Cornwall 3 - Falmouth / Pendennis Castle/ Kastel Pendinas/an Elizabethan coastal fort facing St Mawes and a garrison fort

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Today was going to be an odd one. A trip to Falmouth the home that Glenns dad had for a time in the late 1930s and early 1940's when he was garrisoned here as a marine. His job repairing the guns that would service the fort and protect England against any German invasion before he was posted abroad to fight in Italy and Egypt. Unlike my dads war service which was in Burma and impossible to track Glenn has the advantage of being able to see somewhere his dad was garrisoned and walk in his footsteps. We rose rather late in the day for us and had a late breakfast before hitting the road. I had visited Pendennis a couple of times in the past but this was with someone else and with our children when they were small. The drive did bring back memories of long forgotten holidays. The joys of escaping to Wales and Cornwall after many years as a child travelling only by bus or coach trip to Derbyshire and Chatsworth. Without a car we never ventured far. Our holidays were just to Scotland to visit relatives which we did either by bus and train or I went to Rhyl to a caravan park or later to Blackpool in a bed and breakfast . When we became more adventurous our trips were to Abersoch in Wales or down to Cornwall. We bought a two man tent . A one room affair with no light. We went to bed as the sun set and rose with it in the morning. We had no lilo or soft mattress. The first few days were fine. We did not feel a thing however after about three every stone or rock punched a hole in our skin. Our sleeping bags cheap nylon ones that either left us cold and shivering or sweating and sticky. Cooking by a one gas ring which meant our food was limited. How things have changed . The two man tent replaced by a family sized on with a lounge and two bedrooms. We purchased mattresses so that we no longer slept on the ground and the gas ring was replaced by a two ring one with a grill. From that we moved to Suzy our home on wheels with everything we could possibly need. We miss her today. OUr new home for the week has a welcome pack in it - milk, butter , eggs , an organic loaf, some rather nice scones, jam and clotted cream. Flowers to welcome us and another welcome pack of kindling and logs for the woodburner. However we miss Suzy and the fact that whatever we want is there . Here we find we have forgotten things and they are not to hand.

After breakfast and a bit of reminiscing we drove to Falmouth stopping along the way above the town to view the harbour and town below. Of course I had to go and fall didn't I? I couldnt possibly manage an entire week away from home without falling over a pavement. They seem to come up and trip me up. Nothing to do with me. One minute I was walking along quite happily and the next I am flying across the pavement heading for the ground at great speed. Right knee hits the ground - that's a bruise and a few cuts. The left hits the pavement sideways on - no cuts just another great big sore bruise and a bruised ego. A quick look around - no one about so I pick myself up and dust myself off. Into the car quickly and off to the car park for Pendennis castle .

I had always wondered about the name. It seemed rather odd until you see the cornish translation. Kastel Pendinas. - being Welsh that was easy to translate - Kastel = Castell in Welsh or Castle . Pen means a head and dinas a city so this lovely castle actually translates to Head of the city castle. Makes a lot of sense with its position above Falmouth high on the headland overlooking the sea and the Roseland Peninsula opposite.

We parked up and were invited to explore what was described as Henry VIII's coastal fortresses which has defended Cornwall against foreign invasion from Tudor times to the first and second world wars. The castle has changed over the years from the Tudor castle to a victorian garrison.

We started off handing over our Cadw tickets which gave us free entry. The wind blew us. This is something that we are getting used to down here. The weather is not being kind to us. OUr first stop the garrison building. Inside was a pleasant cafe where we drank coffee to warm us up and ate cranberry and yoghurt flapjacks. Upstairs was a display of first world war artifacts ranging from guns to medals, a Queen Mary Christmas tin full of gifts for the soldiers in the trenches, beds and medals from the period. The most poignant thing for me was the large brass plaque given to parents of sons who had died for their country. I had seen them on antique sales on the TV but this was the first time I could see the size and the pointlessness of the item. A large piece of brass in exchange for a life. Interesting but sad .

The garrison was taken over by the 105th Regiment Royal Garrison Artillery in 1902 A new barracks was built to house them, and a signal station was constructed on top of the old keep to coordinate operations with shipping, while the 16th-century guardhouse alongside the keep was demolished. The castle was reinforced by territorial soldiers during the First World War and with this additional defences . It continued to defend the harbour and was also used for training purposes. After the war, Pendennis continued to be used for training gunners and I guess this might have been why Glenns dad came here in 1939.

We wandered around the guns , twin six pounders and longer rang artillery . Perhaps his dad handled these and repaired them. He possibly slept in the buildings, ate in them and worked in them. Further down the hill was half moon battery all painted in camouflage paint brown and green. Overlooking the Carrick Roads it probably was a place his dad walked around and worked in.

Having discovered all there was to see around the perimeter of the site we headed for the Tudor jewel in the centre. Pendennis Castle was built as a consequence of international tensions between England, France just across the Channel and the Holy Roman Empire in the final years of the reign of Henry VIII. With the threat of invasion after Henry's break with Rome castles like this needed to be built . What a beautiful castle he built. Similar to those near to Dover it is clover shaped inside . We walked in through a Vauban style entrance gate . We have seen many in France but none here. Across the water Henry built its sister St Mawes. We could see this in the distance. Inside was another gatehouse with Tudor coat of arms above the doorway. Inside huge open spaces with windows to every side. Gun emplacements all around the space . It was an area dangerous, smelly , smoky and noisy but a place where the whole of the sea could be defended . Upstairs the same space , still more windows overlooking the water and windows for more guns .



We were lucky the place was virtually empty , it was only open at the weekend and I thought it would be busy . Luckily it was not and it gave us chance to wander at our own speed, go back and look again and generally just amble .

Was Glenn pleased that he saw where his father was stationed? Of course he was . It felt like a rare pleasure to have such a connection with one place .

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