Cornwall - And she was the fairest among them all

+

Cornwall, the pretty rose who dwelleth in the farthest corner of the British shores! If the lands of Britain were made of fair maidens then she would undoubtedly be the fairest of them all. Trust me. I know a thing of exceptional beauty when I see one. Afterall I was born into Gods own country and the place I call home is one of the most beautiful places on earth. So when I feel compelled to shower accolades on a place for its beauty words dont come easy  - but for Cornwall.

Inhabited since probably the paleolithic period, Cornwall is situated in the south-eastern most tip of mainland Britain. It is bordered to the north by the Celtic sea and in the south lies the English Channel. Its only land boundary is with the County of Devon. Since historic times Cornwall developed its own distictive culture and language. Cornish is considered to be one of the Celtic languages just like the Cornish people.

Though, over time and in the recent past especially, Cornwall has become a haven for the second homes of many of the affluent peoples from other parts of Britain.

My love affair with Cornwall began the day I set foot on Cornish soil. Before then she was simply 'that rugged coastline', with unimaginably high cliffs, that we all get to see on TV. From then she captured my heart.As you may well imagine going into intricate detail of the whole of Cornwall is beyond the scope of this blog, nor is it my intention. But there are a few gems that I discovered, some world famous and some not.

Let me begin with the Minack theatre. If there is one thing you have got to see in Cornwall then this is it (for me Lands End might be a close second only).

Minack theatre is a little gem tucked away about 10 minutes from Lands End, in Porthcurno. It is an open air theatre carved out of the granite cliff face in the 20th century overlooking one of the most beautiful visions of the Atlantic Ocean.

   

It is also the fruit of the remarkable vision and dedication of a woman called Rowena Cade who initially struck upon the idea to build a stage on these unforgiving rocks to stage the Tempest. The rock hewn seats of the theatre face the stage down below as well as the sea. Here we had the pleasure of enjoying a play with a very nautical naughty theme put together for the kids. There is of course a small restaurant and restroom facilities for the traveller. But nothing can parallel the view of the sea from the side of the cliff opposite the theatre. Its blue green waters lapping against the sands of the beach with the majestic backdrop of steep rockfaces are a sight to behold.

There is ofcourse another access to this beach nearby which dosent form part of the theatre premises. Both the theatre and beach nearby are worth every penny of the lengthy drive to get there.

Now lets get to Lands End, made famous by all those worthy people having the go from Lands End to John O' Groats for worthy causes in all seasons. Lands End is the most western and may be even most southern point of mainland England.The first day we attempted to visit, it was too rainy and dull so we decided to give it a miss.On our return attempt the skies had cleared and there was glorious sunshine awaiting us.

  

  Bearing in mind that I was quite pregnant during this visit, physical activity wasnt one of my favourate passtimes. But still we had to walk--along the cfiffside road that took one to something that looked like a promontory which played host to the First and Last Refreshment House of England.

 Along the way is the tourist quintessential of Land's end--the Signpost! The signpost that tells you the distance to wherever you want and  the opportunity to get a  picture taken of yourself standing beneath the signpost for some princely sum that I cared not to pay. But there is no doubt about the fact that the sea and the cliffs again provide for a breathtaking panorama.

The walks definitely made us thirsty and here the first and last refreshments house provided the much needed refreshment in the form of Ice-creams. On our walk back to the entrance we took another route which wasnt quite so picturesque but got us faster to the entrance where the Royal Navy were having their helicopter show.

The matter of food is not a silly one, infact it figures quite high in my list of neccessities, especially whilst on holiday. So where else to dine other than in the Famous First and Last Inn of England! So 'inn' we trooped through the back door which was kind of the front door because the front of the inn opened onto the road but the parking was obviously at the back. The inn claims to have been open since the 1620's and have  provided a haven for smugglers and shipwreckers as well. So all in all we were not in bad company.The following pictures are quite self explanatory and were found on the walls of the said inn.

The food was unremarkable but the sense of history was all pervading. After all Britain is more about history than anything else.

 The first I had heard of St.Ives was in the nursery rhyme 'As I was going to St.Ives, I met a man with seven wives...'. From my childhood I had always tried to compute the rhyme but never ended up with a satisfactory answer. It was only once I was well into my adulthood had I realised that the rhyme was a trick question rather than a mathematical brain teaser. The first thing I realised when we drove through St Ives was that it was never meant to be driven in! The road are ever so narrow, especially the ones closest to the beach. And hemmed in by dwellings in dark stone every inch of the way!

Regardless, the reason why tourists from all over Britain throng the sands of St Ives and walk the narrow cobbled streets is no secret. Its beautiful sandy beaches offers something for everyone. And when the weather is great there is hardly a shore on the British Isles that can vye for the sight of the colourful display of tents nestling beside the beautiful blue waters of the Cornish coast at St.Ives.                          

Our trip to St Ives culminated in one of its waterfront fine dining restaurants where we sampled some great British sea food. The lobster salad was beyond compare. The baked sardines looked a treat and the accompanying sauces and dips were worthy for a King. BUT unfortunately I cant remember the name of the place!

So on that very tasty note, I leave you my dear readers, until my next blog.

@ Copyright 2011 - Please do not copy or print any part of this blog including the photographs without written permission.