A Return to Charlestown Harbour and the Old Sailing Ships

We hadn't been to Charlestown since July because of the coronavirus but, on a chilly day, with only a few people about, we decided to see if any old sailing ships where in dock.

Looking over the wall, behind the building above, all looked very bright and inviting.

Usually there are lots of people walking the harbour walls but all was quiet.

Yes, there were old sailing ships in dock - though the weather was on the change.

A side view of the same sailing ship, with some of the harbour cottages looking down.

The photo below is looking upwards to the top of the main mast. A platform is often seen on such ships, way above the deck. It was known as 'The Fighting Top'.

The Fighting Top was an enlarged top, sometimes with swivel guns designed to fire down on the deck of an enemy ship. They could also be manned by snipers with muskets or rifles.

But all was peaceful while we were there and the canons were quiet.

Another view of one of the tall ships.

The morning was definitely getting colder. One family was crossing the narrow bridge homeward bound.

Looking over at the stony beach again a couple looked decidedly chilly but, good gracious, one hardy woman was having a swim! You can just see her head at the bottom of the photo. I preferred to have a cup of tea!

Three previous posts on Charlestown:

1) Charlestown Harbour, Port and Sailing Ships - Plus Prostitutes in the 1700s and1800s

2) A Stroll Around Poldark's Charlestown Harbour, Cornwall - 12 Photos

3) Charlestown, Cornwall With Sailing Ships In The Harbour

A Choice of Walks in Looe, Cornwall

A quick post today. Looe has some lovely walks other than walking through the town or alongside the river.

Three such walks start in the Millpool car park, where most visitors usually park their cars.

The car park is next to the river, so has some lovely views taking in Kilminorth Woods. 

One of the walks includes a visit to the Giants Hedge, believed to be a 6th century earthwork. Probably built for defence purposes.

All of the walks begin at the far end of Millpool car park where there is a large wooden gate and a map / information board. There are a choice of three colour coded walks. The photo below is where the walks start out.

So everything is nice and easy and you shouldn't get lost! But, of course, there is a snag: you have to pay a car parking fee. On my last visit the charges were as follows.

~ Up to 1 hour - £0.70

~ 1 to 2 hours - £2.30

~ 2 to 3 hours - £3.60

~ 3 to 4 hours - £4.70

~ 24 hours - £5.70

Also see my recent post on Looe itself:

The Quaint Fishing Port of Looe, Cornwall - 14 Photos

The Fishing Port of Looe, Cornwall

Walking to Chapel Point and Colona Beach Cornwall

Today's post, sort of follows on from my previous post. The photos above and below show one of my favourite houses, somewhere I would love to live but, unfortunately, I'm a few million short at the moment!

Chapel Point house is high on a headland, and is near the coastal path mentioned in my last two posts.

Below the house is a small cove and Colona beach. It's often described as a private beach, but is quite accessible to the public.

On our walk, along the coastal path, we tarried here awhile to devour our packed lunch.

I snapped a few photos.

It was quite a windy day so the waves crashed a little as they reached the beach.

Lots of rockpools to investigate.

As can be seen there are a set of steps leading down to the beach from Chapel Point House.

Colona Beach is backed by sandy cliffs.

I nearly missed the bird as he blended in so well with the cliffs.

From the coastal path it can be seen that Chapel House is actually a cluster of several buildings. These were designed by the arts and crafts designer John Campbell in 1936.

The property is now Grade II listed.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Walking Cornwall's Coastal Path From Portmellon

Following on from my previous post, after spending some time at Portmellon, we walked to the coastal path.

The path is easy to find: follow the road west from Portmellon (on foot). Turn first left where there is a coastal path sign and simply follow the other signs!

The path has lots of ups and downs as can be seen by the photos.

The tide was out so the sea had various shades of blue and green.

I like to see the sea caressing the dark rocks.

Looking back, as the path climbs once more.

The bracken was dry, thanks to the sunshine, but contrasts perfectly with the colours of the sea.

Because of a time commitment, and spending too long at Portmellon, we didn't reach Goran Haven, where this part of the coastal path ends - and also where another begins!

It was a perfect day though: sunshine, warm wind and fresh air filling our lungs with goodness.

I feel so lucky to live in Cornwall.

See also:

1. Gorran Haven, Cornwall - Photos of Harbour and Cottages

2. The Lesser Known Vault Beach Cornwall

Portmellon, Cornwall - a Sandy Cove When the Tide is Out

We were heading off for a walk along Cornwall's coastal path and stopped off at Portmellon to park our car in a side road. We have friends who live nearby, so know of a parking spot. I snapped a few quick photos.

Portmellon is only about a mile from Mevagissey, but the road can be a bit hairy as it is so narrow. There is a detour, but this adds miles to the journey.

Opposite the small beach is the Rising Sun pub with locally sourced food.

The beach is sandy but there is a snag: it disappears at high tide with the sea almost lapping the road. 

The beach does have it's own slipway.

There are some very pleasant - and very expensive - houses overlooking the beach. Some of the old houses fortunately remain.

I mentioned that the sea almost laps the narrow road. At times though, it very much overlaps the road as can be seen by the following two photos. I snapped these a while back, when the weather was a bit rough - to say the least!

Houses along the road have flood gates and similar defences for when the water spills across the road, sometimes causing local flooding.

That's all for today, thanks for visiting my blog.

A couple of Mevagissey Posts:

(1) 13 Photos of Mevagissey Harbour, Cornwall

(2) An Introduction to Mevagissey, Cornwall The Two Saint Village

The Quaint Fishing Port of Looe, Cornwall - 14 Photos

 

We were in the popular fishing port of Looe (12-Sep-20) for the first time since the coronavirus took hold of our lives.

The bridge separates the town into West and East. We headed across the bridge into East Looe but stayed away from the main shopping street - as it was packed with people. 

Though a fishing port tourism has taken over as the main business.

We walked alongside the river. This is the view looking across the river to West Looe.

The sun was shining and everything looked at its best.

River and fishing trips were on offer.

The weather gradually clouded over when we reached the Old Lifeboat Station.

Opposite is Looe beach. People seemed to be well spaced out.

We continued walking to the far end of the beach.

Looking at the beach and West Looe.

We retraced our steps. By then there were quite a few people wandering by the river.

We continued walking until back at the bridge. 

Many people were still heading towards the town.

Two more photos from the bridge. This is looking south at the River Looe.

And the view of the river looking north.

I mentioned at the beginning of the post how we avoided all of the people in the main shopping area. Below is a photo I snapped in the month of October. As you can see the road is very narrow, so it's easy to imagine how packed this can get when there are lots of tourists in the summer months. There's not much room for social distancing.

See also:

Looe Island and St. Michael of Lammana Chapel, Cornwall

Looe Town, River and Beach

The False Widow Spiders in Cornwall

Not my favourite creatures by any means, but a few have been spotted in my neighbourhood. They are the 'noble false widow spiders'. The posh name being Steatoda nobilis. Their body looks similar to a skull and the female often eats the male spider after mating.

According to Wikipedia "...the Steatoda nobilis is native to Madeira and the Canary Islands from where it allegedly spread to Europe, and arrived in England before 1879, perhaps through cargo sent to Torquay".

They supposedly got their name as they look very similar to black widow spiders which can have a very nasty bite - potentially dangerous. 

The false widow, as in my photos, can also bite but it is not usually too serious, something on a par with a bee sting. 

False widow spiders seem to like houses, sheds, garages and the like. The spider in my photos was from a house four houses along from where I live.

In England they are generally only seen in the south.

The quandary is what to do with the spiders if captured. I don't like to kill anything so I expect if I caught one indoors I would release it into the local woods.

For more pleasant creatures please see:

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

or

Farm Animals Seen In Cornwall

Thank you for visiting my blog - Mike.