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St.Nectan's glen & waterfall
Well, what a beautiful place! St Nectan's waterfall is truly one of Cornwall’s hidden gems! It’s in Trethevy and you have to park up and take about a 20 minute walk through an ancient woodland to the waterfall. We waked along the bank of the river Trevillet admiring all the beautiful flowers and ivy clad trees. Since spring seems to have come upon us now, daffodils are out and the lesser celandine is glowing. The Glen has been appointed a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to rare specimens of plants. The sound of the waterfall can be heard as you walk towards it, even though there were a few other roads we could have taken, we seemed to instinctively know which direction to walk. There is a small fee to pay for entrance as it is privately owned but it doesn't cost anywhere near as much as English heritage sites would charge.
We made our way down the stone steps, once at the bottom, the waterfall was not obvious as it is hidden away around the curves of the Devonian slate. We hopped from stone to stone to see and what a magnificent
sight. The 60ft waterfall flows through two rock openings, the water then cascades into a pool and flows into a beautiful valley. As the waterfall takes it journey into the pool it creates a wonderful sound of refreshment and awe. RM gazed around the glen and wandered here and there finding a spot for his wish ribbon. AP delicately climbed on the rocks feeling the structure of the glen and seeing it from a different perspective. AP like RM was searching for a nice place to tie the wish ribbon. Wish ribbons are a common site here, it’s a sacred place and many people from far and wide come here for replenishing and show their appreciation to nature. The water is also meant to have healing properties and some take the hair of a sick person there and tie it to a branch. AP found her spot opposite the waterfall, high in the rocks, RM chose a spot across from the waterfall. We both drank the water here, it was fresh and clean, nothing like tap water, this was the real stuff! We both felt immense serenity here, its definitely a place to cherish as one of Earths great ancient
natural places.
If anyone likes mysticism, enchantment or legends there are two amazing artists who have a shop called Another Green World in Tintagel, they create artwork of the Glen and waterfall as well as other fantasy/dreamscape/legendary art. Their website is www.peterpracownik.com
Tintagel Castle
Tintagel is a town just a little way up from Boscastle, a beautiful town steeped in mystery. It has some great authentic shops where you can buy dragons, crystals, usual books etc. plus proper Cornish ice-cream which was delicious! We had previously visited Tintagel but due to arriving late we only time to look around the courtlands of the castle. Funnily enough we went into the shop Another Green World and that is where we found out about St. Nectan's Glen and waterfall, if we had not we wouldn't have known about it.
From Tintagel village you head steeply down a hill and back up to the paths around the edge of a cliff where there is a small bridge crossing onto the Island of Tintagel The first time we visited, it was gone five and we didn't get a chance to cross over onto the island itself. Though it did feel like
a place of magic somehow - the wind was thick and cold, looking at flying seagulls below you and the waves crashing in on the cove beach at the bottom of the cliff,. Around there were caves, one of which is said to be Merlin's cave, which we visited the following week.
There are actually two castle remains on the site - one remains from the dark ages (supposedly the birth place of King Arthur) and one built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall in Medieval times. As the place is pretty disadvantageous from a defensive point of view, it’s thought that he built it there to give himself a connection to the legendary king. We went onto the island and saw the remains the following week.
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daniel pierson
non-member comment
Woah!
that looks like a magnificent & magical place.