Par Market: More Than Just Being The Largest Market In The South-West

Par Market: okay, markets aren't exactly my favourite places to visit but this one does have some advantages. Firstly it claims to be the 'Largest in the South-West' and it is indoors, should you want to shelter from the rain - oh and it has Public Toilets ...

... and a picnic area if the weather is suitable ...

... and somewhere for the children to run free ...

… and also somewhere to walk the dog.

The market has a Food Hall with lots of fresh products and there is also a choice of places to eat or have a tea or coffee. To quote the market's literature:
"You will find some of the best local produce including meat, fish, fruit & veg, a bakery, cheese, wine, desserts and some quirky food items! 
There are also hot and cold meals served from several food vendors suitable for any time of the day including breakfast, fish and chips, fresh pasties, sandwiches, burgers and more!" 

There is a free car park.

Opening Hours (as at today's date) open every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 5 pm.

The Food Hall is open Wednesday to Sunday again 9 am to 5 pm.

The Peaceful St.Clement Church by the Tresillian River, Cornwall

St.Clement church, also known as the Church of Moresk, lies in and idyllic, peaceful setting close to the Tresillian River, which I mentioned in my previous post.

It is believed that the church was built in 1249 but was enlarged in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

Visitors have to pass through the Lynch Gate, the smaller building with maroon windows in the above photo. It's interesting that in the mid 1800s the ground floor was used as a pigsty!

The memorial below is in the Lynch Gate in memory of William Callaway, who died in 1784. It reads:

Today of Health and Strength we boast :

Tomorrow brings us down to dust

May we while Time and Strength are given

Believe in Christ & live for Heaven

Moving on inside the church, all is peaceful. The font has an interesting story. It was found lying in a nearby ditch by the local vicar in 1864. It is said to have lain there for over sixty years! It's 14th century and is now used for its correct purpose.

A different angle of the inside of the church, towards the right of the photo is a marble monument to Samuel Thomas from the 1700s when it was described as being, "one of the finest pieces of marble in the West."

A closer look at the marble monument shows two allegorical figures against a pyramid. It is signed by Bacon, 1770.

It's a lovely peaceful church and we felt fortunate to be the only people in the building at the time of our visit.

In the porch is a set of stocks, unfortunately I didn't snap a photo. There is a story that ...

… in 1688 the stocks  were in St Austell. That year, Anne Upcott, the daughter of the  Vicar of St Austell and St Clement, was put in the stocks because  she had joined the Quakers - they were very unpopular at the  time. Anne’s father and brother jeered at her. 

Religion isn't always peaceful.

A Short Walk Along TheTresillian River to St.Clement, Cornwall

We went for a short walk along the tidal Tresillian River, our intention being to visit the lovely village of St. Clement and its fine old church. This is about 3 miles from the city of Truro.

It's a pleasant walk - simply follow the river. The tide was on it's way out. 

As we walked we passed a small lake to our right. All was quiet other than a few local dog walkers.

I'm always fascinated by the old Cornish dry walls. In the example below there are sections of vertical and horizontal stones.

The gate below indicates we are approaching St.Clement, which is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The village backs onto the river.

A few cottages have a prime view overlooking the river ...

… and with their own access to the water.

Turning right into the village the tower of the church of St.Clement comes into view. The old name was the church of Moresk.

Strange to see the red phone box, it seems out of place - though it's reasonably up to date and can be used for e-mails and texts.

There are more old cottages on the approach to the church ...

… plus the Church Cottage with the church tower in the background.

The church was built in the mid-13th century, but more on this in my next post.

Returning to the river there was Rose Cottage.

And now we come to The Old Vicarage dating back to the 1500s - but not as it once was! It's now an upmarket Bed & Breakfast emporium.

We then retraced our steps back to our car. The river had become more mud than water but the birds loved it - a free lunch.

Parking the car:
We had parked at the end of Tresillian village (3 miles east of Truro). On the left there is a big car dealership. After this is a pull-in off the main A390, just before the sign as shown below. There is only room for a maximum of five cars - and that is only if everyone parks neatly. 

After the walk we went into Truro for lunch at the The Cloisters Restaurant - nothing posh but they do a lovely nut roast in a wine sauce (I'm vegetarian). My wife had the roast beef.

Lots to See and Do Near Tintagel Besides The Castle: Cliff Walk, Waterfall, Boscastle Harbour, Bronze Age Carvings, Holy Well & Chapel

Okay, so you have been to the castle at Tintagel, Cornwall - photo above - the question is what to do next without travelling too far.

Here are five of my blog posts with suggestions.

(1) A Walk With Stunning Views at Tintagel, King Arthur Country - 20 Photos.

The 20 photos were snapped while on a quite special circular walk at Tintagel, Cornwall.

Click to see full post and photos

(2) The Magical Mysterious Waterfall at St.Nectan's Kieve

From Trethevey - there is a walk to what is often known as St.Nectan's Waterfall. This is a quite magical and mysterious place to visit. The photo above shows the waterfall.
Click to see full post and photos

(3) Boscastle Cornwall: The 1584 Harbour Wall - 16 Photos

The photo above shows the hazardous entrance to the harbour. 100 years ago this was the only place a harbour could be built on this stretch of Cornwall's intimidating north coast.
Click to see full post and photos

(4) Early Bronze Age Rock Carvings at Rocky Valley

Something a bit different. Two ancient rock face carvings - photo above - are from Rocky Valley, Cornwall quite near to Tintagel.
Click to see full post and photos

(5) The Ancient St.Piran's Holy Well and St.Piran's Church, Trevethy

In the photo above is St. Piran's Holy Well. It's thought to have been used, as such, for several centuries. The present structure of the well was first recorded in 1880.

Click to see full post and photos

P.S. While in Tintagel Village don't forget to see the Old Post Office:

The Ancient Mengu Stone In St.Austell's Churchyard

The Mengu Stone (or Men du) - above -  is considered to be of schorl rock and named after the meaning in Cornish for 'black stone'. It has played an important part in St.Austell's history, perhaps since time immemorial. There is a theory, for example, that it may have originally been a Bronze Age standing stone. It's mind boggling to think what the stone may have witnessed over thousands of years.

Schorl is the name given to coarse black varieties of tourmaline. The schorl rocks are crystalline aggregates of quartz and tourmaline. The Mengu stone may well have come from the Catacleuse Quarry near Padstow.

Originally the Mengu Stone was situated in St.Austell at the junction of Fore Street, Church Street and Menacuddle Street (now part of North Street). This was a meeting point of the three Domesday Manors of Tewington, Trenanace and Treverbyn.

The stone was a focal point for announcements, declarations of war, proclamations of peace, public notices and for the sale of any impounded livestock. 

John Wesley is said to have preached from the Mengu Stone and witches may well have been burned here.

The stone was removed from its original position in 1893 to the corner of North Street and then moved again in 1972 to its present position in St.Austell's Holy Trinity church yard.

Other Nearby Ancient Rocks:
(1) The Mysterious Roche Rock, Cornwall
(2) The Secretive Menacuddle Holy Well and Chapel, Cornwall

Flowers Everywhere at St.Austell White River Place.

I had to go into St.Austell this morning so I snapped a few quick photos of the White River Place - a newer part of the town. It was opened in 2009 and is a complete contrast to the old traditional Fore Street shops - where the lovely church and the old Market House reside.

It would appear that this newer part of the town hasn't quite realised its ambitions though - as it is up for sale for £10 million!

It's easy to see why some shops are empty in St.Austell. The photos were taken at about 10.45 a.m. but there were very few people about.

It's a shame as St.Austell has the largest population in Cornwall, but many people prefer to travel to Truro if they want to 'go shopping'.

Even the escalator, which takes visitors to different levels of the complex is quiet.

The town is trying to attract people - just look at all of the impressive flower displays in the photos - and everything is neat, tidy and presentable.

Of course many towns in the UK are struggling and shops are closing everywhere. The main reasons for this seems to be (1) the Internet of course and (2) Big Supermarkets who sell everything and not just food. There are four well known supermarkets in the St.Austell area: ASDA, Tesco, Lidl and Aldi - and they all have, of course, free parking.

If you want to shop or have a meal, however, in St.Austell you'll have to pay to park your car. For example, in the official Priory Car Park the fee is £4.80 for up to 4 hours. Parking should now surely be free - in all towns - at the very least for a couple of hours.

There are some positive glimpses in St. Austell like, for instance, the recent new shop Baker's Toms - hope it will be a great success.

P.S. If you want to visit St.Austell try parking free in the Poundstretcher car park, East Hill PL25 4TR. Important though to check the rules and regulations sign to see how long you can stay.  From here it's only a short walk to St.Austell town. Only applies when the store is open.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan In July :16 Photos

We wanted a bit of a walk and, as we were quite near the Lost Gardens of Heligan, we decided to have a quick(ish) look round. We probably stayed longer than intended but with the gardens stretching over 200 acres it's tempting to keep on walking.

We saw a few animals. I love shire horses and the one above was off with a swish of his tail. The young sheep though was in a bashful mood trying to hide under the fence.

We headed to the walled flower garden.

Quite a few flowers about. Lots of sweet peas with the old greenhouse in the background.

The walled gardens are all neat and tidy.

A few poppies ...

... and into the sundial walled garden.

There are a few seats in the sundial garden amongst the shrubs and flowers.

We then moved onto the jungle and lost valley area, which is completely different.

Then back to some fine old trees.

And finally a photo that most visitors snap.

We passed the old horse drawn caravan with photos and details of the Heligan Farm on our way to the exit.

We often dip into the Heligan's gardens as we have annual passes. I have mentioned the gardens a few times on the blog, for example :

The Lost Gardens of Heligan: 18 Photos of Farm Animals, Plants and Jungle