PERRANPORTH: THREE MILES OF SAND

As this is the last day of 2018 I've been looking back over some of the photos I have snapped over the year. I chose the photo above for today as there is a St. Piran's Cornish flag flying high - the white cross on a black background.

The photo shows a very small part of the beach at Perranporth - which stretches for some three miles.

St. Piran (or Peran in the Cornish language) is generally considered to be the patron saint of Cornwall. There are various stories and legends associated with him, some quite fanciful. For example:

It seems that the Irish wanted to get rid of him so they tied him to a mill-stone and heaved him off a cliff into the rough sea - but as they did so the sea became instantly calm and Saint Piran floated safely over the water until he landed on the sandy beach of Perranzabuloe.

St. Piran's Day is on the 5th of March.

CHARLESTOWN: BUILT TO EXPORT COPPER ORE

This morning we had a walk around the harbour and port at Charlestown. Several tall ships were in dock including one famed for being used in the Poldark television series.

I like Charlestown as it is largely untouched since Georgian times. The harbour and port were constructed between 1791 and 1801 by  Charles Rashleigh - though he no doubt had a quite a bit of help in doing so!

The port was primarily built for the transport of copper from local mines. It is said that 40,000 tons of copper ore were exported between 1810 and 1813.

Today the Charlestown village and harbour are very popular with tourists, especially since the Poldark connection.

There is a further photo of a tall ship on Tall Ship At Charlestown

A SHEEP WITH ATTITUDE!

Another grey day in Cornwall - about 11C / 52F. I was surprised to see this sheep in a house driveway. She must have escaped from the hilly green field in the background. I looked at her, she looked at me - and I think I was the first to blink. Definitely a sheep with attitude!

MEVAGISSEY HARBOUR

Mevagissey, Cornwall, Inner Harbour 

A grey Sunday morning so poodled down to the fishing village of Mevagissey - where the colourful boats brightened the greyness. Lots of fishing and other boats safely moored within the inner harbour.

Looking across the harbour from the opposite side

All fishing boats have registration codes. The first two letters denote where the boat is registered. FY is Fowey and PW is Padstow.

Mevagissey Lighthouse 1896

On the breakwater, which protects the inner harbour, people were fishing by the lighthouse - built in 1896.

The thing about harbours is that there is always something of interest - whatever the weather.

READYMONEY COVE, FOWEY

The trees may well be without their leaves but Readymoney Cove, Fowey has a certain appeal even in the winter months. The stretch of sand is quite limited but gets well used by holiday makers during the summer. High above the cove is a former coach house, once a home of the author Daphne du Maurier, but now owned by the British actor and comedian Dawn French.

To the far side of the cove is a path (part of the South West Coast Path) which leads up to the remains of the 16th century St Catherine's Castle.

TALL SHIPS AT CHARLESTOWN

A tall ship at Charlestown earlier this year. This is where some of the scenes for the Poldark television series were filmed.

I remember visiting Charlestown very early on the first day of the new millennium. It was quite misty, or perhaps foggy. As we looked back at the village from a far harbour wall it was more like we had stepped back in time as opposed to seeing a new millennium.

You might find CHARLESTOWN: BUILT TO EXPORT COPPER ORE of interest.