Cornwall

Cornwall .

I often revisit my old blogs on travel destinations to relive my trips. Blog or no , Some  trips remain etched in  the memory for eons  while some  quietly fade away.  Cornwall ,undoubtedly ,   belongs to the former category .

Needless to say ,  this is not a routine travel blog ,  and hence does NOT cover all the ‘must-visit’ places in that region. I have jotted down my own viewings and experiences here  Hope you find it purposive.

Cornwall , is a breathtaking  area near the coast line in the far west of   England  .  If you are  driving  from London , then it’s a good 6 hours drive .

It’s a peninsula like India  and  Italy .  It   is an interesting place to visit  for a  short holiday (  from a weekend  or a  whole week ) .  Its not   possible   to cover the whole of Cornwall in a week .   I have noted  some of the main attractions  which   should suffice to give  a broad know-how of  this region .

To Stay:

Its advisable to  start  the trip from Truro . Its  is a big town in Cornwall. Cottages  (self catering or  other wise ) , hotels , travel inns  can be found near this  town. Local buses and vans ply from Truro to  ( some )   places of public interest so you actually don’t need a vehicle of your own .

 Many ( centuries ) old farmhouses there have been converted today into B&B (Bed and Breakfast) . Some of them are as  old as 400 years  still maintaining the same structure and design . 

Try to  look for a ‘long house’ .  It’s a   unique feature  of this region .   It’s your typical  farmhouse but the ground floor  is built in such a way that,  apart from the usual kitchen , dining room and living room , it also houses a  ‘room’ for the animals .  No,  its not a routine stable  , kennel  , pigsty  .

A chat with the host will reveal that  till some 100 years ago, families and animals lived in the same residence  The people lived in the front portion and the cattle , horses ,poultry and other  live stock  lived in the back side . The doors from the back opened on to the farm where the live stock   and poultry were let out during the day .They shared the  roof with their  owners at night .

In some farm houses, that portion of the long house  has been converted into a normal lodge to house  visiting guests .  Old fashioned joint families are common in these  parts with  sections of the long-house accommodating the ageing parents  or in laws of the hosts.

I would recommend all to stay in a cottage   while traveling in the  countryside than staying in a hotel. 

One advantage of staying in a B&B is that you get to interact with your host and learn some house keeping  tips from him / her . The English  are very meticulous and like their clattery buttery china  ,  crystals , ceramic , wood,  glass , silver, white metal for cutlery , crockery ,  always  glittery , sparkling  ‘bric a brac ‘ like napkin holders etc.,  I learnt to make various shapes with butter shavings .  Start with very cold ( almost frozen butter) and use the butter curls to form any shape of your choice like flower petals or feathers . These are used to adorn the pasta or bread servings . It’s a good lure to get the children to their plates.  This does take some practice but fret not , the less than beautiful curls can be used in other cooking or baking .  I never knew that  when you  get up  to fill your plate  the  second time , you should not carry your ‘used’  cutlery on your plate  to the main table . It should be left behind at your dining table . Hmmm now that’s one valuable lesson learnt.

Many farms ( today turned into B and Bs) still operate actively and grow their own products like hay ,  poultry,  pigs , vegetables, corn … among other things.

To Eat :

Truro is a big city so it has many ‘Desi’ restaurants. There are also many ‘Desis’ working in other  joint  like Pizza hut or McDonalds.

You can simply walk in any eatery  and start talking in Urdu/ Hindi / Bangla /Gujrathi and you are sure to be answered in your own tongue .

It was a popular haunt for pirates and shipmen as Cornwall is a coast so ,there are many old pubs and restaurants  boasting of their hundreds of years’  continuous run .

The local cuisine  consists  of crème teas and Cornish pastries  stuffed with meat  or vegetable filling .  The authentic pasty uses lard ( a healthier version than butter) so it’s a common breakfast dish .  You get  more or less  ‘fat ‘ version in every bakery .

The whole of  UK is a  herbivorous -friendly country so hard core vegetarians need to have any measure of dread while traveling in Cornwall .

The above picture shows a tray full of Cornish pastries .

To visit :

Another big town near Truro is St Austell .  It is  the location of the ambitious ( and successful)   Eden project.  It’s a bio project  which won the world tourism award in 2002.   Three huge bioms   (  domes ) are  built inside a now defunct mine. Flora from all over the world have a home here .  It houses many unique exhibits . 

The above picture shows figurines showing fertility rituals from South America in the centre of the Eden Project.

My favorite stop was the chillies  section.  I don’t know about its nutritional value but there are few things in life more  electrifying  than biting into a scaling white hot ( not temperature wise ) chilly. More than a score varieties of chillies are grown and studied here .

Products like sauces  and pickles from  locally grown chillies and other spices are  for sale  .

The above picture depicts  products made of various kinds of chilies grown in the bio park.

The above  picture shows a pineapple in the process of ‘taking birth ‘.

The above picture shows an outside view of the Eden project .

The above picture shows  the inside of  one biom  of the Eden project.

If you really strain your eyes you can see some people walking to the left bottom of this picture hidden among the banana leaves . That should tell you how high the ceiling of this bio room is .

Tropical plants and trees are grown in closed rooms  to maintain the temperature throughout the year .  Give at least one full day to do justice to  the Eden Project.   It houses a canteen so items for meals or just munching  are not a problem.

Another  site of interest is the ‘lost gardens of  Heligan’. This is  the location  of a well grown garden standing   for more than 500 years  .This  treasure was  ‘discovered’ only a 100 years back when there was an organized  cleaning project to remove the fallen debris and dead trees from what-they-thought-was-an- abandoned  patch   . When it was removed ,they realized that  it led to a  huge and still-hale –and – hearty   garden inside. Then they started ‘digging’ for information and found that some 500 yeas  back a rich cotton merchant had sent out many people all over the world to get saplings and seeds of exotic plants to England . He got them planted in his patch of land . Obviously and unfortunately  , he could not bequeath this to any one to be maintained after him .   His family does not get much mention in the  town records.

We get to see   the original plants  shipped  from  then-far-off places like Sikkim , China and Tibet.  A few minutes into this  Greenland and you will realize that trees start talking or telling stories all of a sudden. Of course the children will never know  that . Just you and me can guess that there are real , I mean , actual real alive and kicking people dressed as trees telling those stories.  Boy, aren’t we clever.  Its not something you can cover in a jiffy . More than  one day is required to roam around the lost gardens of  Heligan leisurly .

St Michel Mount is a cathedral  just one hours’ drive from Truro.  Arch angel St Michal was sighted here in 450 AD by sailors . Hence this name . This is a small castle built with its own private chapel. Many legends of ghouls and giants make rounds in this area . The incorrigible romantic can spend days listening to these tales with awe in his / her eyes .It was a concoction spread by ‘worldly wise ‘ pirates to keep the locals at bay when they used this island to store their ill gotten treasures.  Its besides the Atlantic. The ocean is beautiful  , vast , crystal blue and magnificent . I will run out of adjectives describing this  estuary . Err that’s a new word I learnt which means  a body of water with its connection to the sea.

Is it just me or do many feel humbled  and lost standing  adjacent to a mighty ocean ?

A view of the  town  from atop the cathedral .

The above pictures   shows  the cathedral of St Michel Mount.

Land’s end  is a  much  publicized and advertised station in Cornwall  . It is the western most tip of England . However there is nothing much to see or click pictures there , They just have one short walking trail across the sea path . The cliffs over the Atlantic are steep and dangerous . Its advisable to arm yourself with thick walking shoes and a guiding stick in hand before you start your sojourns on this rocky terrain.

The above picture shows  THIS side of the Atlantic .

Minack  is a small pretty town tucked in between the cliffs.  Its famous for a theatre built on a cliff. In the background one can see big , heavy waves  playing hide and seek on the  rocks .  The drive to this town can be  tricky  as the  paths  are narrow and zigzag .  The tickets are sold out quickly but the rehearsals are open to all and sundry.  Unbeknownst to myself, ( I like to use dramatic phrases )  I happened  to walk   into one or the rehearsals of the Titanic which was being played  that  entire  summer and ended up spending the  entire day there .

The above picture shows a dress rehearsal in progress of the drama – Titanic .    The  passengers ( in white )  are rushing out in their nightgowns to see what is the  loud noise and disturbance about .   The maids and butlers (  in black  ) are calling out to wake them masters up .

Operas, dramas , musicals are played during the summer months .

Beaches are dime a dozen in these parts as it’s a coast  - Each one prettier than the other .  I am not much of swimming or boating buff so I didn’t venture out much to the coastline.

The blog describes , just ,some of the attractions in the area of Cornwall , Great Britain .

With  truckloads to offer  in the form of cathedrals , museums , flora , fauna . Cuisine , beaches , theatre, intrigue  , romance ( folklore   involving pirates  , mermaids and other legendary creatures ) not to mention its mild sunny weather during most months , Cornwall  is a welcome destination if you are planning a holiday  alone or with your friends and family  .