Southwestern England: Somerset and Cornwall

Note: One of the hardest things to remember is to write this blog in reverse order if covering several days. I think I got it right this time......!

Polporro, Cornwall 2 August
http://www.polperro.org/
We get lots of suggestions from people about where to go and what to see—many of them quite helpful. The innkeeper in Bodmin told us about Polperro; so we decided to try it. Boy, are we ever glad!

Polporro is an idyllic Cornwall fishing community largely preserved and protected from most automobile traffic and other modern influences. Visitors can only get down into the city by foot, a tiny electric shuttle or by horse-drawn wagon. The village itself is a fantasy maze of tiny, curved streets, brick and stucco buildings, winding staircases and potted flowers adorning every window, staircase and walkway. Its like stepping back in time and place to a simpler way of life…

We walked down the main access way into a charming community wedged in between the sea and the cliffs. The path teemed with restaurants, ice cream stands, souvenir shops and many of the regular tourist attractions. Turning right at the bottom of the path, we crossed the stream running down alongside the road—an obvious source of power and possibly fresh water. On the left the harbor opened up between the houses and cliffs. Further along, we discovered that a concrete barrier and “gate” protect the harbor and the many fishing and pleasure crafts from the surging seas just yards away. In the few hours that we spent there, the harbor emptied from about 1/3 full to nearly dry, with only the water from the fresh water stream to cut a path to the sea—much to the delight of the sea gulls.

We walked along the many back streets and wound our way through the narrow alleyways marveling at the variety of structures. Most were white, but had colorful gardens and various kinds of stairs linking to the pathways. One home was completely done in seashells pressed into the stucco along the entire façade. Pathways lead up to the cliffs on both sides, offering a different view of both the village and the sea just outside the harbor.

After several hours drinking in the sun and the charm of this unique spot, we decided to make our way back to the car, but not before sampling something called a Cornwall Ice Cream Oyster. This is a wafer oyster shell filled with the most delicious vanilla ice cream and topped with “clotted” cream that tastes something like a mild cheese. The final surprise was that when digging down to the bottom, there is a little dab of marshmallow “fluff” –like a pearl on the bottom. After an experience like that, there is little left to do but return back to Taunton (to drop off the car) and catch the train to London.

St. Just
http://www.landsendarea.co.uk/505_aboutthearea.htm
Michael’s Mount
http://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/about.htm

On the way back to our hotel we drove through St. Just, a charming little village set back in winding roads and rolling hills from Land’s End, then through Penzance, a beach-front tourist destination with a long main “drag” and lots of activities (and traffic).

Just beyond Penznace is St. Michael’s Mount, a delightful jewel of a structure set atop a rocky island just a few hundreds of yards from the shore. It is quite reminiscent of Mont St. Michael on the French coast and even accessible over a causeway during low tide. Unfortunately for us, the tide was high (and the sun low) so we stopped only for pictures and then headed back to Bodmin for the night.


Lands End 1 August
http://www.chycor.co.uk/travel-tips/penzance/landsend.htm

Land’s End is the part of England closest to the US and sits at the tip of a wide peninsula stretching put into the Atlantic Ocean. I have always loved this kind of coastline, such as we have in Newport, in Maine, Big Sur (CA) and other places. The day was spectacular, sunny, warm with a light breeze and almost no humidity. From the parking area, the tourist facility sits on an obvious cliff, with nothing behind but the sea. But when we got closer, the full beauty and magic of the area occurred in a visual explosion—moss and lichen cover rocks, leading to 100-ft cliffs of jagged rock, and below pounding waves of some of the clearest, blue water I have ever seen. Trails lead to various places along the cliffs and overlooks. I headed down to a promontory overlooking a wide cove and climbed up to the very edge. It reminded me of Yosemite Valley, only exchanging waves and water for valley floor and an ever-extending horizon merging the blues of ocean and sky instead of towering mountains. The experience was overpowering.

We stayed for a while to take it in, and on the way out observed a group of 3 bicyclists getting dropped off to begin their ride to John O’Groats in Scotland, a distance of nearly 900 miles! I both envied and pitied them, remembering the narrowness of the roads in Scotland and the height of the mountains. Still, what and adventure!


Bodmin, Cornwall 31 July
http://www.bodmin.gov.uk/History.html

Cornwall is the area at the extreme southwest corner of England. It is a land of expansive rolling hills (some quite large), broken only by green fields, each bordered by hedgerows like an irregular checkerboard, and dotted with lovely little villages and hamlets. We picked Bodmin (the name apparently means the “home of monks”) because it was on a direct line of travel and had a nice hotel (Westbury Inn) for the night. We only stayed long enough to have lunch on the narrow main street lined with medieval buildings; then set out for our primary objective (at least mine) Land’s End.


Bristol 31 July
http://www.about-bristol.co.uk/index.asp

When the training ended, we picked up a car in Taunton and headed for Bristol, about a hour’s drive on the M5 to the north. Bristol is well-known as a merchant navy port, one of the largest in England; so I naturally thought it was on the west side of the highway, near the sea. Of course, it isn’t! Instead, Bristol, like London, is 20-ish miles inland on the river Avon, which winds its way through the valley in serpentine fashion, giving some spectacular views of the steep hills on all sides. So we got lost…but eventually found our way to the hotel right in the downtown area and close to many of the attractions. It was already late; so we found a local pub for dinner and then walked a bit along the river, which offers a nice promenade near the downtown area with several floating restaurants and a view of the many small working boats and pleasure yachts moored along the banks.

The next morning (Wednesday) took a walk after breakfast, again along the river, to get a better feel for this undoubtedly old and prosperous city. The hills on the sides of the river looked even higher and steeper—with definite areas at various levels: shipping, town center, commercial district, cathedral and government buildings, universities, hospitals, residential areas. After the river, and viewing the 6-masted HMS Britannia, we climbed a long, gradual hill to the cathedral and were welcomed by a lovely, older women dressed in a liturgical robe. We spend a short time touring yet another magnificent structure including some special chapels off to the side dating back many centuries.

On the way back to the car, we stopped into a local library to check our email; then gathered our bags and started on our way to Cornwall.