Last Bath.

Wednesday 1st June 2016 - Bath.

It's our last full day of this trip and the 1st day of June, we can't believe it's either.  We have had such a good time, seeing wonderful coastlines and countryside.  Our favourite harbours are Porthleven and Mevagissey.  Best sight is probably St Michaels Mount and best beaches are at St Ives, Hayle and Perranporth.  Tastiest Pasties at The Horse & Jockey shop at Porthleven, closely followed by Tintagel and Hayle.

Today, we had a slow start.  The weather forecast was for a cloudy but dry day but after some early rain we set off for a cycle ride along the Two Tunnel Route.  The man who started the cycle charity Sustrans came from Bristol and there are plenty of good cycle routes near here.  The Two Tunnel route includes the Devonshire tunnel and the Coombe Down Tunnel which is over a mile long.  It is the longest cycle route tunnel in the country.  It is tarmaced, and lit throughout and even has music playing!

It looks darker than it was.

We went as far as Midford Castle which was built as a clover shaped folly but was owned at one time by Nicholas Cage!  That's as much media trivia as I have.

In the afternoon we cycled into Bath and had another look around.  We thought we should have a Bath Bun....

Here is Janice proudly showing her Bath Bun.

She wanted to do some girlie window shopping and for an hour we separated so I could do some 'man' shopping.  It was the longest hour of my life.....I tried to fill time by looking into Bath Abbey and after ten minutes I spent the rest of the time wandering aimlessly around the streets.  Shopping isn't my favourite pastime!  Especially when I don't want to buy anything.

It is a very nice city though.  I sneaked a photo of the Roman Baths at Aqua Sullis....

In the evening we had a nice meal in a pub on the way back to the site..

Tomorrow we drive back home.  The end of a lovely trip.

Thursday 2nd June 2016 - back home.

Nice journey home.  No problems.  Lovely weather to come back to.

Isambard Wallace Fry Wills Bevan Brunel.

Tuesday 31st May 2016 - Bath.

We thought that today we would utilise the Bath to Bristol cycle path and give Bristol a visit.  The cycle path isn't far from our site and the forecast was fine till teatime.  The cycle path is 16 miles long and is based on an old railway track so it's fairly flat.  It certainly is a well used route for cyclists, runners and walkers.

We have both visited Bristol but my visit was very brief and only seemed to involve a visit to SS Great Britain built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.  He was narrowly pipped by Churchill in a public vote to decide who is the greatest British person ever! 

All I can say is that Brunel had very short arms and a tall head!

Our first visit was to the 'M Shed' which is a museum with a good historical overview of Bristol.  It is on the harbourside and gave us lots of information about prominent Bristolians.  There were plenty of famous people including Nick Park who created Wallace and Gromit, standby for another photo of me with a wide mouth!

Other famous people include Ernest Bevan, Samuel Plimsoll (who invented the Plimsoll line on ships to judge the cargo weight) and the Wills family who made cigarettes including Woodbines and a cigar called the 'Wills Whiff'!  

The harbour area is very pleasant, we didn't go into SS Great Britain because believe it or not it was £14 admission (no Gift Aid option).  

Now, I'm not one to gossip but Janice has had a few extra pasties and as a result she needs a little bit of help getting on and off her bike!

We had a little picnic and then went to have a look around the city and were pleased with what we saw.  The Cathedral was free to enter and had two lovely organs and an ornate choir area.

We toured the shopping areas and looked at the Wills Memorial and the Bristol Museum.

This is the Wills Momument, obviously dedicated to the tobacco mogul (not very PC now is it), it is part of Bristol University and Janice's son in law, Oli, studied for his Masters in this building.  Apparently smoking is forbidden.

Standby for another rant.....whilst in the Bristol Museum we noticed that some of the displays of Assyrian carvings were dated as from 700BCE?  I wondered where the E came from and what did it mean?  I asked a staff member and later had to google the answer for confirmation.  Of course it is a politically correct change and means Before Common Era rather than Before Christ.  The date of Christ's birth is still the date used to divide BCE from CE.  CE (Common Era) has replaced AD (Anno Domini) as well.  I thought the world was becoming more 'common' but I didn't realise it was publicly confirmed.

There was also a copy of the Rosetta Stone, the original is the most visited item in the British Museum in London.  It is an Egyptian bilingual inscription issuing a decree from Memphis by King Elvis V (sorry Ptolemy V).  It has enabled scholars to properly translate the symbols and it starts "Rosetta, are you better, are you well, well, well...)!

We cycled back along the same route and had our lovely smoked salmon salad with Jersey new potatoes, followed by Fry's Chocolate Creams that were also made in Bristol (not sure if they still are).

It was a Tragedy that we didn't see the Bee Gees!

Monday 30th May 2016 - to Bath.

I hadn't realised that the journey from Bude to Bath would take over two and a half hours.  The sun was lovely again as we set off from our little CL on the golf course.  It was a fond farewell to Cornwall.

We had agreed to do a bit of tourism before we arrived at our next site.  We were visiting the National Trust house near Bristol called Tyntesfield.  The Trust bought it in 2002 with help from a public subscription; I know because in a rash moment I donated £30.  I was a Trust member at the time and I was quite captivated by the House and its contents.  It is a Victorian mansion and estate that was built by the Gibb family.  I thought it would have been Barry, Robin and Maurice from the Bee Gees but it turned out to be William and his son Anthony who were traders who made their money by importing bird poo from Peru and using it in fertiliser.  Sounds weird doesn't it.  The poo was Guano and it seemed to attract a good price.  I believe they diversified into other business too.

We aren't members of the National Trust currently but we have visited a few of the properties and are getting a bit weary of being asked if we want to join by every staff member or volunteer.  We knew the admission price for Tyntesfield would be rather high and were willing to take the hit this time.  We were immediately greeted by the staff when we drove in, who asked if we were members etc etc.  He told us we would have to pay £3 for parking as well as paying the entry fee.  We then went to pay and saw that the standard price was £14.05 or with Gift Aid it was £15.50.  We have come across this 'scam' before at other houses but haven't had it at the National Trust before.  We can't understand why it costs more to the public to Gift Aid the entry fee.  I would normally be happy to Gift Aid the fee but I refuse to pay extra for the privilege, so we paid the £14.05 price.  I just about bit my tongue when paying, there is no point being cross with the volunteers at the desk.

The house is stunning and the gardens were lovely. 

It is absolutely in its original condition and all the items are documented so they know who made them and when.  Most stuff was made specially for the family and was probably cutting edge technology of the time.  The snooker table is unique, it has ornate carving around the side and has buttons on the top which link to an electronic score board on the wall.  The slate bed is warmed to speed the ball rolling.

There was a falconry display in the garden too.  We saw flying demonstrations by owls, a Harris hawk and a peregrine falcon.  The weather was particularly pleasant too, just right.  A good day, almost worth £14.

We arrived at our new CL about 2 miles outside Bath, not Baaaath like they say down here.  We had another experience of an eccentric site owner.  The place has signs to tell you not to set up without instructions.  The owner (Merv, with dyed red hair that has faded to a pale yellow and grey roots), came to give us detailed instructions advice. Here is the pack he provided....

Very thoughtful!  He was also very keen to take my cash immediately, it was another £14 per night, rather steep for a site that has no toilet or shower but at least he didn't ask for any Gift Aid!

In the evening we thought we would have a little cycle into Bath.  I have been briefly but Janice has been more recently.  It's a nice town, house prices in the estate agents windows were rather steep!

We had a look down by the river Avon, walked past Bath RUFC, peeped over the wall at the Roman Baths and visited the Royal Crescent.  The whole place looked very affluent with lots of good quality shops, bars and restaurants.

Wide mouthed frog!

Saturday 28th May 2016 - Bude.

It's been a bit of a funny day.  It started nice and sunny.  We cycled into Bude for lunchtime and as soon as we got to the shore it was like a curtain of mist had descended.  Even in Bude town it was quite bright and warm but as soon as we got to the beach and the coast it was so misty that we could hardly see the sea.  I told Janice it was a 'sea fret', she had never heard the term previously.

For our lunch we had what was probably our last Cornish Pasty from the Pengenna shop in Bude (same company as the Tintagel Pasty).  It was very nice but still lacked that full flavour of the Porthleven pasty.  I think it is now demoted to second in the pasty competition.  That still makes it a great pasty for substance and lots of succulent meat.

We set off on the coastal path walk despite the 'fret'.  We got to Widemouth Bay....

It led us to talk about Widemouth frogs and Janice remembered an advert for malteasers where the wide mouthed frog pretended to not to be a wide mouthed frog.  I recalled a Dave Allen joke of many years ago involving a wide mouthed frog.  Look it up on the Internet.  It was a classic, especially if you can remember Dave Allen telling it himself.

We arrived in the village of Widemouth Bay and had expected great things from the beach.....here it is in all its glory.....

The sea is out there somewhere, but that is the curtain of mist!

We went back to Bude and cycled back to the site where it was pleasant and sunny once more although the mist did creep up to us as the evening progressed.

Sunday 29th May 2016 - Bude.

Our last full day in Cornwall....and wall to wall sunshine.  

We didn't plan to do anything except have Sunday lunch at The Tree Inn at Stratton.  The carvery meal was super.  Three meats and all the trimmings.  My plate was so heavy with food I was having trouble loading more on and carrying it back to my table.  We sat outside in the sun too.  We spent the afternoon and evening back at the van relaxing and reading the Sunday papers.

Nude!

Friday 26th May 2016 - To Bude.

I thought the title might get your attention.  It was merely my spell checker prompting me to correct my current destination.  It could be worse it could have been a rude, lewd, nude, dude from Bude!

I have had some stick from my younger brother about my hair....he asks 'what have I done to it as it looks like a hawk'!  Well, I haven't done anything to it (at all, and you can tell) and he's wrong, it's more like a crested lark!

Moving on - we travelled at least 15 miles from Tintagel to Bude.  We had a little shopping trip on the way but still arrived by 11am.  The site is a CL on a golf course near Stratton, approx 3 miles north east of Bude.  It is quite a nice place, it seems very quiet as we haven't seen anyone playing golf yet despite it being a pleasant afternoon and evening.  Also, there are three other vans here but no-one has turned up to them yet (and I am writing this at 8.30pm).  If I had brought my own golf clubs I could have had a round for free.  The only down side about the site is that it is up a big hill and we will be staying for three nights which, at least, means there will be three long hill climbs on the bikes.

We set off down towards Bude on the bikes, cycling first through the smaller (and older) village of Stratton.  Bude was busy but it is the start of a bank holiday weekend.  We had a good walk around and we liked it.

Nice beaches, a river and a canal.

The weather was grey initially but as the afternoon progressed it improved, culminating in a lovely evening.

We visited the Castle Heritage Centre (not what I would call the real castle, so it didn't make up for the absence of a castle at Boscastle), and found out about the Battle of Stratton in the Civil War in 1643.  The royalist army won against the odds and were led by local man Sir Brevil Grenville.  He had a Cornish Giant as a bodyguard called Anthony Payne who was 7'4" tall and about the same around the middle.  He is a picture of him......

It's supposed to be life sized.  I think he's had a few pasties!

Apparently he lived and died in a house in Stratton which is now the Tree Inn.  Supposedly they had to enlarge the doors of the house to get his body out.

In the interests of research we had to go and have a look.

It was a lovely little sun trap in the courtyard.  I think we will go for Sunday lunch.

Back we went up the hill to the site.  It was steep too.  Never mind, it will do us good!

We had a nice simple tea of sausage, egg and beans.  I like to have plenty of pepper on my food but in my exuberance with the pepper grinder I managed to pull the top off and half the pepper corns tip all over my food and the rest over the floor!  What a plonker.  I tried to get some of it off but ate the meal with high doses of pepper followed by plenty of sneezing.  You may have realised that we have not been running a sneezing competition this trip.....maybe I should have started it after all.

Where's the Castle.

Thursday 26th May 2016 - Tintagel.

Whilst there was a Castle at Tintagel (even though it was a complete ruin) we walked in the opposite direction to Boscastle expecting another Castle but there was non at all....well not since 1478.

Our morning was spent at leisure on the site, basking in glorious sunshine.

We made our excursion to Boscastle after lunch.

All I knew about Boscastle was that it had a flash flood in August of 2004, although it seemed more recent in my memory.  Apparently it was one our largest rescue events ever.  Over 100 properties were evacuated and 81 people were airlifted out of the village by 6 helicopters.  Miraculously no one died and the biggest injury was a broken thumb!  The TV coverage was dramatic as it showed several cars being washed down to the sea.  

The presence of a harbour at all is quite a shock as you wouldn't think that any vessels would manage to get in at all.

The photo is taken from the inner harbour wall and that little construction on the right is the outer wall.  The tide was out but even when in any small ships would need to zig zag into the harbour with precision.  I don't think it's used much now.

I liked the place but we looked in vain for the castle!  We eventually found the site of the castle that was actually called Bottreaux Castle, built around 1100 by a Norman Lord and fell into ruin by 1478.  There was nothing at all to see, hence no photograph.

This is Janice and I having a little rest before our walk back!  Yes, I look a bit tired and heavy, this is what happens if you have too many pasties....be warned!

Here a picture of Forrabury Church which is the towns little church.  It looks out towards the sea and is adjacent to a large field which is divided into 'stitches' or strips that in the early feudal period were given to local people to be self reliant.  The division of the individual 'stitches' is still clear today.

Back at the van we must have been a bit confused because we had an English Breakfast for our tea!

We had a little think and worked out that we have seen the sea every day of the holiday except our first night at Tewkesbury and one day when we were near Exeter.

Quest for the Holy Grail.

Wednesday 25th May 2016 - to Tintagel.

Had a lovely lie in this morning, not bothered by the cockerel today.

I am reliably informed by my older brother that Goon means 'flattish lowland'.  I thought of Harry Secombe was a fattish baritone!

Set off to have a look at Padstow (otherwise known as Steinville after Rick Stein).  Neither of us have been previously and thought it was about time we got acquainted with the place.  Normal tactics applied - we parked the van in a lay by a couple of miles out and we cycled in.  First thoughts were that it wasn't a quaint little place but it did have a working harbour and a good range of ordinary shops as well as the tourist cafes and souvenir shops.

On closer inspection there was plenty of evidence of His Majesty Rick Stein.  Several food establishments were owned by him and a whole row of shops on the side of the docks.  It transpired that His Majesty was making an appearance next Monday to do a book signing, we are so sad to miss him!!!  To be fair, he seems a decent kind of fella and doesn't swear as much as Gordon Ramsay.

We travelled onto our new site near Tintagel.  What a stunning location for a site, overlooking the sea.  Here is our view from the front window...

Tintagel village and castle are a couple of miles away along the coastal path.  In the afternoon we walked around to Tintagel.  I know most readers will know that Tintagel Castle is the fabled place that King Arthur was concieved.  I felt the parallel between Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail and my quest for the Holy Grail of pasties.  I have previously been here and had a vague memory of a great pasty.  I could just about remember where the pasty shop was and found it again without any bother.  It was Pengenna Pasties.  They were 'top crimpers' instead of side crimpers and to be honest they were rather pricey at £4 but they were quite big and full of tender meat.  A real contender for the title.  I am placing them equal top pasty because of the amount of meat and its tenderness, but perhaps not quite as peppery as the Porthleven and Philps pasties.  The crows thought it was a good pasty too.....

It was a bit like a scene from 'The Birds' film by Alfred Hitchcock.  Don't worry they had no chance.

We had a look around the shops...

For some reason Janice declined to pose for this photo??

We walked down to the Castle but it is a complete ruin and it cost £8.75 each to enter.  It's location on the cliffs is amazing but we get those views all the time on our walks.  I was reminded of a scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail film when some French knights shouted insults from a castle down to King Arthur who was trying to gain access.  The insults included classics like 

"You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person! I blow my nose at you, so-called Ah-thoor Keeng, you and all your silly English K-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-niggits! [makes taunting gestures at them]"

I apologise for my childish rememberances but I can't mention King Arthur without thinking of Monty Python.

We walked back on the coast and stopped briefly in Rocky Valley....

It's a lovely little inlet where a small river joins the sea and the cliffs are steep sided.  We had a lovely evening watching the sun go down till about 10pm.