Jumping ahead - to Cornwall

 

So exciting about where we are now that I thought we’d jump ahead and share it with you in real time.

We’re in a tiny village called Bodinnick, on the shores of the Fowey River in Cornwall. Our cottage (Tabs Cottage) sits right above point where the ferry that crosses from Bodinnick to Fowey town lands. Below is the panorama view from our dining room/sunroom. That’s Fowey across the river. Far left is Polruan, on the same shore as Bodinnick but a 2-3 mile coastal walk away: we plan to do that walk during the week we’re here.

The car ferry is in middle foreground.

Cool, huh!

Then there’s the view behind us: The Old Ferry Inn. So we’re sandwiched between a picture postcard and a pub – what could be better!

Below is the view back to the cottage from the ferry. Tabs Cottage is the one with the five vertical windows, almost dead centre. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a lovely spacious lounge/kitchen/dining room area. We feel very cosy and lucky.

From those front windows we get constant entertainment watching the cars coming and going from the ferry, navigating the impossibly narrow and steep streets. This morning a group of about 30 keen cyclists landed under our noses and headed up the hill on the right of the panorama photo above. Silly duffers, they should have gone straight ahead to the pub!

Bronny, Warren, Herstall and Ali and Ewan will no doubt appreciate the efforts of the bikers. Note - they were NOT e-bikes so no cheating was involved!

The cars they are passing are queuing for the ferry.

 

The Fowey River is very deep, one of the deepest natural harbours along the south coast of England but very narrow. Nonetheless there are tankers that come up beyond Tabs Cottage to load clay from a mine further up-river and apparently there have been cruise liners in the harbour at times – completely towering over the whole town(s) as you can imagine. It would be horrendously crowded in the town if a few thousand people descended on it in one hit, as you’ll see from the photos below.

The weather forecast is a bit dicky for the next few days but this morning was bright and sunny so we explored Fowey town, which really is brilliant, classic Cornish coastal. We started by taking the ferry across. There has been a ferry operating here since the 1300’s according to local history/legend. Today, it costs £2.20 per adult for foot passengers one way! For the 4 of us (Hugh & Anna included – no charge for 4-month-old wee Ellie!) it would have been cheaper to have piled into the car and bought a return ticket for £10. But then …. the hassle of parking on the Fowey side … Besides, the £2.20 ‘admission charge' to view the delights of Fowey was well worth it.

In Fowey, it's hard to choose which photos to take, let alone pick the ones to share with you, so here’s a few tasters.

 

Below: Hugh and Anna taking evasive action

 

Below: Polruan

Below: Readymoney cove, on the Fowey side of the river. A hardy swimmer 

Below: Fowey

Below: Fowey Place. This is a private property with a commanding presence

Below: another view back to Tabs cottage (in the centre). Du Maurier house is to the right, the blue and white one. Daphne Du Maurier lived here, writing novels about Cornish life and history, and the short story 'Birds' which was adapted by Hitchcock for his famous horror movie. The house is privately owned, not open to the public.

Needless to say, we are looking forward to exploring more of the coast and the towns in these parts. Walking will be the best way. It is a 4-5 mile walk each way to each of two renowned Cornish villages, Polperro and Polkerris.  Plus there is the Eden Project site with its tropical and Mediterranean domes to explore, it’s about 10 miles from here. Those 10 miles will at least 40 minutes driving on windy, narrow Cornish roads – it’s impossible to go any faster!

Well, there is now a gap to back-fill, covering Chester, York, the north Yorkshire coast and Moors, and a couple of short-stay visits to Essex and Kent. Will do my best to get to them this week – but see above regarding the potential for distraction in lovely Cornwall.