Cornwall is one of the most beautiful, characterful, charming and pretty areas in the whole of the British Isles, yet few overseas visitors make its acquaintance. Granted, it is a long way from the major international airports, and it is not on the way to anywhere being on the southwest ‘toe’ of the country, but the journey is worth it and those who visit find the experience quite unforgettable.
Cornwall has very few major towns but hundreds of small villages tucked away down narrow, winding lanes with high-sided grassy banks. Exploring Cornwall is like driving down a rabbit burrow! Wherever you stay you will be close to a historic Cornish village. The local pubs are the centre of village life and offer excellent home-cooked food in a friendly atmosphere. As you explore the villages, locals will be happy to chat over their garden walls, especially if you stop to admire their colourful country gardens. The 21st century seems to have passed this quiet rural corner of England by.
The old fishing village of Polperro is one of the most delightful villages in Cornwall. Tiny 17th century whitewashed cottages tumble down the steep-sided valley to the sea. The cottages are so close together they appear to be stacked on top of one another! A small brook runs through the town, which from time to time becomes a raging flood, seriously damaging some of the pubs, houses and bridges which are actually built over it! The main street is very narrow so cars must park at the entrance to the village, near the watermill. Explore the delightful bakeries, craft shops and authentic smugglers’ inns. Tea rooms do a roaring trade in clotted cream teas served on flower-filled patios. The village ends at the harbour where the south-west coastal path takes over; a steep walk over the clifftops linking Talland Bay and Fowey. Small fishing boats bob next to the lifeboat station and a fish van sells fresh fish and local ‘dressed’ crab, beautifully presented on the crab shell. It is the perfect place to sit for a while on the old stone wall and enjoy a cornish ice cream.
Equally pretty and with a fascinating history is the village of Mousehole (pronounced Mow-zel) close to Land’s End. Visited by Phoenician tin merchants more than 2500 years ago, the old cottages are clustered around the small beach and harbour, where working boats and visiting yachts sit side by side. In late September the village begins to prepare for its traditional Christmas lights. They attract thousands of sightseers, especially to the switching-on ceremony in mid-December when carolers, the local brass band and the Male Voice Choir put on a grand show. For one hour on December 19th the lights go dark in remembrance of the crew of the Penlee lifeboat who all perished in 1981 when they launched their tiny boat in perilous seas to aid the stricken Union Star coaster. Once the centre of pilchard fishing, Mousehole’s local delicacy is called ‘Star Gazy Pie’ which can be sampled in the Ship Inn. The pie consists of small whole pilchards, arranged with their heads peeping through the pastry lid.
Special mention should go to the artist’s colony at St Ives, where the light is said to be ideal for painting and there is a modern Tate Gallery overlooking the beautiful beach. Once again the village is too narrow for cars but the stroll down the hill offers some breathtaking scenic views.
The delightful round houses at Veryan on the pretty Roseland peninsula deserve a visit. They sit guarding either side of the narrow lane which leads into the village and have conical thatched roofs with a cross on top. The village itself has a pond, a village green, a pub, a lovely church with a very interesting graveyard and a working watermill. Pretty villages are also scattered along the north coast of Cornwall from St Agnes, with its tin mine chimneys, to Padstow, highlighted by celebrity chef Rick Stein’s fish restaurants. Beyond Port Isaac, which is as pretty as it sounds, is Tintagel, home of King Arthur. His castle ruins can be explored and the delightful old Post Office and slate cottages make this another delightful Cornish village in which to spend the day.
|
|
|
