Back In Cornwall

It's long way from Morocco, that's for sure! But here we are back in Jeannie's home county, the holiday land of my youth, and where we were married.

Botallack Mines: iconic Cornish coast.

Cornwall has more than a little in common with Tasmania, being distal to the rest of the country, having a mining heritage, being dependent on tourism and having higher than average unemployment. But there are distinct differences too; Cornwall is not separated from the rest of the country by a Bass Strait, so there are many, many houses which once accommodated the local folk, but are now taken over, renovated and used occasionally by people from "up country". But now the locals can't afford to live in them any more, so we are constantly struck by the huge range of wealth on display.

We stayed for nearly two weeks at Kerriers, a converted barn down a bumpy road somewhere in the country more or less between Bodmin and Wadebridge. It is very convenient for the A30 highway, which is the main road running right down the spine of Cornwall. So we were able to head off in any direction and find nice places to go for walks. And with the good weather that we enjoyed, there were so many choices!

Kerriers Farm, as seen from our studio.

Unbridled hedonism!

Cold beer, hot tub: great way to end a day's walking.

We particularly wanted to enjoy one of the gardens, so an early stop was Trewithen, where we overdosed on magnolias, camellias and other flowering trees. And I wanted Jeannie to enjoy the same cycle ride that I had from Wadebridge to Bodmin along the old railway line a couple of years ago. Mostly she enjoyed it!

Trewithen Gardens: azaleas.

Sorry, but I love camellias.

Next, Le Tour!

Jeannie on the Camel Trail (The Camel is a river, not a bike).

Coastal walks in Cornwall are a sharp contrast between the wild and rocky north coast and the sheltered, wooded drowned river valleys on the south coast. We enjoyed both, but were especially pleased to see several of the choughs, the "national" Cornish bird, which is re-colonising the cliffs with only a little help in the form of land management, after many years of absence.

North Cornish coast, Gurnards Head.

Lelant Mine.

It's really a derelict industrial landscape.

The gentle south coast.

The Truro estuary at St Clement.

The ferryman's house, Malpas.

Just ring the bell.

South coast path.

The bluebells were just coming out.

Miles of public paths like this.

Moors and woodlands too; it's a diverse place.

Bodmin Moor.

Beware the Beast of Bodmin Moor! (We saw nothing more fearsome than sheep).

The Cheesewring, Bodmin Moor.

Nothing to do with cheese, or rings. Rather wring the cider out of "cheeses" of apple pulp.

Jeannie on the Very Top of the Cheesewring.

For the last couple of days we've moved to Mannings Hotel in the centre of Truro, since tomorrow marks 40 years since we jumped the broomstick at the Baptist Church in River Street, just round the corner.

This one's specially for Marty!

They run water down Truro's gutters, and sometimes it's green!

Truro real estate.

Jeannie's old home for sale!

And this was once her father's shop.

But it sold vegetables and fruit then.

It has been a great stay, even if there are some places where Cornwall seems to be being loved to death, even this early in the season.