Tintagel, Port Isaac and Padstow

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Today we set off- again with sunshine- to go to Tintagel. This is where the castle of King Arthur is supposed to have been. When we reached the village of Tintagel, it was our now familiar activity to find the parking area and pay and display. The village is at the top of a cliff, as is the ruined castle. You just need to walk down to the sea and then back up to the castle! Getting out of the car we found it was quite windy, and the wind was very cold. (Lucky the down jackets were in the car). We walked down to the beach, where we saw a number of caves, and then walked up many stairs to the headland where the ruins of the castle can be seen. In the ruins there are many separate buildings, and they may date from a number of different settlements including Roman, dark ages and the suppoed Arthurian ones. It must have been hard work living on the headland, as it was windy and there didn't seem to be much vegetation except grass. All supplies would have had to have been brought in, either by land or sea, and it would have been hard work to get them to the buildings on the top of the headland. Our muscles certainly knew we had walked! After visiting the ruins, we walked back up to the village to get morning tea. Fortified , we moved on to Port Isaac-or Port Wenn for Doc Martin fans. Again park, pay and display at the top of the cliff outside the town. We walked down the narrow streets to the harbour. There were lots of people in he town, all looking at the different places they recognised - the school, Mrs Tischell's pharmacy, Doc Martin's house, Bert's restaurant, and the lanes and walks around the town and harbour. A Cornish pasty for lunch was delicious and gave us the strength to climb up the hill back to the car. We drove on to Padstow, to see the place where Rick Stein has a number of restaurants. Again park, pay and display- although this time at the harbour, and not too far to walk. Again a place full of tourists, with many eating Rick's fish and chips. The harbour was surprisingly large, with quite a few boats. There was a dredge working up and down the harbour, fishing boats beginning to return and a ferry taking people across the harbour to a beach on the opposite side of the harbour. The area was much more sheltered than Tintagel and it was lovely walking in the sunshine. As we drove home, we stopped in Truro to buy dinner at Tescos. This will be our last self catering night. It has been very relaxing to be able to get our own dinner, then sit and watch TV afterwards. The cottage has also been great, not large but very comfortable. Would highly reccommmend the Gamekeeper's .Cottage!

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