THE TRISTAN STONE AND KING ARTHUR

The photo above may not appear that special on first glance but, like lots of things in Cornwall, there is a story attached to the stone - and a possible link with King Arthur and the Round Table. Oh, and the stone dates back to the year 550.

The stone is referred to as either the Trystan (Tristan) Stone or the Drustan Stone and is situated on the road between Par and Fowey in Cornwall, where there is a small lay-by.

On the north side of the stone a raised 'T' shape can be seen, This is an old version of a Christian Cross known as a Tau. You might just be able to make out the 'T' in the photo above - obviously it has weathered somewhat over nearly 1500 years.

On the south side of the stone 6th century letters can be seen (above) - again well weathered but they translate as 'Trystan here lies of Cunomorus the son.'

Cunomorus was Marcus Cunomorus - King Mark of Cornwall in the love story of Tristan and Isolde.

I mentioned King Arthur. The connection is that Tristan (or Trystan) became one of the Knights of the Round Table.

As for the Tristan and Isolde story this is how one of the many versions goes:

Isolde married King Mark of Cornwall, but had an affair with Tristan. This continued even after her wedding. King Mark eventually found out about the naughty goings on but forgave his wife. Tristan, however, was exiled from Cornwall and he moved to the court of King Arthur.

Tristan later travelled to Brittany in France, where he met Iseult. He was said to be attracted to her because of the similarity of her name to that of Isolde. He did the honourable thing with Iseult and married her - but in his heart of hearts he continued to love Isolde - ahh!

A SHORT WALK ALONG THE PENTEWAN VALLEY TRAIL

A bit of a grey day yet again but we had a short morning walk along the Pentewan Trail, starting out at the old bridge (above) where there is usually car parking space in the winter months.

We then followed the narrow St.Austell River with views across the valley.

The path widens (below) and is usually swarming with cyclists and walkers in the summer months but today - just occasional friendly dog walkers.



Gradually (below) the walk becomes more interesting even in the winter months.



And finally (below) instead of carrying on to to Pentewan village and Beach, as we often do, we made a detour to return to the bridge via another path through the woods - and still not very many people about!

MEVAGISSEY: TAKE TIME TO STAND AND STARE

A winding road. I always love this view when driving between Mevagissey and Pentewan. I pulled in at the Mevagissey crossroad so I could take the photo. Sometimes we have to make time to stand and stare:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich the smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

- William Henry Davies

COMPARING OLD CORNWALL WITH TODAY

 Boscawen Street, Truro 1920

Boscawen Street, Truro 2018

While in Cornwall's city of Truro I just happened to have with me an old photo of Boscawen Street - okay, I took it with me on purpose! But, whatever, I tried to snap the same photo as it looks nowadays. I couldn't get exactly the right position but the similarities are there. The street still has the same cobbled surface and some of the original buildings.

The 1920s photo isn't too clear but there are some interesting cars parked.

JUST KEEP ON WALKING: THE SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

South West Coast Path

As the sun tries to break through, the South West Coast Path stretches out lazily into the distance heading towards Gribbin Head with it's daymark tower.

The wonder of Cornwall is that there is a footpath along its entire coastline - so it's easy to pick out chunks to walk. The difficulty of the walks depends on the terrain - some easy, some more challenging - but every stretch has magical views.

CORNWALL'S CHINA CLAY

Cornwall China Clay Pit

When people think of Cornwall they often imagine sandy beaches, cliff walks, surfing, quaint fishing villages, Cornish pasties, cream teas and so on. And, yes, Cornwall has a myriad of these to offer but it also has industry - or perhaps I should say it did once have industry.

Take the production of china clay for example. It's now hard to believe that half of the world's supply came from Cornwall in the late 1800s. It was so profitable that it was often described as being white gold. Unfortunately the clay industry, along with tin and mineral mines, has somewhat declined - but there is still some china clay being produced. Of course you won't see the clay areas on the normal tourist trails.

In St.Austell, though, there is real evidence of Cornwall's china clay industry in the shape of a large pyramid of the clay spoils. It's quite a landmark - as the photo below shows.

China Clay Pyramid, St.Austell

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. The photo is looking across the fields, on a hazy morning, to Gribbin Head. The lighthouse looking construction on the headland is a daymark to aid shipping. It is 26m / 85ft tall and is branded in red and white stripes. It has stood on the headland since 1832.