The Cornwall Carousel

My head is spinning after nine hours on the Cornwall Carousel.

A return to cold, wet, blustery conditions didn't dampen our enthusiasm for exploring Cornwall, but unfortunately this morning's photo opportunities were limited. We weren't as uncomfortable as the cyclists pedalling up hill into a strong head wind. We welcomed a return to overcast & intermittent showers by late morning.

First stop was Mazarion, an ancient sea port known for St Michael's Mount. Today it was a mere off shore silhouette. The prevailing conditions were every tourist's bane, but a windsurfer's delight.

We found Penzance nestled in a not so sheltered Mount's Bay. The entire coastline was being buffetted by gale force winds. There wasn't a chance I would have boarded a ferry to the Isles of Scilly some 28 miles off shore. Neither were the conditions conducive to exploring Penzance on foot, but I did find a couple of fearsome pirates lurking in a shop!

The narrow lanes & wet slippery conditions made negotiating the steep terrain of Mousehole extremely hazardous. At one point there was a stand off until one irate driver conceded right of way to the other irate driver! It was more than a game of cat & mouse! It has been duly recorded as road rage incident # 1.

The most southerly port in England is Porthleven. Due to strict conservation regulations, Porthleven remains an unspoilt working harbour, not that there was a lot of activity this morning. Many of the historic buildings date to the early 1700's.

                                         

Visibilty at Lands End, England's most westerly point, was severely restricted by dense mist & low cloud. The conditions offered some very different photos to those being sold in the gift shop. Following a £5 hit at Lands End, we decided England's primary industry is parking! The minimum has been 90p for an hour, but with machines not dispensing change, this invariably means £1. On average, parking is £1.50 per hour.

Sennen Cove was pretty as a picture! It is noted to have been the site
of the last Cornish battle against the invading Danes.

St Just, home to a medieval church, contained a stone dating to the 5th century inscribed with XP, the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ & the shaft of a 19th century Hiberno-Saxon Cross. The Church was very ornate given the era in which it was erected.

Once a prosperous fishing village, St Ives now relies on tourism & parking for its economy. For me the appeal was in the architecture from a time past. Despite the conditions, the expanse of sandy beach was popular with tourists. It has managed to preserve its old world charm of quaint dwellings & narrow streets around a 15th century church.

On the windswept moors overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, we stopped for a photo shoot at the ruins of the Carn Galver tin mine.

Dead Man's Cove, Hell's Mouth & North Cliffs offered stunning views of England's exposed rugged west coast between St Ives & Portreath. Evidence of recent erosion gave me cause to ponder the cliffs' stability, but only momentarily. Unlike me, I threw caution to the wind to capture the stunning views. For footage of the October, 2011 rockslide go to www.guardian.co.uk >news>science>geology Had I viewed this prior to our visit I would have been more cautious about nearing cliff's edge.

           

At the foot of the windswept cliffs we found the tiny fishing village of Portreath. It's old cottages were clustered around a tiny harbour. We noted many new-builds which suggested prosperity is being harvested from the ocean. The 18th century pier commanded its rightful presence. Unfortunately, pedestrian access was prohibited.

This morning's poor visibility has given us an appreciation for the perfect conditions & panoramas we enjoyed yesterday.

The A3300 + A393 + B3292 + A39 = Falmouth

It hasn't happened often, but on this occasion Tripadvisor.com has let us down with the accommodation. It is something out of Fawlty Towers! Last night by 10:00 p.m. there wasn't any hot water for those of us who arrived late. A toilet flush creates a water hammer which I'm sure would register on the Richter Scale! Bathroom fittings are held together & taped to the wall with duct tape. At least the grey matches the stainless steel look! The carpet is busier than Oxford Street! We are to be charged an additional '£1 for every bottle or can left in the room that hasn't been purchased here!' It's clean! It offers
fantastic views! We leave tomorrow!