October 30 - Pictures from Cornwall (Part 3)

St. Michael’s Mount is a small rocky island off the coast of Cornwall. Part of its fascination is its history. It began as a monastery, but in subsequent years acted as a fort, and today is part private home and part castle open for public viewing.

The other fascination of St. Michael’s Mount is its location. It is an island but at low tide it is connected to the mainland by a cobblestone causeway. When the tide is high, visitors to the Mount must approach the rocky island by boat.  We took both routes.

When we arrived at Marazion, the small town on the mainland, the tide was high and we took the boat shuttle to the island. When we left the castle we walked across the causeway which in some places was still wet and slippery from the receding waters at low tide. For me, the incoming and outgoing tides were just as interesting as the self-guided tour around the stone fort and castle.

There are three pictures with this post. The first was taken from the mainland at high tide and shows St. Michael’s Mount from a distance. It is definitely an island surrounded by water.

St. Michael's Mount

The second picture was taken from the Mount looking back to the land. It is low tide and there are people walking across the causeway.

Causeway connecting to St. Michael's Mount

The third picture is my favourite. It shows a stretch of sand leading up to a tall rock ledge. This same spot is where we caught the boat in the morning when the sand was covered with the water of the high tide.  In the picture I am standing high and dry on the sand where just a few hours previously the water would have covered my head. 

Sue at rock ledge during low tide