| Day 20 - Cornwall |
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| Copyright Famocon Tours 2001 |
| The day started off fairly bleak. Low cloud obscured the bay and light rain was falling. Our first destination of the day was Penzance for a look around this well known town. We liked the little Cornish gift shops and the long coastal promenade. Then on to Marazion where we parked the car and wandered around before taking a boat over the short distance to St Michael's Mount. Marazion is the oldest chartered town in Cornwall (1257). Its name goes back to the Cornish word for market and recognises the major role it played as a market town until nearby Penzance successfully challenged it for commercial supremacy. We then spent a very enjoyable 2 hours on St Michael's Mount. The mount has a harbour, a small village, extensive landscaped gardens, steep cliffs and rugged coasts. Towering above all is the castle which has a history going back as far as most history goes in Cornwall. It was a port for the export of tin long before the Romans came to Britain. It served as a monastery, mostly under the rule of French monks, and as a fortified castle. It has been the site of famous battles and sieges. Royalty has stayed here including Charles I during one of his many escapes from Cromwell's forces and Queen Victoria. The castle is in wonderful condition. The views from the battlements of the surrounding bay and hinterland make for great photos. After passing through Helston and Falmouth we stopped at Truro to visit the Cathedral. The Royal Cornwall Museum is also a good attraction. Truro is the only city in Cornwall but its town is quite compact and easy to walk (if you can find somewhere to park). We liked its gardens and quayside buildings. We then proceeded to St Austell and St Blazey. Between those two towns is the Eden Project, which has caused a lot of interest in England. Clever feats of design and construction have resulted in huge glass domes being erected to house a global plant collection within different climate zones. We arrived at Lostwithiel, an old capital of Cornwall, and went to the nearby Restormel Castle, built in the 1100's overlooking the Fowey river and once home to the Black Prince. We then continued through lovely countryside on the way to Dobwalls, Liskeard, Upton and Launceston, which has two excellent old churches, including St Mary Magdalene, built in the 1500's. Launceston was also an old capital of Cornwall and for many years guarded the main route from Devon to Cornwall. The small heart of the town is surrounded by densely packed Georgian buildings. From here we passed through green fields and small villages including St-Giles-on-the-Heath, Chapmans Well, Holsworthy, Venngreen and Langtree. It took a little while to find Great Torrington because we were confused with all the other types of Torrington in the area, including plain old Torrington, Little Torrington and Black Torrington. Around here we also noted a sign to St-Giles-in-the-Wood which made us think that St Giles must have liked the outdoors a lot and left a big impression on the local folk. Great Torrington is the home of Darlington Crystal where you can tour the factory. Here you will also find the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens at Rosemoor. We particularly liked the glass roofed Pannier Market, the Tarka Trail footpath beside the Torridge river and the reminders that a great Civil War battle was fought here in 1646. Quite a lot of Great Torrington was seen in the recent BBC TV series "Down to Earth", which superbly captured the beauty of the countryside. We then travelled via High Bullen, Umberleigh and South Molton to a welcome return to our cottage in Twitchen. |
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