Charlestown Harbour on a Sunshine Day Plus Spit Beach

Time seemed to stand still as the sailing ship made its way along the Cornish coast. The blueness of the sea and sky seemed almost unreal.

The ship passed Charlestown and continued along the coast.

Meanwhile children enjoyed the water by the small beach.

A further ship passed by the entrance to Charlestown's Harbour.

There's always something interesting to see at Charlestown - well I think so. We walked away from the harbour to the small port. Across the water is the Pier House a pub and restaurant or, perhaps, somewhere for coffee.

A few wisps of clouds in the sky now.

We crossed the rickety bridge and noticed the Kelly's Ice Cream van park up and, miracle after miracle, my wife bought me an ice cream!

We wandered by the boats enjoying the coolness of the ice cream.

A final look back along the port to the harbour and sea. We made our way back home.

It was such a bright blue day at Charlestown but the previous day was somewhat different.

We intended to go to Par Market but forgot that it isn't open every day. Instead we went to nearby Spit Beach. The good thing was that there wasn't anyone else on the beach. The dullness of the day kept people away.

An old lookout from WW2 brightened the scene.

It's not a special beach, by any means, but there was a feeling of space and serenity. The tide was a long way out.

The low cliffs looked almost silver...

... when looking upwards.

We spotted a tent, but still no one in sight.

It may not have been so blue and sunny as our visit to Charlestown but fresh air, peace and quiet can be enjoyable too.

On leaving Spit Beach, the path was full of wild flowers including a mass of foxgloves.

And so ends this weeks post, thanks for the visit. Have a good week, all good wishes ~ Mike.

Bronze Age Rock Carvings in Cornwall - Plus Flowers

Something a bit different today. The two rock face carvings - photos above and below - are from Rocky Valley, Cornwall quite near to the well known village of Tintagel.

The carvings were discovered in 1948 and there is an official sign that states:

ROCKY VALLEY ROCK CARVINGS

Labyrinth Pattern Carvings 

probably of the Early Bronze Age 

(1800-1400BC)

This monument is protected under 

the Ancient Monuments Act 1913

Similar patterned carvings have been found in various parts of the world such as in Crete and Galacia, Spain.  

Below is a photo from Wikipedia showing a similar design in Galacia.

All in all sounds convincing but there are those who would spoil the story by reaching a different conclusion. Some question the carvings and say they may only be 300 years old maximum. 

The main reason to doubt the age of the carvings is the fact that there aren't any similar examples in south-west England. 

Personally I'd like to believe that the carvings are thousands of years old. Many others seem to also agree as they have left coins, ribbons with messages, candles and so on nearby. Very New Age - if that term still applies nowadays. 

Above: a similar carving in Galacia, Spain

Changing the post theme completely. As the photos above are a bit grey, okay a lot grey, I thought I'd finish the post with a bit of colour from my garden.

That's all for this week, many thanks for visiting my blog. All good wishes ~ Mike.

On Tour: Visiting Devon Walks and Teignmouth

Following on from my previous post we were in Maidencombe, Devon for a break. 

We did a lot of walking, probably too much. The photo above was the starting point of a walk towards Teignmouth.

Below the path opened up to some lovely sea views, even if it did look like rain.

The path was very up and down as can be seen below. 

A couple of ships off shore, but a little too hazy to make them out properly.

Suddenly there was a touch of magic and the sky turned a deep blue with white clouds along the eyeline.

The bright blue sky soon disappeared but there was a lovely view to compensate.

A little further and Teignmouth was in view with its red coloured cliffs. You can just make out the town's pier.

Lovely open spaces and views. We actually lost track of the path we were meant to follow...

... but continued walking downhill.

Finally we reached Teignmouth and the pier.

Lots of sea!

The beaches were empty, a bit too chilly to sit or paddle.

We made our way into town for a meal - and a rest.

We eventually got a bus back to Maidencombe, where we were staying. The thatched pub was a tempting sight.

Once back at our apartment I noticed the sky had a pinkish tint as I looked out of the window.

All in all a lovely, but tiring, day out.

Moving on:

A few Torquay, Devon photos. We intended to have a day in Torquay but it rained! We still went as I wanted to see the Marina - boats galore. Here are four photos. 

Thanks for visiting my blog.

All good wishes ~ Mike.

P.S. My Previous Devon Post Here.

On Tour: Beautiful Maidencombe and Devon in General

We slipped out of Cornwall, across the Tamar River, and made our way to Maidencombe in Devon where we had booked a week in an apartment.

As usual I wanted to see the local beach before anything else - it was a long way down from the top of the cliffs!

The apartment was very pleasant with white sofas and rugs and art work on the walls. 

From the window was a view of the sea and sheep were in the field. I tried to count them. I think I got up to 55 before the inevitable happened zzzzz zzzzz!

As it mostly does, morning arrived and we put on our walking boots to see - well, whatever we could see. Nearby was a lovely thatched pub ...

... and a village green with a touch of yellow.

Lots more thatched buildings and green fields to enjoy ... 

... plus an orchard.

Green fields in abundance, some hiding very desirable properties. The white building below is where we stayed.

There were several paths to choose and we decided to walk part of the coastal path.

We wandered the green / yellow fields until ...

... we found a style to cross onto the coastal path.

The views from the path weren't too special as the sea was hiding bashfully behind bushes and trees.

An inland path led us astray but somehow ...

... we ended up on Maidencombe beach with its reddish sand.

Came across a few interesting looking rocks as the sky and sea turned brighter and bluer.

All in all a very pleasant walk.

Earlier in this post I mentioned sheep. Here's another pic. I snapped the photo early in the morning while still in bed! I didn't realise anyone/thing could see into our bedroom.

I think that's all for today but there will be a further Devon post before I get back into my Cornwall routine.

All good wishes, enjoy June. ~ Mike.