March 25 - Cornwall

I loved the time we spent in Cornwall. The whole area was just so interesting. Back in 2014, we made our base at Ludgvan, just a short distance east of Penzance. We stayed in the annex of a cottage owned by a lovely young family. It was the perfect base for multiple day trips.

 One of these trips took us to Mousehole – pronounced Mowzel. Parking was an issue. There simply wasn’t any available. The streets were exceptionally narrow and the houses were built to the edge of either the road or a sliver of sidewalk. It was a fascinating place to visit and a good spot to watch either the incoming or receding tide. Tides came in and out with some speed. At high tide the fishing boats rode high on the water and at low tide these same boats were stranded on a wide expanse of slushy mud.

On my virtual walk from Land’s End last month, I didn’t notice the route taking me through Mousehole. Instead, the route seemed to veer a little inland to the site of the Merry Maidens. We had also been here on a day trip. The Merry Maidens are a near circle of stone rocks – I suppose much like a mini version of the more famous Stonehenge. The legend goes that eighteen young women set out from the neighbouring town for a day of festive dancing. Unfortunately for them, the day in question was the Sabbath, and the girls were all turned to stone as punishment for their sinful behaviour. In 2014, we were the only visitors to the site, and I found it peculiarly eerie.

On another day on our long ago holiday, we drove to St. Ives, about 10 miles north of Land’s End. It was a beautiful sunny day and we spent some pleasant hours down by the harbour and tried our first Cornish pasties. However, be warned. Parking was limited to an area at the top of a steep hill leading down into the town. It was okay going down but coming up was a different story. I remember that this was also the first and only time in Cornwall where we spotted another white cane user.

I am including three pictures with this post. The first is of Lyle standing beside the name board of our Ludgvan cottage. I would highly recommend this accommodation. The cottage was suitable for a couple but you do need a rental vehicle. 

Lyle standing beside cottage

The second is a street view in Mousehole. Because of the proximity of the houses and the narrowness of the thoroughfare, it was hard to take this picture. I remember that Lyle had to stand in the middle of the road while I stood safely at the edge, supposedly watching for traffic. The picture shows Lyle standing in the centre of the street.

 

Lyle at Mousehole

 

The third picture is at the site of the Merry Maidens. It was a rather dismal day and I suppose that this did much to add to the eerie atmosphere.

 

Sue with the Merry Maidens