15 Photos of Flowers in Cornwall, England

A few flower photos I have snapped in the month of June in Cornwall, England. The one above is from my own garden and the following two were taken from the cliff path leading to the lovely village of Polperro.

The next four flower photos were snapped at Cornwall's Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Now five photos of flowers seen while walking in Cornwall walking.

And below another photo from the Lost Gardens of Heligan - this is their Sundial Garden.

Next we have a field of wild flowers.

Finally, looks like there will be some blackberries once the flowers have dropped.

You may also like:

(1) Growing Apple Tree From A Pip - Plus Cornwall's Eden Project

(2) The Lost Gardens of Heligan : 8 Photos of Plants, Jungle and Farm Animals

(3) Trelissick House and Gardens With Stunning Maritime Views

The Government Communications Headquarters Situated on Beautiful North Cornwall Cliffs

A few weeks back we were walking along the north Cornwall coastal path when we came to quite a climb! See photo above - there were many steps that seemed to go on and on. But such is life!

As we climbed we saw the unexpected - lots of satellite dishes! Not having walked this particular stretch of coast before I wasn't sure what all of this was. Then I remembered the GCHQ Bude.

I have now read a little about this. I discovered that there are actually 21 satellite antennas. 

This is one branch of the (UK) Government Communications Headquarters. 

Its agents gather information by secretly listening in to phone conversations, satellite signals and reading e-mails. They decode messages, monitor communication between people, and ensure that the Government's secrets remain secret.

According to Wikipedia the antennae are generally orientated towards satellites of the INTELSAT , Intersputnik, and INMARSAT communications networks over the  Atlantic Ocean, Africa and the Indian Ocean, as well as towards the Middle East and mainland Europe. 

Between 2011 and 2013, a torus antenna  was installed, which is capable of receiving signals of up to thirty-five satellites simultaneously. 

From its inception, the station has been an Anglo-American co-operative project. It was the United States NSA who paid for most of the infrastructure and the technology.

So, be careful what you say, you never know who might be listening ...

Walking at Golant, Cornwall

I like walking, as you may have gathered from my posts - and not necessarily following a pre-planned route. It's sometimes just nice to walk.

The photos today are of such a walk starting at Golant, Cornwall. We parked the car alongside the river. The tide was out as you can see from the photo below.

We passed the Fishermans Arms pub and headed for a footpath.

The yellow arrow on the sign indicated that this is a Public Footpath and the black cross shows that this is part of the Saints' Way.

We walked through the woods ...

... with glimpses of the River Fowey.

The path wiggled about but was clear of any hazards - not that we expected any!

The sunshine made it's way through the tree tops casting bright patches on the grass.

The trees gradually disappeared and the fields opened up before us.

Wild flowers tinted the fields.

And then ... well, I think this is my favourite view - photo below.

A few cattle joined us as we walked until ...

... we reached St.Sampson's Church.         

There was a lovely view from the churchyard. Oh yes, and the church has it's own Holy Well.

It was then downhill to the river and back to our car. 

All in all very pleasant and uplifting!

You may also like:
A Walk With Stunning Views at Tintagel, Cornwall - 20 Photos
or / and
33 Photos: Circular Walk Based On Gover Valley, St.Austell

Truro and Truro Cathedral, Cornwall

I have written previously about how difficult it can be to get a decent photo of Truro Cathedral - as it is surrounded by other buildings. It then dawned on me that there might be a view from the tall multi-story car park. 

Sure enough, there was a better view, as above - and the car park was empty on the top floor. I always park somewhere else.

Anyway, we were in Truro as my wife had a dental appointment. The view below is from our dentist's practice, with the cathedral hiding behind trees. 

While waiting for my wife I wandered along Boscawen Street which still has the original cobbled surface and drains by the pavement.

I then crossed the road by the Balisha Beacons. They were named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, a Minister of Transport who, in 1934, added the orange beacons to pedestrian crossings.

From there I passed some repairs being made ...

... and down a side road passed the Cornish Food Box.

After criss crossing a few roads I started to make my way back to the dentist in time to meet my wife - with her clean, white teeth!

And a final photo of Truro Cathedral from the top of the car park, but in my haste I chopped a little off one of the spires - bother!

Other Posts About Truro:
(1) Truro Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(2) Let Off The Lead In Truro and The Victoria Gardens - While The Cathedral Watches On.
(3) Comparing Old Cornwall With Today

First Class Dining On The Cornish Belle Steam Train From Bodmin & Wenford Station

It was a damp, rainy night and we had been given a booking for first class dining on the Cornish Belle. The 75178 steam train was scheduled to leave at 7 p.m. and the rain didn't put us off. We passed though the booking office and made our way to the platform.

The Bodmin & Wenford station is very much in a 1950s style, in keeping with the heritage trains which run from here.

My gosh, it was pelting down with rain as we made our way along the very wet platform.

We jumped into the carriage at the first opportunity and wandered along looking for our table number. Not many tables were taken as yet - as usual we were early.

The tables were neatly laid out ready for the diners.

Looking through the window the rain was still in full flow.

Luckily the menu had vegetarian options for me, while my wife chose Cornish beef for her main course. 

I didn't snap any photos of our meal as we just wanted to relax and enjoy our evening - while the steam train chugged along its journey.

It was after 10 p.m. when we arrived back at the station after our meal - and very nice it was too. 

The rain was still pouring down so I didn't get the photos I had hoped for. Nevertheless I managed a few shots of the Cornish Belle.

I snapped one photo in sepia as it seemed to portray a whole different era - a gentler, more polite era perhaps.

All in all, despite the rain, it was a very enjoyable evening.