Mt. Edgcumbe Country Park, Cornwall

May 26, 2012

 

After eating I headed out back to the Deer Park.

 

Is most of Cornwall this beauitful? It's almost unbelievable. A second person today told me I must go to St. Ives.

What's that showing over the hill, a castle? No, it's a church - Maker Church on the map, I believe. The park is in the parish of Maker on the Rame Peninsula. As I got nearer, the bells started to ring and ring. (A wedding was going on.) We just don't get bell ringing like that at home. I absolutely loved this part of the walk.

It may be a deer park but all I saw were sheep. You have to be careful where you step. I went through an area that looked like an old orchard with trees that looked like hawthorns.

I continued along on a coastal path in the woods where I sort of got lost. It was very windy on this day, particularly on the west side by the water.

 Passing through a fence I looked behind and saw these signs. Oops.

Back out in sheep territory.

Rounding down southward leads to a view of Plymouth across the sound. The ferris wheel is plainly visible.

I don't know what this flower is.

Near hurricane force winds don't stop people in these parts from picnicking or sailing.

The walk on this day was just the sort of thing I expected to be doing in the Cotswolds. Things have turned out very differently. I never dreamt of being based in Plymouth - most of the time I want to get out of cities. It's funny because I don't love it here... but then I feel relaxed, free & easy, and in my element on the promenade or around the Barbican with the sea, sunshine and boats. In fact, I'd have to say I never felt better on this trip than when I was in Plymouth. People are walking, sunbathing, swimming, fishing, eating ice cream cones, etc. It's peaceful and busy all at once.

Today at the Bowling Green Hotel I got moved from the side room to my new room at the front, which I hope will be my home for the next three weeks. It's a smaller room and lower down but also cheaper, and I have a view of the Hoe again.

Tomorrow, Cheddar Gorge! I hope to be back in time for the bell ringing because Tuesdays are practice nights at the church.

Mt. Edgcumbe, Cornwall

May 26, 2012

 

An intriguing patch of green land can be seen across the sound from Plymouth. Mt. Edgcumbe is a park of over 800 acres. Take the little Cremyll ferry across the River Tamar, £1.40 or so each way, and in approximately eight minutes you're in Cornwall. The park is free to visit, the house isn't. Believe it or not, the Cremyll ferry crossing has been in operation for over 1000 years.

 

Formal garden by the Orangery. Every place like this I've been to has an orangery - a place to house orange trees - now often turned into restaurants.

There were several different garden areas.

The English really know how to do grand sweeping lawns. I was using the new camera at this point and wasn't comfortable with it. I had bought a Canon PowerShot in Plymouth to replace my broken Canon Vixia camcorder.

View from up at the house.

A garden to one side was closed to the public.

I walked around the other side...

... and found neat old stables transformed into a cafe so I stopped in for a bite to eat.

B&B and ship

Plymouth

 

It's unfortunate that my camera broke when I was at the Acorns and Lawns guest house so I have no pictures to show of my spacious, clean room just across the street from The Hoe. This was the view from my window.

 

In my grieving state I liked to see any connection to my husband. Matthew isn't the same as Matthews but it was close enough. It was fitting that it belonged to an old ship because he loved ships and sailing. When I first met him I was told that he was known as a marine painter. The Matthew is a replica of the John Cabot ship.

 

 Fitting too was that it came from Bristol, birthplace of Glenn's father and grandparents.

Looe, Cornwall and a series of calamities

May 24, 2012

 

There was time to wander around Looe while waiting for the next bus back to Plymouth.

Disaster struck in Looe when my Canon Vixia camera stopped working - that is, the shutter wouldn't operate. It's a camcorder that Glenn bought but we used it so much as a still camera we'd actually forget it was for movies.

To attempt to get it fixed would be expensive and take too long as it would have to be sent out of Plymouth. I decided that I'd have to get a new camera because picture taking is such a good thing with which to occupy my mind and an important part of my time here. Meanwhile I had been trying to change my flight date home with Air Canada. For some unknown reason, they told me someone would have to call me back and that could take up to 48 hours. By Friday morning, two days later, I called them only to be told my travel agent would have to make the change. I emailed him with instructions and said I would be checking back throughout the day. I had wanted to check prices and discuss options. In the middle of things I was changing B&B's because The Bowling Green where I was staying was full for the weekend. Then my laptop froze up. It wouldn't turn it off and I couldn't get the battery out to force it to shut off.

It was bad timing to be without a computer.

I had to go out shopping for a new camera (in boiling heat) and had therefore decided, because of the unexpected cost, to cut a week off my proposed extended time.

Thankfully the B&B owner managed to get the battery out of the laptop so it could be booted up again. It worked but, because it was Friday by then, the travel agent didn't want to leave it over the weekend and went ahead without my confirmation (!) and booked the new flight for July 4th. Argh! That cost $300 so there was no pont in changing it to a week earlier for another $300. In retrospect, leaving a week earlier would have been better for a couple of reasons. I just had to hope that I could stay back at The Bowling Green, where the rates were very good, for a solid three weeks. Would find out later that day when I moved back.

On the plus side, I met a wonderful lady - the word lady suits her - staying at this B&B who is at a reunion to do with a ship that sunk. Her husband was involved with the ship but not on it when it sunk. It's always nice to talk to widows because we have something in common, especially when they adored their husbands as much as I did mine. She talked about Chichester, which amazingly is near Goodwood - a place I wanted to visit (airplanes). She also likes Kent because she says it's less busy and is like going back in time. So I started to think about visiting Chichester after Plymouth

Polperro, Cornwall

May 24, 2012

 

It was my first trip into Cornwall. I went by bus, which requires a change in Looe. It's only about 25 miles away and, if I remember correctly, it took one and a half to two hours to get from Plymouth to Polperro.

 

A woman on the bus who had lost her husband 17 years ago was in her mid 70's and hiking all over the place. She said there is a coastal path between Looe and Polperro, about 5 miles.

Cornwall is just across the bridge out of Plymouth but it seems different. Oddly there were more flowers, including mauve and pink ones on the roadsides where hedges weren't right up to the road. More rhodos. Beautiful lush green everything - trees, hills, fields, hedges. It seems storybook perfect. So it was in Polperro.

 

Too bad the tide was out. It would have looked prettier with water in the harbour. Regardless, this was a jolly little place. Charming, tidy and very hilly too! My legs got a good workout.

I considered a half hour boat tour but nixed that idea when I saw the waves crashing in outside of the harbour. Parts of the town reminded me of Greece with the twisty streets or alleyways and white buildings.

These were among the best scones I had in England, served by a fellow from Manchester.