Does Anyone Else Like Doc Martin???

Okay, so I already said I'm a huge British TV fan.  My next town to visit is Port Isaac where the show, 'Doc Martin' was filmed.  The fictional town was called Portwenn.  Doc Martin was played by Martin Clunes who has been in a number of other British films.  I first saw him in 'Saving Grace' and 'Shakespeare in Love'.  However, when I saw 'Doc Martin', I didn't recognize him at first.  It's a quirky show about a quirky doctor who was a surgeon in London and developed hemophobia, an aversion to blood.....not really good for a surgeon.  He relocates to Portwenn to be a doctor for this small town and it is both hilarious and poignant at the same time.  The views from Portwenn (Port Isaac) were so beautiful, I wanted to see Cornwall.....long story to say why I chose to visit Cornwall!!

I drove to Port Isaac by way of Perranporth, a little coastal town that someone I met at Hever Castle recommended for me to see.  It was a lovely place.  

The next stop on my way to Port Isaac was the Bedruthan Steps.  This is a view of some huge rocks that date back to the Bronze Age.  They were impressive. This is a Wiki picture b/c mine didn't do it justice!

Finally, I get to Port Isaac!  Immediately, I knew it was the most beautiful part of the Cornish coast that I have seen so far!  Oh my goodness....I can't even imagine waking up to that every day.  I know that is what heaven is going to look like.  

There is a self-walking tour that I found online to take you around to all the 'Doc Martin' sites.  

The iconic painted van used in filming to promote the Large Restaurant

The Stowaway Tea Shop

Louisa's house

The Old School House (Portwenn School)

Squeeze-belly alley

Bert Large's restaurant

Doc Martin's house and Portwenn Surgery

 Close-up

When I got to Bert Large's restaurant, there was a film crew there and I got to see a couple of scenes featuring Bert's son, Al Large.  A man from Missouri was standing next to me and told me that Martin Clunes had just come by and spoken to everyone in the crowd.....boohoo....I missed it!  But it was quite exciting to see the town.

I had a delicious late afternoon lunch at the Krab Pot in Port Isaac....Krab Pot Soup with crusty bread...yum.

At the end of the day, I stopped at Tintagel Castle ruins.  This was a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel just above Port Isaac.  It is associated with the legends of King Arthur.  

Wow, great day!

Cornwall, England

My home for the week in Cornwall is in Bodellan Farmhouse Airbnb in Porthcurno, Penzance.  My hostess is Sam.  Just driving into Cornwall and Porthcurno was breathtaking.  The roads off the main highway are so narrow that two vehicles literally cannot pass at the same time, one has to stop and pull as far over as possible so the other can get by.  Of course, I am the one that stops and the other cars go whizzing by.  OMG.....I.do.not.like.this.

On my way to Porthcurno, I stopped at a town called Launceston, which is the historical capital of Cornwall.  I had lunch there and here are some of my pics:

L:  view of the sea from main highway

R:  entry to Launceston

Below: 1 and 2 shops in Launceston 

L:  Lunch spot in Launceston

R:  Lunch counter 

Delicious chicken and mushroom pie

Didn't have ice cream here, but I will while I'm in Cornwall

Day 2:  I went exploring in the tiny village of Porthcurno and the surrounding beach...breathtaking views!

L:  Bodellan Farmhouse B&B

R:  Porthcurno Beach

Porthcurno Coastline 

At the top of the coastline is this concrete formation.  It is called a "pill box" and was built during World War II during fear of German invasion. There are 5 peepholes for guns!

Today, Wednesday, I went to Land's End, St. Ives, Penzance and Lizard!!
Land's End is exactly what it is called....the end of the Land of Cornwall.
I made a video at the tip of Land's End................

After I went to the end of Cornwall, I went to the coast opposite Porthcurno where I am staying to St. Ives.....again, beautiful views everywhere you look!

St. Ives Bay

Next I went to Penzance (to see the Pirates of course).  I didn't see any Pirates and as the views go, it was okay, but not as beautiful as so many of the others. I was however, able to get some Pirates of Penzance tee shirts for my two  youngest grandsons!  Near Penzance is a place called Chysauster Ancient Village and I walked up a long, steep, hill to see this amazing site.  Chysauster is a settlement from the Iron Age and was originally occupied almost 2,000 years ago.  It is made up of stone-walled homesteads called courtyard houses found only on the Land's End peninsula and the Isles of Scilly.

Chysauster Village (Wikipedia)

Onward to Lizard Point and Kynance Cove.........Can you handle more sea photos?

Kynance Cove 

Lizard Point

Okay, enough seacoast pictures for now....I am going to a few other places tomorrow so I can't promise I won't take more pics.......

On My Way to Cornwall, England

  

My time in Hastings, East Sussex, England has come to an end and I am on my way to Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall.  I am sad to leave but excited about the next adventure.  

I enjoyed my stay at Cat's Airbnb, which was a small 'flat' overlooking the Warrior Gardens and English Channel. She has a little dog named Vina that goes  everywhere with her.  On Saturday evening, she took me as her guest to a party across Warrior Gardens.  The host and hostess, Dan and Miranda Innes were very kind to let me come.  Most of the people there were writers, artists and musicians....an interesting crowd.  Miranda has written several books, Cat showed me one called, "Traditional Country Crafts".

On Sunday, Cat and I went to a typical English Country Inn in Icklesham, Sussex, for a Sunday roast beef lunch!  It was delicious and I ate it all!  Roast beef, roasted potatoes, fresh vegetables and Yorkshire Pudding.  For dessert I had strawberry cheesecake with ice cream and Cat had rhubarb crumble.

 

Cat and I toasting our 1/2 pint of cider 

Left, hops drying on the ceiling.  Right, a little outdoor dining room

Two border collies out with their master for Sunday lunch!  Can you imagine bringing your dog in a restaurant in the US!

On my way to Cornwall, I stopped at Hever Castle, the childhood home of Ann Boleyn in Hever, Kent and at another place that was near it on the historical register, named Penshurst Place.  My pictures of Hever didn't turn out great, so I've used a couple of stock pics and one of my own.

Hever Castle:  from Wikipedia

[Thomas Boleyn, inherited the castle in 1505. He lived there with his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard and their children George, Mary and Anne (the future wife of Henry VIII). It is not known if Anne was born at Hever (the year of her birth is not certain) but she lived there until she was sent to the Netherlands in 1513 to receive an education at the court of the Archduchess Margaret.]

Penshurst Place:  from Wikipedia

[Penshurst Place is a historic building near Tonbridge, Kent, 32 south east of London, England. It is the ancestral home of the Sidney family, and was the birthplace of the great Elizabethan poet, courtier and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney. The original medieval house is one of the most complete examples of 14th-century domestic architecture in England surviving in its original location.]

More from Cornwall......