Day 202 - Amanda's back!

Apparently, Amanda has now had enough of Wales and wants to come to Cornwall. We know she had a blast in Wales, so we think she might be coming to see if the coastline is as glorious here as it is there. Tall order, but we are willing to take up the challenge.

Phil and I took the ferry across to Plymouth, did a bit of shopping and then met Amanda on the afternoon train after her 5-hour train journey south. Despite the journey, she seemed rather chipper and was up to the walk back down to the ferry. We made it in time for the last ferry of the day back to Cawsand. She brought the sun back with her, and so our trip across the Sound was quite lovely.

Back in the village, we settled Amanda in her room but didn't give her too long to rest up. On Tuesdays, a small fish and chip van called Ahoy! parks at the top of the village. Given that we are still carrying on our search for the perfect fish and chips, we had to give it a go. After a failed attempt to each said food in the garden of the local village hall (no cutlery), we went back to the cottage to indulge.

Now, it's time to rest, as we only have Amanda here until Sunday, and we have a lot of walking to do over the coming days ... with the challenge of finding both the perfect coastline and the perfect fish and chips!

Day 201 - The Black Prince Flower Boat May Day Procession

The village houses were decked out for May Day.

If there is one thing true about Cornwall, it is that it is steeped in tradition that is celebrated with immense enthusiasm. May Day is no exception.Today, the villages of Millbrook (just over the hill), Kingsand and Cawsand share a celebration known as The Black Prince Flower Boat May Day Procession. It is meant to banish winter, welcome the warmth of spring and summer, and hope for a good harvest. Mother nature was paying attention, and blessed the UK with record-breaking sunny weather for the entire weekend.

Edward, the Black Prince, was the eldest son of Edward III. He was the first Duke of Cornwall (Prince Charles is the current Duke, and Camilla the current Duchess). Edward died before his father, and thus did not become king, but his son Richard the II did instead at the age of 10.

Rankings from the local HMS Raleigh Naval Training site
carry the Black Prince through the villages.

In the May Day celebrations here, a model boat named the Black Prince is decorated with flowers and carried through the three villages by naval ratings from the local HMS Raleigh. HMS Raleigh is the largest Royal Navy training establishment in the South West of England.

Today's festivities began in Millbrook, and Phil and I walked there this morning (about 1.5 miles), arriving just in time for the blessing of the boat and the start of the procession around the village. The town crier was atop a balcony calling out to the crowd and organizing the parade.

We followed the procession dancers, musicians and children dressed in red and white carrying flower baskets, garlands and small model boats. Many of the houses and fishermen’s cottages lining the route were bedecked with flags and decorations to add to the fun.

The crowd outside The Mark of
Friendship Pub in Millbrook.

The procession's first stop was the aptly named Mark of Friendship Pub. Here, each set of dancers entertained the crowd, with a few stopping in to the pub. From here, the procession continued to the next pub, the Devon and Corwall in the village's High Street. Then it was off to the car park area for Morris dancing by the town's children.

Phil and I then walked back to Kingsand, where a fete was underway at the village hall. We enjoyed a burger and a chat with a local lady who was raffling a cake modelled on the Black Prince boat. As is often the case, she had a tie to Canada...visiting family in Welland and having a lifelong dream of living in Niagara on the Lake. We told her that we all have that dream.

The village fete in Kingsand gets underway.

The procession passes by our
cottage in Cawsand.

In the afternoon, the procession made its way through Kingsand, stopping at The Rising Sun Pub, then The Halfway House Inn. In this period of the day, we admit to taking a nap...all that time in the glorious sun had taken its toll. But we awoke in time to see the procession pass by our cottage as it wound its way through the narrow streets to end up at Cawsand's village square in front of The Cross Keys Inn.

We joined the festivities here, including watching children dancing around a Maypole.

A few of the local children dancing around the maypole.

The Black Prince is carried to the water's edge on
Cawsand Beach.

After more dancing, the boat was carried down to Cawsand beach and set adrift (later picked up on Kingsand beach) to the crowd singing a song to welcome summer. Of course, given the weather, the small local beach was packed.

The Black Prince finally gets its chance to sail the seas.

Combined with the festivities, the queue for the last ferry of the day was massive. The ferry can hold 62 people and two crew ... and it left close to 40 more on shore with a promise to make an extra return trip. Many sat calmly in the sand to wait the hour plus it would take the ferry to return. But, I think they were happy to have an excuse to enjoy more of the beautiful day ... and a Cornish ice cream cone or two.

Day 200 - Rest day by the sea

Today was a day of rest. We stayed in the cottage until noon, the made our short way down the hill to The Cross Keys Inn for their First Sunday of the Month Sunday Roast.

With bellies full, Phil grabbed a book to read and I gathered up my sketchbook and we walked out to Penlee Point to read, draw and watch the world sail by ... and well to just relax for a change. It was devine.

So for today's blog, the pictures tell the story.

The geologist scans the scene...

...and can't help scampering over rocks.

The artist's view.

Thrift or Sea Pink (Armeria maritima subsp. maritima)

A Dartmoor pony. The population is being encouraged in this area.

Sigh...

Day 199 - Whitsand Fort

A happy hiker!

Angela is back! And to mark the occasion we took advantage of the glorious weather to walk back out to Whitsand Bay. However, instead of going back along the coastal path, we chose instead to take a series of footpaths through the centre of the peninsula. This afforded us wonderful views in all directions, with Plymouth to the east, the village of Millbank to the north, Whitsand Bay to the west and water everywhere to the south (not quite the Channel and not quite the Atlantic, but somewhere in between).

As you can see from the pictures, the land rolls and is either pasture for sheep and cattle or is farmed for some kind of crop. The elevation goes from sea level to 130 meters above sea level, so on this day we were huffing and puffing up the hills and strolling down them.

Looking east towards Rames Head

Whitsand Bay is, as is most of the headland,  an Area of Natural Beauty and is therefore protected from development activity. The area is a natural wonder with numerous varieties of maritime plants that at this time of year are in full flower. There are also many kinds of birds that make their homes along this shoreline.  Sitting overlooking it all is the Rame church, which was dedicated to St. Germanus and was originally built in 1259. It has no electric lights and still uses candlelight. In its graveyard we found a number of gravestones for children and drowned sailors.

Radar facility on top of the Whitsand Battery

Further along the clifftop, the path cuts down into areas of grass between rocky crags where holiday huts have been built and then makes its way back up to the Whitsand Fort. It's actually not really a fort, but more of a gun battery that at one time was part of a series of batteries built to protect the coast from invading French ships and to stop any invasion via the bay to the top of the headlands which would allow the enemy to be in sight of the naval dockyards of Plymouth.

Time for that drink?

Two major forts were constructed on either side of the Whitsand battery to protect the entire bay, but by the end of the 19th century naval ships were being designed that could bombard the naval dockyards of Plymouth and stay outside the range of the forts. So the Whitsand battery was built in 1889 to house guns that could fire further offshore. Three 12.5-inch guns were available during the First World War, but were deemed in 1920 to be not needed.  During the Second World War it was used as a radar installation and today the non-profit English Heritage maintains it. Because of the amazing views in all directions, a holiday home complex has been built adjacent to the battery with permanent lodges and open spaces for caravans and campers that are integrated into the battery itself. Our exploring of the area ended with a drink at the battery cafe and then a downhill walk back to Cawsand. 

Ale of the Day: Proper Job India Pale Ale, St. Austell's Brewery, Cornwall.

Day 198 - Cawsand: A Smuggler's Paradise

So which side do we smuggle into? 

A work day today, and with Angela in London and my friend Lez visiting in order to do the work, I have decided to be brief today and provide a quick backgrounder on why Cawsand was a smuggler's Paradise. It's because of the villages location near Plymouth where illegal goods could be sold even though the Royal Navy has been based in the city for centuries.

The local coastline is also dotted with numerous caves for storing these goods and in some cases tunnels were built from these caves to more accessible locations on land. The most common contraband was booze and it was said that in one year alone, 1804, more than 17,000 kegs of spirits of all varieties were smuggled into Cawsand.

Smuggling had become profitable because the British government was taxing imports such as tea and spirits. In the 18th and early 19th centuries the tax was about 30%. The south coast of England was popular because of its proximity to France where much of the contraband was sourced.  In Cawsand, smugglers formed their own bands and violence between them and the navy was not uncommon.  Even among the smugglers there was competitive violence with rival gangs being organized in Cawsand and Kingsand and though the villages lay so close together, there was no love lost between them as they competed for to smuggle goods through their respective shores.

Eventually the government lowered duties and the advantages of smuggling disappeared and the activity declined. Today, the only smuggling that takes place is when tourists bring their lunch on the ferry to the beach.

Ale of Day: Legend, Dartmoor Brewery, Princetown, Devon

Out of town update

Amanda can't take any more of this walking and history ... or is it me ... so she's heading off to Wales for the long weekend ahead. Little does she know the walking has just begun. Bwa ha ha!

I dropped her off at Paddington station for her train to Carmarthen to visit a friend. Then I waited a few hours for my cheap train to Plymouth. Again, I had planned to write, but I couldn't take my eyes off the countryside...that is until I fell asleep somewhere around Exeter.

Phil was waiting for me at the station...yeah!!! Despite his previous rocky experience, we braved the ferry back to Cawsand...last one of the day.

Day 197 - Rames Head and Queen Adelaide's Grotto (and London III)

Pier Cellars

The other day we referred to the Southwest Coast Path when we were walking to Cremyll. This walking route runs for 630 miles from the town of Minehead in Somerset to Poole Harbour in Dorset. It's a charitable trust that maintains the path and it traverses along the coast of southwest England.  Today it was time to walk west along the part of the path that takes us around the Rame Peninsula toward Whitsand Bay.

The path runs uphill from Cawsand and traverses above what was once the cellars that fisherman used to store their catch. It was built during the reign of Elizabeth I and it had its own pier and harbour along with what was known as the Pier Cottage.  This cottage was famous during the war with France in the late 1700s as a place where the Navy would come and get their grog (a mixture of water and rum). In 1889, the property was purchased by the Navy to be used for torpedo testing. When they developed the property to allow for storage of the weapons, they unearthed a number of bodies but were unable to determine if they had been put there as result of natural causes or perhaps not so natural causes. Today the Navy uses it as an adventure training centre.

Queen Adelaide's Grotto

The path continues upward to Penlee Point where there is stone structure built into the side of the cliff. It's known as Queen Adelaide's Grotto.  Built in 1827, it was constructed to coincide with the arrival of Queen Adelaide who was married to King William IV.  Her full name was Adelaide Louise Theresa Caroline Amelia of Saxe-Meiningen, and  was German, as was William IV who was also the King of Hanover.  He was the last in the Hanover line to be King of England (no legitimate heirs, but 8 of 10 illegitimate children did survive him) when he was replaced by his neice, Victoria.

Easterly view from Rames Head 

From the grotto, you can see up the coast to the Rame Head. The modern and the old are both located here. The modern is a Life Guard station that at one time was operated by the Coast Guard, but when Margaret Thatcher cut government expenditures, stations such as this were closed down. Local residents formed a Charitable Trust to run and maintain the station. It is manned by volunteers, two at a time, who use the existing technology to monitor ships that pass by the Rame Head as well as keep an eye out for any boats or ships that might be in trouble.  They stay in contact with the Coast Guard and can have a rescue helicopter sent out from Newquay on the north Cornish coast to their location in about 20 minutes. They can also have special rescue boats sent from either Plymouth or Looe.

Climbing to meet the
wild ponies.

Rames Head gets its name because it resembled the head of a ram and it has a chapel located on its highest point. Dedicated to St. Michael, it had been a place of worship from 1397 and has served several purposes including as a beacon to send messages about the arrival of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Today only the shell of the chapel remains and some days the wild ponies that roam the headland can be found eating the long grass along the slopes adjacent to the chapel. From this spot one can look back toward Penlee Point and onward to the wide expanse of Whitsand Bay. We did not continue on, but returned back to Cawsand by way of the Rame Head road.

Ale of the Day: Prophecy Pale Ale, Bath Ales, Hare Brewery, Warmley, Bristol.

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Out of town update

Back in London, Amanda and Ange are preparing for another big day of walking and sightseeing.

Amanda had two things on her list of must-sees: The Churchill War Rooms and The London Eye. Of course, neither of those came to pass, although officially we did get to each spot. The problem: the queues. The recent movie about Churchill has caused a surge in interest in the War Rooms so tickets have to booked at least a day in advance. As for the London Eye, Amanda wasn't about to share a pod with "tourists" so that was out.

We started the walk at The Green Park, one of eight Royal Parks in the city. It is next to Buckingham Palace. There is a long-standing story that in the 1600s, Catherine of Braganza, had all the flower beds removed from the park after catching Charles picking flowers for one of his many mistresses (she bore him no children, but he had 12 illegitimate children by the time he died). The park still doesn't have any formal flowerbeds. With that many mistresses, perhaps Chuck actually picked them all.

Next up, ringing the doorbell at Buckingham Palace and then running away giggling into St. James Park, which runs in front of the palace and is another of the eight Royal Parks. Now, this park makes up for the flower beds missing from The Green Park. Charles II comes back into the story here as it is said that he received a pelican as a gift from the Russian Ambassador, and pelicans have been in the park ever since...along with a host of other beautiful birds.

We then walked to Westminster Abbey to join the long queue of people wanting to overindulge in the history that rests (quite literally) inside this place of worship. We entered, and as we were putting on our headsets with the self-directed tour (necessary in order to keep the great unwashed masses moving), we looked down only to realize we were walking over the grave of Charles Darwin (and that wasn't even mentioned in the tour). The people buried here are a veritable who's who of English history and culture. If you're interest in knowing who they are, check out this site: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/famous-people. Needless to say, we left the place almost overwhelmed with the beauty of the place and the thought that we were touching the tombs of, or trodding on top of, so many who have shaped who we are and how we think.

Next up, a walk around the Houses of Parliament (sadly it is covered in a lot of scaffolding at the moment) then a walk across Westminster Bridge. On the south bank of the river Thames, we passed County Hall and checked out The London Eye, before realizing it was time for lunch. Our choice: Fishquoteque, a fish and chip shop located under one of the arches of the railway line leading into Waterloo Station.

We made our way back across the river and through Charing Cross station, emerging at Trafalgar Square. We had about an hour before our afternoon musical was to start, so we went into the National Gallery to see if they had anything for sale. Unfortunately, Amanda (who I've discovered is actually difficult to please when it comes to art for above the fireplace) couldn't find a Monet, Cezanne, Gainsborough, Rubens, Rembrant, van Gogh, Caravaggio, or Leondardo that she felt would work over her mantle.

Our treat for the afternoon was Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Our jaws dropped at the opening number and never really closed after, particularly when we learned that the women we had watch transform herself into Tina was actually the understudy for the role. Fabulous! And yes, we were dancing and clapping by the end.

Well rested, despite the dancing, we decided we were good for a bit more walking. We went up to Covent Garden Market, then walked through the side streets to Chinatown and SoHo. We stopped into Waterstones, the London bookstore that is a must-visit if you are looking for, well, anything. Knowing we'd have to carry them, we resisted the urge to leave with any purchases.

To end the day, we walked up Regent Street to Oxford Circus, and then took the tube from Bond Street back to the hotel...and free food and wine, which is how every day should end...and here, at least, seemingly does.

Day 196 - Cremyll (and London II)

The Cremyll Ferry landing today.

Today, my friend Lez joined me here at the cottage for the next few days so that we can work on our research and writing together. So not much time to explore and therefore not too much to write. But I had said a couple of days ago that we would re-visit the story behind Cremyll. It is a village that sits across the mouth of the River Tamar and has been a ferry stop for centuries as it is the gateway to the Rame Peninsula (which is where Cawsand is located) and to Cornwall beyond.  According to the records, there has been a ferry crossing here since the 12th century, but historians believe that it could have been as early as the Bronze Age (2500 BC). 

When the Saxons battled the Cornish in the 8th century, it is believed that the Cornish crossed the river to raid Saxon territory. The name "Cremyll" is Cornish in origin and means "Crooked Pool." It began to flourish as a village during medieval times due to its status as the ferry terminus and entry way into Cornwall and a route to other Cornish villages and towns. Initially, only men and horses used the ferry, but in 1764 a larger boat was built that allowed coaches to also be ferried across.

When the Naval Dockyard was built on the Plymouth side of the river, Cremyll grew in importance and the Edgecumbe family who owned the ferry monopoly and the land on either side of the river profited quite well from the increased traffic. In those days the ferry was still rope towed. In the late 1800s, steam ferries were introduced on this route and the time to cross was reduced substantially (it had taken 90 minutes to 2 hours to cross previously). With the emergence of the automobile the time to go up the river, cross the river by bridge and drive back down into the peninsula was reduced greatly and this impacted the use of the ferry, and the growth of Cremyll. Today it is a tourist attraction with its foot ferry and the entrance to Mt. Edgecumbe Park, and of course there is a pub, the Edgecumbe Arms.

Ale of the Day: Trelawney Best Bitter, St. Austell Brewery, Cornwall.
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Out of town update

Amanda outside of the Tower of London near Tower Bridge...
the day was even made perfect by a London rain.

Back in London, Amanda and Ange continue their adventures. First on the agenda today was a visit to the Tower of London. We arrived fairly early, so initially had small crowds to deal with. We set off to decide which of the Crown Jewels we'd purchase if we were so inclined, but agreed their a bit gaudy for our taste (and the upkeep!). Then we joined a tour by one of the Beefeaters. They must all have to pass a Rodney Dangerfield comedy test before they can join ... they're funny in that way that's no longer politically correct, but you have to laugh at your grandfather kind of way.

The White Tower in the middle of the
Tower of London.

I'll leave you to review the history of the Tower. There is just way to much that has happened here to summarize in even a few paragraphs here. We joined another tour in the White Tower (younger than than the first, but same humour) where we learned far more about the various kings and queens and "guests" who had lived and died here.

Amanda thought a pub lunch was in order, so we went to St. Katharine's dock next to the tower to the Dickens Pub ... a massive wood-framed pub. It was here that Amanda began her Cider tour of the UK.

We walked to St. Paul's cathedral, taking a quick look inside, then considered our journey down Fleet Street reading headlines from various newspapers in tiles on the ground as went.

As we were passing the Royal Courts of Justice, I noticed that the door to the Temple Church was open. It has never been open when I've passed before, so Amanda was nice enough to indulge my interest and go inside. This church has a fascinating history and is part of a large complex of buildings owned by the Templers. 

We took a quick trip into the original Twinings tea shop, then went across the street to take a look inside the Royal Courts of Justice...but just a quick look as you have to go through a metal detector if you want to go inside for a closer look, although it is open to the public.

We walked down The Strand, passing several West End Theatres, and into Leicester Square to inquire about tickets to a play. However, nothing left by this point in the day was really catching our fancy. So, we caught the tube back to the hotel and enjoyed our usual dinner of free hors d'oeurves, fruit, cheese, bread, dessert and wine.

 

Day 195 - Plymouth Harbour (and London)

Plymouth Harbour

Today Angela left me. It wasn't as if I didn't know it was coming, but you can't spend as much time as we have together without at some point having to split up. Now hang on, before you jump to conclusions let me explain. Ange and her good friend Amanda had been planning for some time to have Amanda join us in England as part of our travels. And so Ange and I took the local bus at 7 a.m. to get to the Plymouth train station in order for her to catch the train to London to meet up with Amanda who was arriving from Canada that morning.  The local bus takes one up to the top of the Rame headland and the view is spectacular, but it is a lengthy trip -- one hour and twenty minutes -- because it must run through a number of small villages before reaching the Tamar River where the bus drives onto a ferry.  After a 15-minute ferry trip, the bus resumes its route through Plymouth until it reaches the train station. At that time of the morning, everyone is going to work or school so the bus does make a number of stops.

The Ferry crossing
the Sound

I must admit that watching Angela go through the gates to her platform was a bit of a strange feeling as we have been together so much. With a little sadness I began my return to Cawsand, which fortunately could be done via the ferry as it was about to begin its daily runs back and forth. What I didn't realize was that the winds had begun to pick up and the water was getting quite choppy. I didn't help myself either by taking some time to do some grocery shopping for items that were not readily available in the local shop here in the village.

The Cawsand Ferry (with its red hull)

By the time I got to the ferry dock, the crew were uncertain as to whether they could make the trip.  They do warn passengers that if the weather or conditions make for rough water, then they do not run. But we did, with myself and two other male passengers.

While we were battling what seemed to be 5 to 6 foot swells in a 30-foot boat, I looked around the harbour and then the Sound and wondered about the history of it all. So briefly, here you go.....well, the location was ideal for ships as the Plymouth Sound is protected by headlands to the east and west and the original harbour, known as Sutton Harbour, was in use in some form or another from 700 A.D. The most famous event,s of course, were the launching of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the sailing of the Mayflower in 1620 that brought the Pilgrims to New England. 

Over the years, the city has been threatened by the French, Spanish and the U.S. (during the U.S. revolutionary war the American naval officer, John Paul Jones, was stationed in France and made raids on England and Ireland).

In 1812, a 1-mile breakwater was built in the middle of the Sound to protect its entrance  and harbour and during the 1800s a number of forts were built among the headlands as further protection.

The Sound on a pleasant evening

When I arrived at the beach in Cawsand, I must admit to a sense of relief and I watched the ferry and its crew begin their trip back (empty of course, as who would have been crazy enough to do that journey).

Ale of the Day:  Dartmoor Best, Dartmoor Brewery, Princetown, Devon.

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Out of town update

Yes, parting is such sweet sorrow, and how wonderful that Phil and I have spent so much time together, yet still miss each other. I suppose that's why we will be celebrating 30 years of marriage this July! 

The train to London from Plymouth goes through some beautiful countryside. So, although I had planned on doing some writing, I couldn't take my eyes off of the scenery for too long. I arrived on time at Paddington and found Amanda waiting outside the Paddington store... sans the "Please take care of this bear" sign around her neck. I was excited to see her!

We took the tube to our hotel for the next three days: The Marriott Regent Park. We dropped off our bags in our room, then took a walk up Primrose Hill to enjoy a view of the city ... a good intro to where we will soon be walking. We then walked down the hill and into Regent's Park where we shared a fresh-made pizza in The Regent's Bar and Grill located on the park's inner circle. We then walked down to Baker Street and passed the Sherlock Holmes Museum at Number 10 (yes, it really exists, despite the fact that Sherlock did not). A long queue of people extended down the street, so a popular tourist site.

Amanda on Primrose Hill, with London laid out behind her.

Amanda and I then circled back and walked up the other side of the park, and then back up Primrose Hill to the hotel. We enjoyed our "dinner" of hors d'oeurves and wine in the M Club lounge before calling it an early'ish night (we did have trouble stopping chatting away).