Leaving Cornwall, on My Way to Bath, then Birmingham

Saturday:  my last day in Cornwall.  I drove to Falmouth and went to see Pendennis Castle and the town of Falmouth.  There was a walk around inside the old moat of the castle and it was amazing!  Pendennis Castle is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, also know as Henrician Castles, in Cornwall.  These are artillery fortifications.  It was built between 1539-1545 for King Henry, to guard the entrance to the River Fal near Falmouth, to defend the country from French and Spanish threats of attack.

Looking up at the castle from inside the moat

Near Falmouth, I visited Glendurgan Gardens.  It is literally in the middle of nowhere, but was spectacular and well worth the visit.

 Huge trunk

 Plants growing on an old fallen tree

Lots and lots of bluebells

Rhododendron

Further north of Falmouth is The Lost Gardens of Heligan.  Very interesting place.  A little bit eerie and whimsical at the same time!  It depends on the time of year what is growing on the sculptures.  

Today, Sunday, I am driving from lovely Cornwall to the city of Bath, England.  My sister-in-law, Sharon Massey is flying in from San Diego and we will get to spend 10 days together!  I'm excited to see her and spend some time with her.  I am meeting her in Bath.  We will travel from Bath to Birmingham, England in the West Midlands Regions where we will stay in another B&B.

While I waited for Sharon to arrive on the train from London, I went to the Jane Austen Centre.  It was great and I loved learning all about her life.  I had no idea that she started writing at the age of 11 and died at the age of 42.  Also, she re-wrote several of her books, sometimes a few years after she had finished them!  Her most famous books were first published anonymously and were very popular, but brought her little personal fame and only a few positive reviews during her lifetime, but after the publication by her nephew, A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced her to a wider public, by the 1940s she had become widely accepted in academia as a great English writer.  Persuasion and Northhanger Abbey were published after her death.

Sharon and I are staying with a wonderful couple, Alan and Kathryn Holland in the city of Birmingham, England in a little area named Moseley.  They live in a 3 story lovely Victorian home and are empty nesters, so they decided to use their extra rooms as a B&B.  

Tomorrow, Sharon and I will go exploring around the Midlands!

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.......