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Published: October 5th 2014
After meeting up with Dave and Merry Jo
in D.C. earlier this year, they both inspired me to write blogs on my own homeland. So I have decided to write this blog on Cornwall as it's one of my favourite parts of the United Kingdom, and one of my closest friends lives down there, who I have known practically my whole life, so I try to visit Cornwall at least once a year. The reason I don't visit too often is because the drive to Cornwall from my home is about four hours. But the four hour drive is definitely worth it!
Cornwall is a county that is mainly surrounded by sea as its the foot part of the United Kingdom. Cornwall was part of the territory of the tribe known as Dummonii. After Roman rule, Cornwall reverted to rule by independent Romano-British leaders. By the time of the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, Cornwall had fallen under the Kingdom of England. Although part of England, the people of Cornwall are known as Cornish and they have their own language and flag. The Cornish flag is black with a white cross and is known
as Saint Piran's flag.
As the journey is 4 hours to Cornwall, I leave my home early so that I can make the most out of my first day; stopping off at a Little Chef restaurant when half way to take advantage of a naughty full English breakfast. Once I got to Cornwall I had to visit a town called Newquay to meet my friend Sally as she and her boyfriend live there.
There was plenty of catching up to do with my friend as we ventured into Newquay town centre. Newquay has quite a few shops including several surfing shops as this place is well known for it's beautiful beaches and good sea waves. I like having a look in the souvenir shops and you can always find plenty of unique Cornish items for the tourists to buy. We stopped off for an alcoholic drink along the seafront then afterwards went down to the beach, I ordered an ice cream and we both sat in the sun. As the weather had been kind, we decided that when Sally's boyfriend, Paul, got home from work we would have a BBQ and drinks, and have a chilled out evening.
The next day Sally and I decided we would go visit some places. Paul suggested some good places to see and advised on a route to follow. We first visited a place called Rock, a beautiful coastal village that is opposite Padstow (Padstow is a small pretty town with a fishing port and is one of my favourite places) The Camel estuary separates Rock and Padstow but you can get on a boat that will take you between the two places. Sally and I walked along the estuary which has a nice long sandy beach before stopping off for a bite to eat at Blue Tomato Cafe. The food here was very expensive but the quality of the food looked and tasted amazing. I opted for their special deal which was a small pot of tea and cake for £3.99.
After lunch we then went to visit a place called Tintagel famous for it's castle ruins and stunning views of the Cornish coast. Tintagel Castle is owned by English Heritage and so you have to pay to get in, unless you have an annual membership like myself where you pay £39 a year and can visit as many
of their historical sites as you want. Tintagel Castle is famous for being the birthplace of King Arthur. For those not familiar with King Arthur, he was a legendary British leader in the late 5th to early 6th century. If you plan to visit these castle ruins, you will need be fairly fit as there are many steps due to the hilly landscape. But the workout of the steps is definitely worth it as you can see some wonderful views of the coastal line.
After visiting the castle we went for a walk up the village high street looking in some of the shops. I was surprised to see so many tourists about and discovered there were a lot of Americans so it sounds like King Arthur must be popular over in the states. In the high street I noticed an old post office which is a 14th century stone house and it is still remaining intact. Also, I forgot to mention about the Cornish pasty which you can find at any bakery in these villages. The Cornish pasty is a must have for any tourist visiting Cornwall. The pasty is baked pastry which is usually served warm and
comes with many filling options; I normally go for the steak and potato, but they are all good.
After the trip to Tintagel we only had a couple of hours left before shops/tourist attractions would close for the day. Sally and I decided we would visit a place called Boscastle. This small village known as Boscastle has a picturesque fishing harbour. I could see why it is popular with tourists. The village has a museum of witchcraft, a pottery shop and souvenir shops for tourists. It was a shame that we had run out of time as I did not get to see the museum of witchcraft, but hopefully will go back there sometime in the future.
For my last night in Cornwall; Sally, Paul and myself went to a Mexican restaurant in Newquay called Senor Dick's. I can't say it was the best Mexican food I have ever had, but it was ok. I don't think any Mexican restaurant in the UK could beat eating Mexican food in Mexico.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Dave and Merry Jo were our first Followers...
they've visited us in Colorado, and I had hoped they might retire in this area, but they prefer warm weather. Anyway, we are pleased you took their advice about writing blogs of your home area. We love Cornwall. During Easter vacation we rented a cottage at a farm near Launceston from which we explored the entire area. So thanks for the memories of Tintagel.