Cornwall and Wales- Page 1
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Blog
Cornwall and Wales April 11- 20, 2008
We had a fantastic time on our first British Holiday to
Carlyn’s mom Joyce joined us for the holiday and we left early Friday morning, just 20 hours after she landed from
The following is a picture journey in 40 images which believe me, only hints at what we were able to see and take in. I had to use two pages!
Our first stop was the English village of Lacock which is used extensively by film companies because of its beauty and unspoiled village views. A film crew was in fact filming an Anthony Hopkins film “The Wolf man”, a remake. Lacock Abbey, located in the village was used as the location for the films, Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice and The Other Boleyn Girl.
We were then on to the ANCIENT KINGDOM OF WESSEX to visit the historic city of WELLS – England’s smallest city. Wells Cathedral is one of the architectural highlights of Britain, replete with intricate Gothic carvings, a unique scissors vault to brace the building against shifting medieval foundations, and a marvelous chapter house. The Cathedral also houses one of the very earliest mechanical clocks still in existence in the UK, with clockwork knights who exchange blows every hour. The Cathedral is mostly a product of the 12th - 14th centuries, and embodies the very finest Early Gothic architecture.
On down the road we encounter the ancient village of Glastonbury. The ruined Glastonbury Abby is traditionally the first Christian sanctuary in Great Britain, visited, so legend has it, by Joseph of Arimathea and Saints David & Patrick. Many believe that the Holy Thorn tree that can be seen in the grounds originated from Joseph of Arimathea's staff. It is said he was buried here with the “Holy Grail” which has never been found. The Abbey is also believed to be the legendary burial place of King Arthur - It is said it was here in 1191 that the remains of King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere were discovered by the monks
Saturday we jumped in the car and headed north to visit Tintagel with its awe inspiring castle ruins (legendary home of King Arthur) and its rugged and beautiful coastline. Very windy and blowing rain which would clear just long enough to get some awesome shots of the ruined castle and the amazing coast.
Tintagel Castle http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/tintagel
Our "picnics" in the car. It always either rainy, windy or cold
We then travel further north to Clovelly. Set into a steep hillside, Clovelly is one of the most famous villages in the world. The single cobbled high street winds its way down the hillside through traditional whitewashed cottages festooned with fuchsias and geraniums.
In Clovelly traffic is banned from the high street with visitors parking at the top of the hill adjacent to the Visitor Centre. The high street drops through the 16th century cottages to a small harbor.
Our self-catering (self contained, bring your own food) cottage outside of Truro, Cornwall to begin our next day exploring all Cornwall has to offer http://www.penhalecottage.co.uk/area.htm
Our second day in Cornwall took us to one of the most beautiful Villages in England, Mevagissey. Mevagissey is pretty much the perfect Cornish fishing village. A tight bundle of houses around a small harbor crammed with working boats. Of the most beautiful villages in England, Mevagissey gets the vote for its charm and the warm welcome offered to visitors by the Cornish residents.
More Mevagissey coastline
As we traveled along the Southeast Coast of Cornwall we stopped at a lovely church at St. Just (pronounced St. Ust) in Roseland. Carlyn and I bought two watercolor prints in Mevagissey- one of the fishing harbors in Mevagisswy and one of St. Just in Roseland.
Our final destination for this day was the most southerly point for the UK, Lizard Point. We picked up some fresh Haddock Filets and Scallops outside of the village of Mousehole (pronounced Mozelle) and went back to our cottage to cook a fine Cornish seafood meal.
Early the following day we were off to St. Michael’s Mount. St Michael's Mount, rises majestically almost 230 feet from sea level to the tower, chapel and battlement of the castle. Situated approximately 500 yards offshore the Mount is reached by small ferry boats. According to one legend St Michael is believed to have appeared here in AD 710. The Mount is a small island on the south-west coast of Cornwall connected at low tide by a causeway to the Mainland. In the 11th century it was given to the monks of Mont St Michel in France who founded a priory here. At the dissolution in 1539, the revenues were given to Henry Arundell who was appointed Governor. The Mount, on the orders of Sir Francis Basset, then Sheriff of Cornwall, remained loyal to the King during the English Civil War but it was attacked and taken by Parliamentary forces in April 1646. At the Restoration in 1660, John St Aubyn became the proprietor, and the Mount has continued in that family ever since.
Next stop, Land’s End the most westerly point of the English mainland and the closest to the North American continent. Granite cliffs make up the coastline of West Cornwall and are seen at their best here where the combination of the power of the sea and the strength of the cliffs reduce man to a mere spectator of nature. Close to shore is the Longships Lighthouse, just over a mile out to sea, while in the distance, about six miles to the south-west, can be seen the Wolf Rock lighthouse.
Joyce boutht a watercolor print in St. Ives of this exact scene of the bay.
Of course we bought our obligatory picture at the famous Land’s End sign post.
The Mud Lady at Heligan Gardens- We awoke Wednesday to an absolutely perfect Cornwall day and spent it at the Lost Gardens of Heligan (www.heligan.com/) . In the spring of 1991, the Gardens of Heligan lay under a blanket of bramble, ivy, rampant laurel and fallen timber. A year later, the restoration team opened the gardens to enable the public to share in the excitement of their discovery. In the northern gardens are two and a half miles of footpaths, an Elizabethan mount, rockeries, summer houses, a crystal grotto, an Italian garden, a fine set of bee-boles, a wishing well and a superb collection of walled gardens. Remarkably much of the original plant collection has survived, sometimes to record sizes.
We completed this day traveling to the pictureque village of St. Ives for Cream Tea. Cream Tea consists of scones, clotted cream, jam and of course, tea.
We finished this fine day with a ˝ Pint of Cornish Cream Ale at The Pandora Inn, a thatched roofed, 13th century waterside inn which took us two days to find.
Finally! An OUTDOOR picnic at Heligan Gardens
Our last day in Cornwall led us to the fishing village of Padstow where my favorite British Chef, Rick Stein, has a restaurant empire. We picked St Petroc's Bistro and enjoyed one of the best meals I have had since coming to this Island and possibly one of the best ever. I had Grilled sardines with tomato, capers and mint for a starter and Grilled haddock with beer, bacon and savoy cabbage (The haddock crusted with thyme and caraway, the beer, Rick’s own brew, chalkys bite). Outstanding.
Seafood at Rick Stein's fish shop in Padstow
Wales is all about Castles so within the first half hour in Wales we stopped at the incredible, double moated Caerphilly Castle. The castle is one of the great medieval castles of Western Europe. Several factors give it this pre-eminence - its immense size (1.2h), making it the largest in Britain after Windsor, its large-scale use of water for defense and the fact that it is the first truly concentric castle in Britain. Of the time of its building in the late 13th century, it was a revolutionary masterpiece of military planning
On the way to Wales we stopped to gawk at Exeter Cathedral. Exeter Cathedral (officially the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Exeter) is a Gothic cathedral dating mostly from the 13th and 14th centuries. It is notable for its stout Norman towers, its Gothic west front covered in weathered sculptures, and its beautiful nave, which boasts the longest unbroken Gothic ceiling in the world. In 1107, William Warelwast, a nephew of William the Conqueror, was appointed bishop, and this was the catalyst for the building of a new cathedral in the Norman style. Construction began in 1112 and its official foundation was in 1133, but it took many more years to complete.
We traveled on to Pembrokshire ( http://www.easthookfarmhouse.co.uk/ ) to our second self catering cottage located in a converted barn on a working sheep farm where we settles in with Wales goat cheese and Wales Cider awaiting our two day continuum in Wales.
We crossed the border to Wales via the First Severn Crossing carrying the M4. It was by far the longest span in England when it was built in 1966.
Our view from the front of the cottage
One of Henry III's most powerful and ambitious barons, Gilbert de Clare, lord of Glamorgan, built Caerphilly Castle. His purpose was to secure the area and prevent lowland south Wales from falling into the hands of the Welsh leader Llywelyn the Last, who controlled most of mid and north Wales.
