Mevagissey Outer Harbour, Lighthouse and Beach.

I'm following on from my previous Mevagissey post which concentrated on the inner harbour, where there are normally lots of boats in the enclosed area.

If we walk to the outer harbour it has a different atmosphere as there is much more space - as can be seen in the photos above and below.

The inner, more sheltered harbour wall, was built in 1774 on the site of a medieval quay. The outer harbour wall was first built in 1888 but had to be rebuilt in 1897 following damage in 1891.

Mevagissey's small lighthouse is made of cast iron and is about 26 feet tall.

The lighthouse is hexagonal in shape. The light can be seen for about twelve nautical miles.

If we walk along the lighthouse breakwater we can see how Mevagissey harbour is surrounded by high cliffs.

To get from the breakwater to the road is quite a climb up all of those steps. But not to worry ...

… there is a wide, flat walkway alongside the harbour instead.

If we return to the lighthouse we can see the other wall that makes up the entrance into the outer harbour.

Some quite smart houses have been built behind the wall.

Finally, mustn't forget the Mevagissey harbour beach! Okay, it isn't much, and is only really there when the tide is out, but there are usually one or two people enjoying the sand and splashing about in the water - if the weather is okay. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach.

In the photo below the gap between the two walls is the entrance to Mevagissey's inner harbour.

Also see:
An Introduction to Mevagissey, Cornwall The Two Saint Village

An Introduction to Mevagissey, Cornwall The Two Saint Village

It was a bit of a moody day, the sun couldn't make up its mind whether to be friendly or not, so we headed to Mevagissey - as we often do when in doubt. There's always something of interest to see.

The name Mevagissey is made up from the names of two saints: St. Meva and St. Issey - the 'g' in the middle is taken from the word 'hag' which is the Cornish word for 'and'.  

In the Cornish language the name is Lannvorek.

The first mention of Mevagissey was in 1313 but there is evidence of a settlement being here in the Bronze age.

Mevagissey has an inner and an outer harbour and is famed for its fishing. Back in 1886 it landed 250,000 hundredweight of fish, the highest quantity of any port in western England.

There is still fishing today. My wife occasionally buys freshly caught fish from a small stall on the harbour. I'm vegetarian but she enjoys her fish meals, especially the mackerel.

Nowadays Mevagissey is very much a tourist attraction. The harbour and the narrow streets throng with people in the summer season. You can park on the harbour - at a price, of course, but the spots soon fill up. As do the main car parks situated at the beginning of the village.

Needless to say Cornish pasties are available! As is Cornish ice cream, plus there are pubs, fish and chip shops, restaurants and so on.

I'll have more photos of Mevagissey on my next post.

Boscastle Harbour, Cornwall and Very Old Harbour Walls

This is Boscastle harbour, Cornwall and also its old harbour walls - built way back in 1584 by Sir Richard Grenville.

Sir Richard (1542-1591) seems an interesting character. He was a lord of several manors in the west country and held various official positions. This included being the Member of Parliament for Cornwall. He was a cousin of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Grenville was perhaps most known for his military service and died in battle. To quote Encyclopaedia Britannica :

In 1591, Grenville was made second in command (under Lord Thomas Howard) of a squadron of about 15 vessels sent to intercept a Spanish treasure fleet off the Azores. When 53 Spanish vessels approached to protect their treasure ships, the English retreated, but Grenville was delayed and cut off. Undaunted, he attempted to run his ship, the Revenge, through the Spanish line. After 15 hours of hand-to-hand combat against 15 Spanish galleons and a force of 5,000 men, the Revenge with her 190-man crew was captured (Sept. 9/10, 1591). A few days later the wounded Grenville died on board the Spanish flagship.

As for Boscastle itself, the harbour is a natural inlet (as above) and is the only place where a harbour could be built on this stretch of Cornwall's intimidating north coast. 

The white building high on the cliff top (top left above) is a lookout built in the early 1800s. It's possible to follow a path from the harbour to the lookout - great views, of course, from the top.

The previous photos and the one below were snapped from the east side of the harbour.

We now move over to the west side of the harbour. On my visit the tide was returning. Both harbour walls can be seen in the photo below.

Looking at the photo below I always think the cliffs to the right of the inlet look like some sort of an animal waiting to gobble up any unwanted visitors.

Another look at the smaller harbour wall.

And finally looking inland from the harbour - the height of the water will soon increase.

P.S. Boscastle was where I had quite a remarkable coincidence, see The Coincidence Meeting At Boscastle, Cornwall

St.Materiana Church, High on the Cliffs Overlooking the Atlantic at Tintagel, Cornwall

High on Glebe Cliff overlooking the Atlantic is Tintagel's parish church of St.Materiana. I took the photos while on a lovely circular walk starting at the church.

St.Materiana is believed to have been a 5th century princess of Gwent, the daughter of King Vortimer. It is said that she helped introduce Christianity to the local area in about 500 AD. The church was built between 1080 and 1150. 

I noticed the postcard below addressed to 'Heaven' while I wandered round the church. I found it very touching.

The postcard is in a child's handwriting and says:

"Dear Danny,

I hope you are having a lovely time in Heaven.

I miss you a lot.

From Marina"

The church is only a short distance along the high cliffs from Tintagel Castle, often referred to as King Arthur's castle. Tradition says that he was conceived within the castle walls. 

The photo above shows how the castle is built into the cliff itself.

P.S. There is a free car park at the church but it only holds about ten vehicles at the most. From the village it's up a very narrow, steep hill. Alternatively there are many car parks in Tintagel - but you'll have to walk up the hill!

Also see:

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

St.Stephen-in-Brannel, Cornwall : An Old 1261 Church Plus Dozens and Dozens of Vintage Motorcycles.

I was in St.Stephen-in-Brannel, Cornwall on Wednesday. We had two reasons to visit the village, firstly to tend a grave in the churchyard - always a sad moment.

The church (as above) was dedicated on 20th August, 1261 but has had various renovations over the years. It is thought that this wasn't the first church here, as there are very ancient stone crosses in the churchyard.

Our second reason to visit St.Stephen was to visit Hawkins Garage. We bought a new car from the group last year and the first service was due. While waiting for them to complete the service we had a coffee in their café. 

Never having been in there previously we were surprised by all of the old motorcycles on display - dozens and dozens of them.

Must admit that I have never been into motorcycles. I remember when young most of my friends got motorbikes but I bought an old banger of a car instead. I think I realised the advantage of a back seat.

Anyway, I snapped a few quick photos of some of the motorcycles. It really is a museum and everything is so neat and tidy. As I understand it the café / museum is open six days a week and entry is free.

Here are just a few of the motorcycles … BSA ...

… Triumph ...

… Triumph Thunderbirds …

... and I believe this is a McKenzie. From the sign I see it was initially sold for 26 UK Guineas. 

 Even though I'm not that interested in motorcycles it made a fascinating half an hour looking at them. I'll stick with a car though!

Wandering Around Charlestown Harbour, Cornwall : 10 Photos

I was in Charlestown, Cornwall on Sunday morning and snapped a few quick photos as I walked round the harbour.

Quite a few people about and many were having coffee, or something stronger, at the Pier House.

The Charlestown Rowing Club entered the harbour after a rowing session at sea.

The rowers hauled their boat up the slope in front of the Pier House.

Several people were fishing from the harbour wall. I didn't see anyone, though, who had actually caught a fish.

There was only one tall sailing ship in the inner harbour.

A closer look at the tall ship.

From the main harbour to the inner harbour there is a narrow bridge. The level of the water is higher here.

Looking at the cottages which have views over the harbour.

The flags were about. Many of the cottages are now holiday homes.

The cottage below had their St.Piran Cornwall flags on display.

See also:
(1) A Stroll Around Poldark's Charlestown Harbour, Cornwall - 12 Photos
(2) Charlestown: Built to Export Copper Ore
(3) The Cave On Charlestown Beach, Cornwall

The Esplanade Hotel and Fistral Beach and Lots of Cars

In my previous couple of posts I mentioned that we stayed in Newquay for a few days. We were lucky enough to be gifted a free stay at the Esplanade Hotel, overlooking Fistral Beach - the white building in the photo above.

Below is a photo I snapped while having a coffee in their downstairs public rooms, overlooking the beach - thus the reflections in the picture.

Of course, while seeing the impressive beach, there is also a good view of cars - many cars - many, many cars.

Parking is limited and very few are lucky enough to get in the small hotel car park. This therefore means parking in the road - if you can find a space. I couldn't when I arrived and had to park a heck of a way from the hotel. In the photo below you can see cars continuously along the Esplanade, not a parking spot to be seen.

The difficulty is that beach-goers also park here when they are going to Fistral Beach. The situation improves after about six o'clock in the evening.

Here's where I eventually parked in the evening. I snapped the photo while my wife was rummaging in the boot for something or other - I blurred my car registration number.

The hotel has it's good and not so good parts. I enjoyed the food, both the three course meal in the evening and the full English breakfast. There were vegetarian options.

What I didn't like was the accommodation. We had a standard (small!) room, which looked out to the back of the hotel and, when we walked in, it was like an oven - no air conditioning. In fairness we found a fan but it didn't really help much. As well as the heat, there was lots of noise all through the night.

As I mentioned, I didn't have to pay for the room, but If I had I was informed it would have been £210 per night for a couple (including dinner and breakfast) and more for a higher standard room.

Finishing on a positive note the hotel has an enviable position with excellent views, as below, and we found all of the staff to be very friendly and pleasant.

See also:
(1) Newquay Cliff Tops Plus an Abundance of Sand at the Gannel Estuary, Cornwall 
(2) Photos of Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall