June 3rd – We left our B&B in Bude about 9:30 this morning headed toward Fowey via Truro. We are amazed at the number of place names duplicated in Canada from the UK. We even found an Edmonton!

Truro is Cornwall’s only city with a population of about 20,000. Earliest records show a Norman settlement in the area and a castle was built in the 12th century. Truro Cathedral, finished in 1905, is visible from most places in the city. We took a self-guided walking tour of the cathedral and then returned after lunch for a 45-minute organ concert. Unfortunately, the organist from Bath Cathedral was unable to play today. Instead we heard Martin Palmer from the Truro School. He played an excellent concert which included Bach, Harris and Widor. After the concert we wandered through town stopping for a cuppa before heading out to find our rented cottage.

Truro Cathedral

A little bird cleans up the crumbs in our tea shop

Fortescue is a National Trust Property in a rather remote area close to the sea on the south coast of Cornwall. The nearest town is Fowey. Directions provided were excellent and after stopping for groceries we were able to find the property without any difficulty. It’s a three-bedroom cottage with a fully equipped kitchen. After settling in, Ron made a lovely roast chicken dinner supplemented with a homemade carrot cake bought at the Cathedral Market in Truro. We’re looking forward to exploring this corner of Cornwall and absorbing all the wonderful pastoral views.

June 3rd – Since much of the lovely coastal scenery is south of Bude, we took off a little earlier this morning and headed to Newquay – one of the larger towns about an hour south. Newquay bills itself as “one of the nation’s favourite seaside towns” and the best family holiday destination. It certainly appeared to be the latter since this is mid-term break in the British schools and the town was a-buzz with families. It was very busy but we did manage to put our car in a car park and take a 90-minute walk around town – particularly up to the headlands from which there was a great view back down towards town and a good vantage point for watching the surfers, although there weren’t too many in the water this morning.

During our walk we discovered a little building called the Huer’s Hut. The present building has been there since the mid-19th century; however, it is believed that the history goes back as far as the 14th century. Tradition has it that the Huer would use the hut as a base from which he could spot shoals of fish, likely pilchards, at which point he would sound his horn. This in turn would set off a hue and cry amongst the town residents for the fishermen to launch their boats. The Huer would guide them in to where the fish were and they would use long nets to catch the fish. I wonder if this was the origin of the phrase “a hue and cry.”

Huer’s Hut

After we left Newquay, we headed back north towards Padstow making a quick stop to check out the Bedruthan Steps.  The name is said to have been taken from a mythological giant called Bedruthan who used the rocks (stacks) on the beach as stepping stones. Perhaps it was a late 19th century invention for Victorian tourists. Some think the name likely referred to one of two cliff staircases used by miners to get to the mine workings but now refers to the whole beach. Each of the five stacks has a name. Further along we stopped at a little pub for lunch.

Having heard that Padstow was crazy busy because of the school break, we decided to avoid it and head north along the coast stopping at some of the small towns and villages along the way. We parked and walked through Chapel Amble (5 minutes!) which had a pub, a post office, a church (closed) and a few residences. The village dates back to at least 1373. It gained some notoriety in 2002 after a local farmer’s death was reported in the national press. The farmer was also a newspaper reporter.

Our next stop was Port Isaac, scene of the filming of Doc Martin, an ITV series that we have been watching.  It is also the home of the Fisherman’s Friends, a group of sea-shanty singers that perform throughout the area. The pier was built during Henry VIII’s time but the actual village centre dates from the 18th and 19th centuries and has over 90 listed buildings. It’s still a working fishing port bringing in fish, crab and lobster catches.

Port Isaac

Port Isaac Harbour

We drove through Tintagel, a village inextricably linked with King Arthur and the site of castle ruins around which the legend has been built. Given that it was late in the day, we chose not to stop for a visit. Boscastle was our next stop. The harbour at Boscastle is a natural inlet with two harbour walls built in 1584. In 2004 the town experienced a devastating flood which washed some 1000 cars out to sea and demolished about 90 buildings. Fortunately, no lives were lost. The restoration maintains the old stone features of the village but with a slightly more modern look. The walkway on either side of the harbour includes small shops, the visitors centre and a youth hostel.

Our next stop was at a restaurant in Widemouth Bay, called Elements, which had been recommended by Brian at our B&B. Unfortunately, because of our timing we hadn’t asked him to make a reservation and we were unable to get in. We also attempted the Beach Hotel restaurants in town but the traffic was horrendous and there was no parking. We decided our best choice was a little local pub in Poughill which we had passed many times on our way in and out of town. Good choice! Lamb ragu and roast lamb were the selections of the night.

June 2nd – Here we are once again on England’s fair shores. This time we are travelling with George’s cousin, Ron Hunter and wife, Heather. The purpose of our trip is a family pilgrimage to Hamel, France, to visit the cemetery where their grandfather is buried, but we decided to spend a few weeks in England first. Our plans include 3 days in Bude, 7 days in Fowey, and 2 days in Rye, where we will be meeting up with two of Ron’s brothers and then travelling to France through the Chunnel. When we get to Albert, we’ll meet another cousin who lives in Switzerland and our son. In the three days we have together there we hope to visit some of the WWI sites. Duncan Hunter enlisted in a non-combat role and was killed in the line of duty 100 years ago this month, leaving his widow with eight children – the youngest was George’s mom, Lily, who was only a year old.  After we leave the cousins, the three of us will be travelling on to Bruges, The Hague, and Amsterdam before we fly home on June 20th.

Heather, Ron & George

Our first day was spent driving from Gatwick airport to Bude, on the north coast of Cornwall. It seems funny to me to think of it as ‘north’ but that’s how they refer to it here. We were all a bit tired after the long flight and a six-hour drive but found our B&B to be very inviting and comfortable, with a lovely view from our bedroom window. After a quick dinner at the Falcon Pub, we all retired for a well-earned sleep.

Our first full day was spent in and around the cute little town of Clovelly. The town is quite unique since it is owned by one family and has no cars. Built on the side of a hill, it has a very steep cobbled main street (known as ‘Up-along’ or ‘Down-along’) that leads down to the harbour, up and down which all people and goods must travel. For centuries, donkeys were the main form of transport but now sledges made of wood are used for hauling everything from school bags, to groceries to furniture. The quay dates back to the 14th century as do many of the cottages. We enjoyed lunch outside quay-side at the Red Lion Pub. While there we also visited the Clovelly Court Gardens and church, which dates back to the 13th century.

Cobbled main street

A sledge

Our next stop was Hartland Abbey and Gardens, where we were able to tour the house and gardens at a relaxed pace. We met the owner, quite by chance, arriving with fresh eggs and rhubarb just picked from the garden. Built in the 12th century, the Abbey served as a monastery longer than any other in the country. In 1539, Henry VIII gifted the Abbey to the keeper of his Wine Cellar and it has stayed in the family ever since. A number of BBC productions and movies have been shot on site.

Hartland Abbey

The scenery is often spectacular along the coastline but many times a walk longer than we are prepared to take is necessary to get a really good photo. This stop at Hartland Quay afforded us a fantastic view just a few steps from the car park.

View from Hartland Quay

Dinner tonight was at the Beacon Arms, another local pub.