June 7th – Today’s adventure was to Cotehele, the ancestral home of the Edgcumbe family since 1353. In 1947, the 6th Earl of Edgcumbe passed it to the National Trust and it has remained pretty much as it was. The house is medieval with Tudor additions and is one of the least altered Tudor houses in the UK. The property includes a quay, extensive gardens, a chapel and a mill…all currently functioning. Throughout the property there are a number of other outbuildings that indicate other industries and activities that would have been carried out.

The house has an extensive and eclectic collection of tapestries and medieval armour, proof that it really was a play-house for the Edgcumbes. Their main house, Mount Edgcumbe, is just a few miles away and is also open to the public

We enjoyed touring the house and chatting with the docents in each room. We also enjoyed strolling through the gardens – some of the largest poppies we’ve ever seen.

This was a special treat – to play the organ in the chapel – especially since Jenn played the harpsichord at William Wordsworth’s home on our visit to the Lake District last year.

Dinner tonight was also a special treat! We stopped in Pelynt on the way out this morning to order some lamb for dinner. When we returned, Ron, having raised lambs on his farm, was impressed to see how the butcher had prepared the racks for us. Originally the plan was to BBQ but plan B had to be implemented when the guys discovered that our bag of charcoal had disappeared. The broiler worked just fine, and sides of fresh asparagus, roast Murphies (potatoes), as they’re called in the Hunter family, and tomato salad made for a memorable meal. If you ever want to feel guilty enjoying a lovely lamb dinner, picture this sight with the appropriate sounds out the kitchen window.