 craggy cliffs. Approaching the area is pretty bland though, with relatively flat, nondescript landscape with no trees whatsoever and very little habitation. I parted right at Land's End itself which was a mistake (should have stopped at a free car park just a small distance down the road) – they charged a few pounds just to stop the car there for a few hours. At the point itself there is a newer tourist development which I by and large stayed away from (I can do without the fudge shops and fake exhibits thank-you) – I did send a few postcards back to Canada because I thought that they might get a kick out of something sent from there. I proceeded directly to the cliffs themselves and spent quite some time there, climbing over the rocks and sitting and staring at the surf. I have always been attracted to the sea, don't really know why, perhaps it is the size and majesty of it. I walked along the cliffs a bit to see a few more of the further outcrops. Lots of pictures too.
After Land's End I headed over to a place that my mother and sister visited a few years ago – Mousehole. Mousehole is a small Cornish (funny that, in Cornwall!) fishing village just outside of Penzance that has been largely untouched and has remained small and quaint. According to the guidebooks '…despite being beset by tourist hordes every year'. It was quite a nice time, I parked a good way down the road and walked along the side of the road looking down into the sea (the weather had improved from fog early in the morning to sunshine in the afternoon) and into some people's gardens. I walked down the rather narrow roads (ostensibly for cars though they were VERY narrow and winding down the side of the cliffs) and down to the harbour area to grab a Cornish ice cream cone. I walked around a bit more and was quite impressed that there was not much sign of the vast numbers of tourists that are there all the time (even today). Quite nice, a lot of small shops to look through but not much else.
I had been noticing information on the roads and through more reading about a theatre that had been built into the side of a cliff – The Minack Theatre. I found my way to the theatre by following a rather winding road (attempting to get lost one might argue) and eventually along a single track road that was rather busy (a nice day by this time). I found the theatre, paying the fee to get in (a bit expensive if you ask me), wondering through the small exhibit about how a young lady early in the century had been looking for a place to stage a summer play put on by a local theatre troop. Eventually they built the theatre on their land on the side of a cliff and over the years the facilities have been improved though people still sit on grass seats (tiers of rock covered with sod) and walk up and down the carved steps. The place was just crawling with people, the sun was out and wind was not too fierce. Wonderful views of the ocean from here. If I am ever back in this area during the summer season, I should see about catching a play here (I picked up a list of what is playing this summer…just in case).
I figured by this point that I had a bit of time left before the sun went down so I started to take the back way back to the hotel – the back way. I decided it might be a bit more interesting to stop at another place I had been thinking about visiting…Lizard's Point. This is the southernmost point in England and has spectacular…but not as spectacular as Land's End…views. It was beginning to get dark but I parked in 'The Lizard' (small town quite near the National Trust Lizard's Point property) and walked down to the point (though it turn out to be a bit mroe than 1/2 mile). It was nice to sit and watch the sea again for a bit of time. I walked the round-about route back to the village, walking for a way along the top of the cliffs and then returning by walking along a farmer's road watching the cows who were watching me.
Dinner was in a local pub in The Lizard which was quite nice. I was not in much a hurry to get back. Food? Oh, mixed grill which contained some nice Cornish cuts of meat and fresh potatoes, not too bad at all. Not exceptional though. Realized after reading a local tourist paper that there was a shop across the road that supposedly sells the best Cornish pasties in Cornwall (evidently they are supposed to have cubes of meat NOT ground beef/mince along with turnip and veggies – found it interesting to hear that some were created with jam in one side so that fisherman could have their meal and desert in one dish!), it was closed after I finished dinner. Oh well. I was running low in fuel (a big problem in the middle of nowhere after 6 PM) but made it to a bigger town before finally continuing back to Plymouth (about a two hour drive – only 70 miles or so, but the roads are VERY windy).
The driving has been long but very enjoyable (and challenging) with many extremely narrow roads with high walls on either side that look like hedges/hedgerows but are actually stone walls overgrown with vines and other plants. The countryside of Cornwall consists (from what I have seen) of all sorts of farming fields separated by these walls. Rolling hills with the occasional settlement or farmer's house. Most roads are extremely narrow, at many points not much than single track lanes. Even the main roads are not always really large enough for two cars at a time. Not many trees around either. Very quiet.
Much of the driving today was quite difficult with extremely heavy fog in the upper, hilly areas that are really the main parts of Cornwall. Sometimes I could barely see 30 feet in front of the car. Made driving quite slow.
The longest day so far for driving. Began the day bright and early, checking out from the B & B before 9:00. I was on my way to Tintagel on the West coast of northern Cornwall. The only way to this area is by back road so it did take me quite some time but I eventually managed to find it, off on a B road in the middle of nowhere. Tintagel is a very little village so I was able to park my car at one end (paying for it, if you can believe it!) and walk to the other for the entrance to the castle.
Tintagel castle is the supposed castle of King Arthur though it is highly doubtful that this is so. Tintagel was used as a summer home by a few English nobles. To approach the castle, you must walk down a narrow and very steep road to the ocean where you get your ticket and then climb up a large number of stairs. There are two parts to the castle, one being on what is essentially an island though the space between it and the mainland is only a few meters and filled with stone (due to erosion). I first made my way to the top of this island by following the steps made of slate and timber to the top. The castle is in ruins and is not much of a castle here, really just a noble's house. They are still digging here to try to uncover more about the area (though right now they are stopped because of the winter). Following the trail through the first 'noble's house' section I proceeded up the remainder of the island (it is basically a tall chunk of slate with extremely steep cliffs around it), passing by the remainders of many other buildings. Evidently this part was used as a settlement and had as many as 100 houses on it! Getting to the top, it is easy to see why since it is a very large open space (and VERY windy as you might imagine). I wandered around the top of the island, peering down the sides to the ocean below, crashing on the rocks. Quite spectacular.
I wandered around the area for quite some time, lingering over the views. I managed to make it down to where ships would (ostensibly) dock to provide supplies and was surprised to see a seal in the water only meters below. I had seen him when I was looking around on the top but did not expect him to reappear later. Got his picture though…Very big creature, all by himself too. Anyway, proceeded down the side of the island and climbed up to the second part of the castle, being on the mainland. This area was much smaller and only contained what is suspected to be a guard tower and entrance.
I made my way back down and walked along some stones at the base of one of the cliffs to have a closer look inside one of the close-by caves. Very dark in there, could not really go too far as I would not be able to see where I was stepping (a serious consideration on boulders of this size). I had to do it. I had seen the cave from the top of the island and had wondered what was in them.
Took my time walking back up to the town, stopping on the way to some Cornish Clotted Cream Ice Cream, very good (if a bit small), the lady and I chatted for a few minutes about the weather before I continued up to the town. Right across from the beginning of the castle road there is a Cornish Pasty shop so I HAD to stop and pick some up, I figured I should be able to get them home before they go bad…These were the REAL thing (according to that thing I had read in the pub at The Lizard), massive, as big as a plate and full of chunks of meat and vegetables. Heaven. Hurried those back to the car and then returned to the village to visit the Old Post