The second stage of our late Summer holiday, saw us heading to a house in Falmouth for the next 10 days. With the boys having their golf clubs on board, we had taken two cars, so we set off separately planning a meet up in Exeter, for refreshments and use of the facilities.
Suitably refreshed we hit the road for the final leg in convoy. We were making good progress, when someone came pootling off the slip road 
into the carriageway right in front of us. With cars zipping passed us on the outside lane and the car in front not speeding up, we had nowhere to go. My hubby hit the brakes, as did I in the passenger seat and prayed through the expletives that we’d stop in time. Obviously as I’m here to tell the tale, we did and I had to stop the hubby gesticulating as we passed the oblivious driver, and headed on our way. . . . . . It’s set my heart pumping, just remembering it 💓
Fortunately the remainder of our journey was incident free and we 
were checked into our temporary home, looking out onto a golf course, by late afternoon. After a long, slightly traumatic drive, we unpacked, stocked up at the supermarket and then just chilled at the house for the evening, making tentative plans for the next few days.🥂.
We had a number of visits on our wish list but needed to plan our days around the Great British Weather ☀️⛅️🌦️☔️
Lizard Point
Waking up the sun was shining, so we packed a picnic and headed off for The Lizard and a lovely coastal walk. The promise of a pint in the most Southernly pub in the Uk, would be an incentive to continue should the going get tough.
Although the terrain was a bit rough in places, the scenery was breathtaking. The sea was so blue and very calm, which I’m sure is not always the case. Those of us not enjoying walking, were enjoying kayaking or swimming in the sparkling waters.
Looked after by the National Trust, the majority of pathways are well maintained, and we were diverted passed others which were unsafe or being worked on.
As we captured the view across the bay with the lighthouse in the distance and the now disused lifeboat station in the foreground, we could see our route was going to take us uphill and down dale before we took a break for lunch. But with blue skies above, blue seas to the south and fresh air in our lungs, what better way to spend the day.
We passed some fun guys (sorry) on our trek to the lifeboat station. As we looked down, the kayakers were looking back up towards us. Climbing to the lighthouse, it became apparent how large and VERY white it was.
The rugged path took us along the cliff edge, passing coves where locals were making the most of the late Summer sun, then turned us back downhill, before twisting back to the top of the rocks, where we found a sheltered nook perfect for our picnic 🥪🥨.
How relaxing and the views were amazing. As we sat, we watched the kayakers turning around on the water beneath us and head back towards the bay. We could have sat there for a long time, just watching the world go by on the water, soaking up the sun and fresh air, but that pub was calling, so we scampered back down the rocks to find the path and continue on our way.
3/4 of a mile and 20 minutes later, we arrived in Lizard village and followed our map to the Witchball. Evidently the most southerly pub in the Uk and the home of Peter Pan (without Wendy) for around 5 years in the 1930’s 🤷♀️. I can’t confirm any of that but, I can confirm the locally made Rattlers Cider was delicious and made for a very refreshing half hour. 🍺
All we needed now was to enjoy some Cornish ice cream, as we strolled back to the car
Perfect Day
Up North
Today was going to be a day of two halves. We were venturing North to the historic Tintagel Castle. Supposedly the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur. We were also discovering how vast Cornwall is and being mostly winding A & B roads, we weren’t going to get anywhere quickly. Although only being 50 miles away from our digs, it took 1 hour 40 mins to reach our destination 🙄
There is no parking at the castle itself, bit we found a field in the village, being used as a parking lot. At £3 for the day, the owner wasn’t going to get rich fast, but it was a perfect location and just a short and extremely steep stroll down to the castle entrance. Mmm we were going to have to climb back up that hill later 😮💨
Although Tintagel was inhabited by the Romans, the castle wasn’t built until circa 1230, by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, after its association as 
being the birthplace of King Arthur. It was a castle of two halves, part built on the mainland and part on a headland which juts out into the sea. It was originally connected by a narrow land bridge, but destroyed by nature, it disappeared centuries ago, meaning that to access the headland side of the castle visitors had to climb down into a deep chasm and back up the other side 😬. Fortunately for us a new bridge opened in 2019, which although gave my height hating hubby the jitters, it was much better for his heart than climbing into the chasm and back up.
The castle is mainly ruins, but the history is there to see and views from the mainland are spectacular. The wind and the sea were much more forceful on this coast than our trip the previous day.
As we reached the crossing and looked down at the old access, we were incredibly grateful for the new bridge. The headland although very pretty would have been quite bleak. The wind howled through the ruins and on top of the rock, where we met Gallos, a bronze sculpture of an ancient King, standing guard over the castle.
Walking through the remains of the Great Hall, the Walled Garden and the Chapel, the story boards gave you an insight, and maybe some mythical tales, into how life might have been in bygone days.
We climbed slowly down the steps at the side of the cliff and onto the beautiful sandy beach. The tide was out and we could see the wonderful coloured layers in the rocks. A waterfall tumbled down the rocks and ran into the sea. It was a lovely place to perch on a rock enjoy the tranquility (apart from all the other tourists clambering across the beach!). We ventured into one of the caves, where Merlin watches over. Although we didn’t spot the carving ourselves, he’s apparently there.
Now having descended down to the beach, the only way was up. After a scramble across the rocks, there was a gentle incline back to the castle entrance, before embarking on that steep slope back to the village. However the thought of a Cornish Pasty was enticement enough for us to make the climb. That and it was the only way up.
Just such a magical place, well worth a visit if you’re in the area
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Whilst on the North Coast and just a short, Cornish, drive West, we went in search of Port Isaac aka Port Wenn of Doc Martin fame.
The tiny little village must have been taken over completely when the film crew were in town, much as it was now being overrun with tourists. Oh but what a special little place. We found the Docs surgery/home, the beach, the chemist shop, the fishery, the school and the restaurant overlooking the bay.
So many recognisable places, although all not quite as they seem. Some of the interior spaces used for the series, were not quite the same on the outside 🤷♀️.
But the pub, with its lovely view over the bay, served Rattler Cornish Cider, so a delicious end to another lovely day.
Back down South
We were attempting the treble today, and visiting three very different sights.
St Michael’s Mount : This island, home to the St Aubyn family, is 
reachable by boat 24/7 (providing the weather is agreeable) and twice daily by foot across the causeway. Having checked the tides, we left home early to ensure we arrived to watch the causeway emerge from the water and be able to walk across to explore the island.
Strolling from the car park, we saw a couple of people who couldn’t wait for the tide and were wading through the shallow water to the island. When we arrived at the causeway itself, some of the stones had emerged, but with the water lapping across and part of the causeway still submerged, we had a ten minute wait until it was opened. How special was that and the mind boggled at the ingenuity of our ancestors who build the stone causeway in between tides 😮
The majority of the island is now managed by the National Trust, although members of the St Aubyn family still live there, alongside a small community of islanders, some of whom work at the castle, others who work on the mainland. All of them having to live their lives around tourists, the tides and the weather.
The gardens unfortunately were closed for the season, but from the castle above they still looked beautiful. However there was still plenty to see in and around the castle. Yet another steep climb, took us from the harbour passed the Giants Well and on to the battlements complete with its protective cannons.
The castle was vast, with much of it open to the public. Rooms full of ancient weaponry, beautiful fireplaces and wonderful views from the windows. Each of the rooms was immaculately presented, filled with books, vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows. Large outside areas gave fabulous views of the gardens, the sea and beyond.
As we wandered around passed the island chapel, we could see the causeway from above and the stream of visitors looked like soldier ants making their way to and from the island.
Inside the chapel the beauty and history continued with gorgeous stained glass windows and lovely stone walls, all sitting under the gaze of a fabulous chandelier.
Making our way back down the cobbled path, we came across the giants heart. Legend has it that it marks the spot where the giant that lived on the island, terrifying the mainlanders, was slain and buried in a deep hole. The heart wasn’t beating so I presume he is actually dead.
Despite the gardens being closed, there was still so much to fill a half day visit and we managed to take the walk back across the causeway before the tide swallowed it up again.
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Minack Theatre: A short drive West and we arrived at one of my Countdown to 65 destinations. Having seen it on a tv programme a few years back, I have been intrigued by what I had anticipated was a small theatre built into the cliff overlooking the sea.
The car park was just a small dirt area, but the staff were very friendly and were guiding arrivals to available spaces. More, equally friendly staff greeted us at the tiny wooden reception hut to scan our tickets and send us down the slope to the theatre.
As we reached the bottom of the slope, it took my breath away. This vast theatre, hand built and carved out of the cliff opened up beneath us. The views out to sea were spectacular and bizarrely it was quite emotional, knowing that this had been the vision of one woman, Rowena Cade and she built it herself, with the help of her builders mate. . . . . Astonishing.
The most beautiful gardens embrace you as the paths wind your way down towards the seating. Each bed is named after a Shakespeare character. The humid micro climate enabling tropical species to flourish alongside native flowers. If only I could achieve the beauty in my own garden.
The centre terraces are grass covered, and the side and rear seating are hand made concrete seats, so a cushion and/or rug would be needed if you are there for a performance. A children’s show had just finished when we arrived and we sat for a while mesmerised at them packing up and transporting all their equipment back up the steep climb to the car park. 😮💨.
We tested out the concrete side seating, which was remarkably comfortable, moulding to your back, but might be a bit hard on the derrière after a while 🤣. Carved into the back of many of the seats are the names and dates of Shakespeare plays and beyond these the “Royal Box” has the perfect view of the stage and the sea.
Time all but stood still as we sat in the warmth of the sun absorbing the tranquil atmosphere. The hubby enjoyed a Cornish ice cream before we made our way to the top of the theatre, once again through the gorgeous gardens and to the Rowena Cade Exhibition. What a vision and what passion to create this amazing place.
What I had imagined would be a half hour or so visit, turned out to be a remarkable, immersive experience. To see a performance would be incredible.
Please read her amazing story via this link, and if you are ever in the area take time for a visit. You won’t regret it.
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Lands End: You can’t visit Cornwall without seeing the iconic sign at Lands End. I have memories of visiting as a child and it was fairly bleak with just this signpost on the cliff! These days the whole site is very commercialised with car parking costing a minimum of £7.!!! Not that we’re tight (just frugal), we thought it a bit extortionate, so parked at nearby Sennen Cove where a couple of hours was less than half the price.
It also gave us the opportunity to take the mile and a half walk along this beautiful coast to Lands End. The sun was still shining and there was a cooling sea breeze as we climbed up to the famous landmark.
The signpost is surrounded by a small fence and staff personalise it for you, taking your photo for the princely sum of £12.95!!! You can take your own photos from beyond the fence but you always have someone else’s name in your pic. However having discovered our home town of Hastings was 328 miles away, and with the help of technology I have managed to “doctor” our photo 🤣.
We didn’t explore the remainder of the site as the sun drenched garden tables at the First in Last out pub were calling and after completing our treble, we had a lovely cider served in our special Lands End glasses 🍺 once again overlooking the sea.
What a fabulous end to a glorious day exploring, so many lovely places and we were only three days in to our trip.