Falmouth Holiday Second Week

Sat - “Falmouth water torture” - dripping tap

From 2010_0612-26 Falmouth

Tintagel Castle is one of the places associates with King Authur. Exactly why anybody would want to build a castle in such a reomte location is something I cannot fathom. It doesn't appear to have any strategic value at all. Nevertheless its an interesting old ruin. I remember visiting Tintagel as a child, and later when my own children were young. From the town, we walked down a long road, there is a Landrover if you can't make it down or back. It is definitely not the entrance I remember. At the bottom, almost on the beach are the entrance ticket booths, toilets and a visitor centre. On the other side of the ravine there is a café, a little further up the hill. We watched the film in the visitor centre. The history certainly undermines the myth. After the film we walked out on to the headland – up and up narrow steps until we got to the top quite puffed out. Then we wandered about through the broken and abandoned walls, visiting settlements that had been there over hundreds of years. We were looking for the arched window that we both remember Andrew running towards, down hill at great speed. Our memories are slightly different, Jo remembers a tunnel, I do not. We saw various pieces of building and watch young couples take pictures of each other . It's a lovely place in the summer, but I imagine very cold and windy in the winter. Down again and across the narrow cliff – crumbling fast and soon to be gone completely but for the work of English Heritage and a lot of cement. Up, and up again on the other side to what was the church. Here I found what I am convinced was the original entrance, and could picture the path to the car park on the other side of a hill. So eventually it was time to go down again, and we decided to eat at the café. Good, simple food, but slightly expensive, we sat outside looking up at the cliffs. After lunch we walked away from the castle along the Cornwall coastal path for a while. When we eventually stopped we spent some time watching a Kestrel hovering over the undergrowth, diving, and then moving on. Hovering again, its head stationary, but its body moving just enough to keep it in one place, riding the wind. We walked back via a different foot path and came into Tintagel another way. Then we walked the length of the town and spent some time in the Tourist Information / visitor centre. Finally for Tintagel it was back to the 'Old Post Office' – a strange little house, one of the oldest buildings, with a well in the garden. It had only been a post office for a short time. There were pieces of old furniture in the house to give an idea of what living there might have been like. Very Spartan, with no running water and few possessions- still the idea has its attractions! Next door was an exhibition and sale (of needle craft mainly) and we had a chat about the green credentials of linen nappies verses disposables with the lady minding the stalls.

Then it was off to Boscastle. We mainly remember Boscastle because of the miracle of 16 August 2004 when a flash flood destroyed much of the village, but no-one was killed. There is evidence of the work that has been done to limit the effects of a similar incident happening in the future. The river bed has been lowered and the car park next to it raised. We also saw the new bridges across the river. We spent some time in the visitor centre reading about what had happened and the history of the area. Then went to the Riverside Restaurant where they were still (only just) serving the day time menu. Through the restaurant across a bridge and on to the decking on the other side of the river. Here there is the odd gull, but the jackdaws are the birds to beware of! So there we were eating soup (very nice , home made soup – orange and fennel, if I remember correctly) on quite a hot day. The sweets – from the evening menu were huge and very enjoyable. I also tried a pear Rattler – its a perry really.

After eating we strolled up the river for a mile or two, sat on a bench listening to the birds, and then returned to the car for the long drive back to Falmouth. It was fairly late and we soon went to bed. As were relaxed Jo heard the sound of dripping. I couldn't hear it a first, but then after listening more carefully there it was. One of us had not turned the tap off completely. We had been almost asleep and were now almost away “Falmouth water torture” I joked as Jo returned to bed. It's the best I could manage.

Sun - “Bad food day”
So far the breakfasts have been lovely, with the occasional kippers, or just beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. Not a full English but there are limits that I have to keep within. This mornings was not so good. A small part of the kippers was not cooked. I ate the parts that were OK and left the rest. It was the only time I had the slightest concern about the breakfasts.
We made our way up the hill to Emmanuel - Falmouth Baptist Church. The service was similar although the minister preached. Fro other parts of the service other people lead. There was also the welcome of a child. (Baptists do not Christen people, that has to wait until they are old enough to so “I Will” to following Christ for themselves. After the service we walked into town for lunch. It was pretty busy, being Fathers Day.

Eventually we went in the Quayside pub to get a roast lunch. It looked a bit run down on the outside. When we got in I now realise I should have known better. There were flies circulating around the middle. We ordered food, even that took a long time as the system for ordering failed to be operated properly, and the girl on the till started doing drinks. Someone else was assigned to that and had already served me with mine. As I returned to the table I was told of some of the others around us receiving the wrong order. If I hadn't paid, I'd have left then. Eventually someone came to our table and took our order again, the computer had failed. Staff were apologising to just about everyone around us. One man responded “Never mind, it happens”, the waitress said “It happens a lot here”. Which we already knew to be true. Our chicken roast dinners arrived. Another apology was immediately forthcoming – they were pork, not chicken. After another short wait our Chicken roast dinners arrived for real. I should think the chicken had been cooking since 10:00 am. Even so it wasn't exactly hot. We ate what we could and followed the advice of the mother and son (I assume) on the next table as the elderly lady said “lets get out of here quick”.

From 2010_0612-26 Falmouth

Wondering if our stomachs would survive the night we walked through the centre of Falmouth and out the other side as far as the Green Bank Hotel. It looked like the sort of place I where can't afford the entrance fee.
In the evening we had tickets to see The Miracle Theatre Company's production of Romeo and Juliet (To die for ..), or at least we had booked tickets.

From 2010_0612-26 Falmouth

So we decide to try to find the place a little early and look around. We found it easily with the Satnav, so we drove around local villages and came across one of the strangest place names I've ever heard of – Praze-an-Beeble. Back at the house where the performance was to be given we were shown into the garden and invited to start a new row of chairs – as the second row, so we had an excellent view. Here is a scene from the play, taken from the web site. The play we saw had a temporary two story stage. The six actors played many parts each. It was a mixture of Shakespeare and modern. All the classic lines were kept. At times the play spilled over into the audience and the rest of the garden. It was very well done, particularly to by a stand-in who had to read his lines from a script, carry his props and climb about on the stage!
A very enjoyable evening. By the time we left it was getting dark and quite cold. We were glad we had brought winter coats – they were needed.

Mon  - “A friendly cat”

From 2010_0612-26 Falmouth

Trebah gardens are lovely. From the top where the house is the gardens goes all the way down to the beach. There are some wonderful old trees and some very nice views - not just from the top, but from the bottom up to the hose, and from various places in the gardens. We wandered around enjoying the view and the shade on a very hot day. At the beach there is a shed selling ice cream where the seller clearly had no idea of the prices of his goods and tried to over charge us. I really hate this approach to selling. The sales people can read the price list as easily as I can. Walking back up to the house we made friends briefly with a cat (or did we just happen to be going the same way?) and at the top had some lunch. The restaurant was very modern and the food very nice. We also discovered Helford Creek apple juice – some of the best cloudy apple juice I have tasted. After lunch we looked at the parts of the gardens we had not yet seen then drove to Portlevan we parked in the car park. The single ticket machine was out of order. I decided to try to pay by phone, but when the message told me the fee would be paid because of the convenience I enjoyed paying by phone I declined. We left the car with a note and hoped. As it turned out the guy who said “No-one cares, I've been here all day” was correct. We decided to walk along the beach, it was horribly stony, with tiny stones that were very uncomfortable to walk on. We got a fair way along the beach and over a couple of rocky breakwaters. All the time looking back and trying to decide whether the tide was coming in – it wasn't, but even the local lady I asked didn't seem sure. We had walked past a few restaurants and decided to try Amélies at The Smokehouse. The waitress had an accent that reminded me of Calypso in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, but didn't look anything like her (of course). She gets a mention here because she was very helpful and skilful, carrying the 'Hake Tower' I ordered all the way from the kitchens to our table outside in the corner.  Amélies is another restaurant that is well worth a visit.

Tue - “Walking Day”

From 2010_0612-26 Falmouth

We drove to the church of St Just in Roseland. We had heard that Jesus visited the place. While this seems unlikely, it is not impossible as we know little of his life when he was growing up. The church sits almost on the edge of a small natural harbour and is surrounded by a steep graveyard where the graves are set to form 'steps' up the sides of the hills. The church is probably more notable for the windows in the roof that let in light and give the church a better atmosphere than the darkness of some old churches. Inside we were met by a guide who spoke to us about the church and the developments they are planning. The church needs a new roof, and with all such things it will be difficult for the small congregation to raise the funds. The are also planning a visitor centre, where they will be able to serve refreshments, but is must be a little way away from the church to avoid ruining the peaceful atmosphere. To get to Roseland we had used King Harry's Ferry – a chain ferry to get across the river. There are only a few of these in England. According to the Sat-Nav its top speed on our crossing was 2.8 mile per hour. We parked in the car park (free) in the village and walked the half mile down a steep hill to the church. This was not a good idea, as you have to walk back up the hill later.
After our visit to the church we drove into St Mawes and after lunch at the Café Roseland in the Tourist Information bought a pack of walks around the area. We declined a sweet course and set out of Walks one and two. Two being an extension to One. We walked along the coast from St Mawes to Just-in Roseland and back along the top of the hill – to the Café Roseland, where refreshments were greatly needed – a distance of about 5 miles.
Later we visited Veryan, where I walked around the Church of Saint Symphorian which has a swan on its notice board (Jo had had enough walking and took a rest). We were looking for somewhere to eat, but the local pub did not look appetising. We also visited Portscat but finally found the Punchbowl & Ladle on the way home. It looks like a very old inn, and the ceilings were quite low. We had to wait for a table and only got one just as the party that had booked the area we were asked to wait in arrived. The food was very good when it came, but the service was slow everywhere – even for drinks. They do serve Tribute, which is a very good ale.

Wed - “59 games all, final set”
We set off on the longish drive to the Lost Gardens of Heligan. The gardens have seen some development since we were last here in the 1990's. Still there are the vegetable gardens with all their unbelievably large vegetables and the other pieces of the formal gardens. It is a lovely place, but even in June is quite busy. Some of the paths can be steep, especially out of the main gardens on the estate. The restaurant is expensive, but the food is good enough. We emjoyed our time in the gardens and again appreciated the shade they provided.
After the gardens we went to Mevagissy, where many years ago as seagull stole my chips. Here we also came across more Cornish Car Parking madness. Arriving at 5:40 you must pay for a full day's parking (£3.50) and if you are staying after 6pm you must pay a full evenings parking (£2.50). I save a foreign tourist from getting his ticket a 2 minutes to 6. We had our evening meal at Blue Café Bistro. There are only eight tables in this tine shop. Most of them were reserved, but one was available. The two ladies in the café cook and serve. It's almost like being in your aunties lounge. The food is cooked in sight of the diners and has a genuine home-cooked quality. It is cheap too, compared to the prices we had paid elsewhere! We had a lovely meal, and as we left two others arrived to take our table – still the only one not booked. Tonight was another England game in the 2010 World Cup. The result: England 1 – 0 Slovenia. Amazing, they'd done it and were through to the next round. A more unbelievable sporting event was on the radio as we travelled back to Falmouth. Isner was playing Mahood in the Wimbledon Tennins Championship. The score stood at 59 Games All, in the Final set as play was suspended for the day due tyo failing light.

Thu - Return to Eden
The Eden Project is a sight to see. Three plastic domes at the bottom of an old quarry. Inside the domes are a tropical region and a Mediterranean region. As we entered we were asked to complete a survey, and then repeat it at the end. It was to test the projects effectiveness at communicating the environmental message.

From 2010_0612-26 Falmouth

Inside the tropical zone are plants from Africa, Asia and South America. There is also lots of information about the damage we are doing to our world and some suggestions about how to improve things. The real question was not addressed though. The planet Earth cannot support an ever increasing population. In truth it probably cannot support more than about 3 thousand million of us comfortably. IF we are ever to address the problems of climate change and environmental destruction we must first reduce the population. Until we do we will have problems sharing scarce resources.We had passed the Norway Inn on many occasions as it is alongside one of the main roads into Falmouth. We'd both said it looked nice and that it was probably expensive. The food was indeed excellent and the prices were also quite high.
Isner beat Mahood 70-68 in the final set

Fri - "Back on the train"
A driving free day was required as tomorrow the holiday is over and I will be driving back home. We walked the short distance along the coastal path to Swanpool, a nature reserve. Swanpool is a unique mixture of salt water and fresh water. This is a rare habitat and is now carefully protected. The roads around Swanpool have a 20mph limit and it is 'give way to ducks'. Once round the pool was probably a waste of time as there isn't much round the 'back'. The we set out across country, eventually returning to a built up area we found ourselves at Penmere Station and decided to get the train back to Falmouth. We then had take-away fish and chips, but it was nowhere near as nice as the food we had eaten in the restaurant. In the afternoon we had tea in the shop run by the town centre church. The two ladies on duty fussed around the customers and each other, there were a reasonable number of people there. What will England be like when the older generation is finally gone – when it's our turn to be old? Sandwiches for our evening meal and for the journey were bought from Tesco and the day ended quietly as it should.

Sat - "Homeward bound"
Traffic news on the radio is a marvellous invention. The program we were (sort of) listening top is interrupted and some other channel tells you that the road ahead is blocked and there is a 5 mile tailback. We stop for a dring and program the Sat-nav to take us via Crediton. Thus avoiding the A30/M5 junction and the traffic jam. It was a lovely cross-country drive. After three breaks and just over 6 hours 30 minutes we are home.