village it has a harbour and is already very busy. There is a ton of little stores selling everything you can think of for a resort town. We wandered around for a while before heading back to the B & B. The last picture is of St Ives taken from the harbour. We were somewhat disappointed in St Ives, I think partly because of all the hype we have heard around it. It was crazy busy and rather commercial. We decided to eat at the pub next door to the B & B again before relaxing and and planning for Fridays exploration.

Duw genowgh hwil,

Sandy & Fred

May 18, 2016 - To Cornwall and Lanhydrock

Dyed dal All,

The drive to Cornwall was rather nice considering I do not like motorway (or highway) driving at all. We were travelling on a combination of motorway and A class roads and the truck traffic was not that heavy. We stopped at Lanhydrock or in Cornish, Lannhedrek which means church closure of St. Hydrock. The estate originally belonged to the Augustinian priory of St. Petroc at Bodmin. The dissolution of monasteries in 1530 saw the land pass into private hands. Then in 1620 Sir Richard Robertes, a wealthy Truro merchant purchased the property and began building the Victorian home we see today. The picture above to the right is of the main gate entrance to the estate and dates back to the 17th century. The house was designed as a four sided building around a court yard. Sir Richard died in 1624, so the work was carried on by his son Sir John Robartes who was the 1st Earl of Radnor and a notable public figure. In the 18th century the west wing was demolished leaving the U shaped house we see today. In 1881 a major fire destroyed the south wing and severely damaged the central range of the house.

The only part of the home not affected by the fire was the north wing and the long hall which is pictured on the left. There were 50 rooms to meander through and we spent a good three hours walking through the house, the church and a bit of the gardens. We had a good laugh as we came across a large Canadian Moose head on display which Sir Robert's had hunted in 1914.

Done with the house we headed off to the church and then a short tour of the gardens near the house. Overall, there are 890 acres of grounds.

Pictured on the right is one of the many colourful Rhododendron bushes. We now headed off to Ladock and the Bissick Old Mill which will be our home away from home for the next four nights.
Our host Patrick checked us in and made me a much needed cup of tea. We had dinner at The Falmouth Arms, a pub next door to the B & B. The food provided was very upscale for a pub.

The last pic is of the B & B our home away from home.

Duw genowgh hwil all,

Sandy & Fred

May 10 - 17, 2016 - Cheltenham and Fairford

Greetings All,

On the 10th we headed to Cheltenham to dog sit our little doggie nephews while John and Adrienne headed off to Madrid to celebrate their anniversary. The 11th, we spent the day with John and Adrienne before they headed off and visited a Whiskey Bar in the evening, one that I had wanted to go to for a while. They have a very good selection of whiskeys, reasonably priced, and I sampled one from Scotland and one from Japan. After John and Adrienne had set off, our first few days were spent relaxing, with me enjoying the sun and getting some vitamin D.  There were a couple of places we want to visit; a pub and a castle but elected to pass on these as the BBC were filming a movie at the castle and not all areas would be open and some rooms would have been decorated for the film. We have had previous experience with this at another manor house we had visited and would rather visit the castle when there is no film crew on site.

May 13th we headed off to Fairford, a market town in the Cotswolds. The church we visited was St. Mary's pictured on the left. There has been a church on this site for 1,000 years with this one dating from 1490-1497. In the Doomsday Book Fairford and a priest are mentioned so the church dates from early saxon times. On the west side of the tower are some remaining traces from the original church. The church is home to the only surviving complete set of themed medieval stained glass windows in the UK. The windows had not long been installed when the upheaval of the 16th century reformation threatened them. There were clear orders in Edwards VI's reign to rid churches of all idolatrous images. This lead to the destruction of glass throughout England in the early 17th century. It is unclear how the windows survived the orders. A couple of theories exist including the  influential people in the congregation somehow protected them and the windows were whitewashed to hide them.

There are 28 windows in all that tell the story of the bible with one of the windows pictured on the right. Ironically, it was an "act of God", a severe storm in November 1703, that damaged some of the windows on the west side of the church. The storm went through the south of England resulting in a lot of damage and loss of life. The windows were repaired as best as they could, and in the middle of the 19th century there was a move to repair the Great West Window and a company called Chance Brothers of Smethwick took away the top half. Instead of repairing it they replaced it. Unease about this and the replacement of two of the apostles led to a halt to anything but careful mending of leads and limited restoration. In 1986 Keith Barley was commissioned to do a full restoration and preservation of the windows and work was completed in 2010. The medieval glass is now protected from the outside elements by clear glass and inside condensation is avoided through air circulation on both sides of the glass. The steward on duty, a lady named Jo, gave us some history on the church and also directed us to a nearby old mill on the River Coln. As well, I chatted with Heather who had just finished a floral arrangement for the church and was quite pleased when I asked if it is OK to take a picture of it.

We walked through the Church cemetery, down to the river and mill and came across a cygnet and it's mother. We did a quick walk around the village and decided to head off to find a place for lunch.
We stopped at a pub called The Swan in the village of Southrop were we had a late lunch. The food was excellent, the portions generous and good real ales on tap. While driving about the Cotswolds there were a number of flax fields which give the countryside a beautiful gold and green pattern. Sadly there were no safe spots to stop and take pictures to show the true beauty of the fields. The following day we enjoyed another day of sun relaxing with the boys before the weather turned cool with John and Adrienne returning home on the 16th.  

 Cheers now we are headed off to Cornwall.

Sandy & Fred