Blogs from Penzance, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, Europe

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Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance July 25th 2023

Whenever you travel in the third world, it can take a very long time to cover only a short distance. I shouldn’t have been surprised how long it took to get from Bath to Penzance. The train strike didn’t help my cause. There were no trains at all in Cornwall on the day I needed them. The man at the train station gave me a ticket to Plymouth and wished me luck. Everyone was very helpful. The lady at the Plymouth bus station said that all of the tickets to Penzance had been sold and came up with a convoluted arrangement of local buses that might work. I ate a Cornish Pastie in the rain and took stock of the situation. At the local bus stop I met Emile, the solo Dutch holiday maker, with a ... read more
Self explanatory
More Cornish Coast
Moomaid Icecream

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance April 4th 2023

April 4 – St Michael’s Mount ..... After a good night sleep, let me say that again, I mean a great night’s sleep we had our breakfast, packed the car and were on our way to St Michael’s Mount. You might think we’re going to France to see Mont St Michelle, nope! We’re in England, and one of the main things we wanted to see was St Michael’s Mount. Ok, quick history lesson. In France, a bunch of monks build Mont St Michelle, when one of the many different King of England was in France conquering the French, he really liked Mont St Michelle, and said “I got have one of these” and I have an island just like this one. He then took some of the monks back to Cornwall and said build me St ... read more
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Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance September 7th 2022

In Penzance but it’s the old taxi trick again. We were meant to be at the Minack Theatre right now but the performance was cancelled due to the poor weather. There’s a photo of the theatre that sort of explains why the weather is super important to them. So our best laid plans, booking from home, arranging pickup, alerting our BnB hosts, carrying a change of clothes amounted to nothing! Consequently we found somewhere to eat (Italian but only just OK) and treated ourselves to an ice cream. It was our first real ice cream (although I had gelato, old habits die hard) and it was good. Walked through the tin mining region today which was interesting, a reminder of how tough things were not so long ago. The track today was far superior to that ... read more
Italian night.
Setting out. Pendeen to Porthcurno.
Rare glimpse of blue sky.

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance April 3rd 2018

Set off this morning (in sunshine) for a driving tour of Cornwall (or the bits someone has decided we need to see), planning to be back in time to walk across the causeway to St Michael's Mount (open today from 12.30 to 3.30pm). First to Penzance, then a little further around the bay to Mousehole (because why wouldn't you visit a place called Mousehole!), lots of narrow streets in Mousehole! Then off to Land's End. I thought this was a sign at "the end of England" - but has been turned into a tourist park - shops, movie theatre, cafes, restaurants, hotel etc. Sign is still there, but you have to pay to get your photo taken with it! Seriously cold & windy by now (think Cornwall has the same weather as Melbourne - all things ... read more
Penzance
Mousehole
Land's End - just the entrance!

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance April 2nd 2018

The rain had stopped in Beesands this morning, so we could see it was a one street town (and only one side of the street has bulidings, because the other side is the ocean (English Channel). At least the rain washed most of the mud off the car, but had to go back on those roads to get out of the place. Had a chat to a local and found a better way, but couldn't avoid them entirely. So headed off to Cornwall, via Plymouth (because that's where some old ships left from, the Mayflower, Captain Cook etc), and via Truro (something to do with Maurice's family history and cornish pasties) and finally to Marazion. We are staying at the Godolphin Arms, a pub directly across from St Michaels Mount. This is a tidal island which ... read more
Beesands
Mayflower steps in Plymount
Bakery for Cornish Pasties in Truro

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance September 19th 2017

Morning wakeup was to the sound of seagulls outside the hotel window. This is it, the last and shortest leg of my cycle trek and it will put me at journeys end - Land's End. 1800kms completed,... except for that episode between Kendal and Manchester. But, the Orkney trek, the cycle back to Penzance, and a few other diversions have easily made up the mileage, although not the terrritory. Panniers packed and taken down to the lobby, I blended with the busloads of senior seniors in the hotel restaurant and chatted up a few. Buffet breakfast, and then out the door and onto the bike Another sunny start, with the obligatory dark clouds on the horizon. Penzance popped up real fast and was a great cycle. Mild hills, and then a steady roll down into Marazion, ... read more
Down in the hollows
Done... Moving On Now

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance March 1st 2017

We are settling in nicely to the routine of lying in in the morning, making a leisurely breakfast, planning the day out and just meandering. It is very different to being in Suzy . For a start nothing is to hand. We have a well equiped kitchen but it's not Suzy's kitchen and I find myself opening drawer after drawer and cupboard after cupboard to locate what item I need. We love the log burner and enjoy sitting in front of it at night as the wind howls outside and the rain lashes the cottage without pausing for breath . We like the comfortable bed with its thick warm duvet but it does feel rather odd compared to our Duvalays and we spend a lot of time of the road going back and to over the ... read more
Now you dont see it
Now you do
Mounts Bay

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance June 22nd 2015

Got up pretty early, but some mishaps with our card made it impossible to get pounds from the ATM. Interject: PEOPLE MAKE SURE YOUR CARD HAS THE CHIP! JUST MAKE SURE IT HAS THE CHIP! life will be so much easier for you across the pond. So we wasted a good deal of our morning trying to get that fixed. The rest of the morning was spent in the charity shops (thrift shops), which were plentiful in Lewes, but there wasn't a lot of variety, getting some gear for Glastonbury. After getting everything squared away, we made our way to Brighton to get camping stuff (bed, sleeping bags, wellies) and to wash our clothes. This is also where we discovered Sainsbury's : There was no laundromat in Lewes and because we couldn't get any pounds we ... read more

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance May 25th 2015

This morning we drove around Mount's Bay through Penzance to the small fishing village of Mousehole. It was pretty cool again today so we needed to put our coats on before wandering around the village. I put my coat on and Bernie pointed out something grotty on the front of my coat. Hmmn, looks like bird poo which I think I must have picked up when I leant against the sea wall in Marazion last night? Fortunately we had some antiseptic wipes to clean my coat with. We walked around to Mousehole's harbour where we stood looking at the boats bobbing on the water ... and the intrepid English holidayers sitting on the beach in their wooly jumpers and swimming in wet suits. Before we could head down the steps to the beach, Stephen flew overhead ... read more
Fishing at Mousehole
Mousehole coastline
The Castle, St Michael's Mount

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » Penzance May 24th 2015

This morning we set off down to Cornwall, specifically to St Michael's Mount which is linked to the mainland at Marazion by a causeway at low tide. When the tide is in visitors are taken across to the island by boat. We visited St Michael's Mount on our first trip to the UK in 1993 although I should say - attempted to visit - because when we arrived the rain and fog was so bad that we could barely see the mount. In the end we thought that it was just too miserable to be bothered going across to St Michael's Mount and we decided that we would just have to come back another time to make the trip across to visit the castle and gardens. But, I'm getting ahead of myself - first we set ... read more
Lyme Regis Beach
Bluebells in Dartmoor Forest
Dartmoor




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