Ever since we went to John O’Groats, the most northerly point in mainland Britain, Ray has wanted to get to Lands’ End—we finally did it. Falmouth is the 3rd deepest harbour in the world. It was once the home of the Mail “Packet Service,” which meant it was first with news from the Empire. Captain Cook’s ship returned to Falmouth with Charles Darwin after their epic voyage. Henry VIII’s Pendennis Castle greeted us at the entrance to Falmouth Harbour this morning. St. Mawes Castle is on the opposite shore as is St. Anthony’s Lighthouse. We tendered into the port where we found a mother swan and her newly hatched cygnets! They were adorably following her around everywhere.
From Falmouth, we took our motorcoach towards Lands’ End, which is 40 miles away, traveling along the River Fal. The countryside here is so green and lush. Falmouth is the 3rd deepest harbour in the world. It was once the home of the Mail “Packet Service,” which meant it was first with news from the Empire. Captain Cook’s ship returned to Falmouth with Charles Darwin after their epic voyage. Henry VIII’s Pendennis Castle greeted us at the entrance to Falmouth Harbour this morning. St. Mawes Castle is on the opposite shore as is St. Anthony’s Lighthouse.
We stopped at the sleepy village of Marazion for photos of St. Michaels Mount. Reminded me very much of Mont St. Michel in France and it is the sister priory to it. The small island is reachable by a walk-able causeway at low tide and by boat at high tide. While we were there, the tide was low and a steady stream of people could be seen making their way across the causeway. The small granite island is topped by a castle and also contains a 12th c. Benedictine priory. The family who owns the island actually live there on half of it.
We passed through the peaceful countryside, past small villages, granite farmhouses, thatched roof cottages, and hedged fields. The town of Helford is Daphne du Maurier’s home and setting for books. There were many rolling downs as we approached Land’s End, England’s most westerly point. Ray has wanted to get to this place ever since we reached John O’Groats, the most northerly point, on our last trip. Many people make the trek of 874 miles from one to the other, some naked, some pushing baby carriages. I guess we kind of cheated, but we have certainly put in our miles in England and Scotland.
The granite mass of Lands’ End has been a landmark for seafarers for centuries. There is a famous signpost here giving the mileage to NY and other points all over the world. The Scilly Islands are offshore about 40 miles and we could barely make out the outline of one of them. They were once connected to the mainland, but the causeway was flooded many years ago. There are said to be cities under the water and that some can hear the bells of the churches ringing. Helicopters take you there, but it is a very expense trip. There were rumors during the Royal Wedding that the Scilly Islands is one of the possible locations of Will & Kate’s honeymoon.
Everything here at Lands’ End seemed to be named the “First & Last”—“The First & Last Inn,” etc. as this is the first place you can step onto English soil and the last depending on your direction of travel. The scenery was gorgeous with waves crashing spectacularly against the cliffs and rocks. The Longships Lighthouse sits just offshore on top of rocks. There are beautiful views of the lighthouse and of the Cornish coastline scenery from the platform. We drove back through Penzance, the setting for Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.”
This area of England is famous for its Cream Teas with scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam, and its quaint villages and its moors. Interesting thing I’ve noticed—the cows all seem so happy here. They all seem to sit down a lot, too. Very relaxed life for them, it seems. On our return trip to Falmouth, our guide pointed out many of the tin mines in the area. There were also mines for china clay (kaolin) and iron and copper. Cairn Brae is a tall hill upon which there are iron works, a castle, and an Iron Age hillfort. Tin mining in the area caused the rivers to turn a red color. It also caused the rivers to silt up.
It was a very good tour, but I was so tired, I slept through a lot of the return trip. We packed most of our things this morning, so tomorrow will be very easy. We are crossing the English Channel now for our visit to Le Havre. Some are making the 3 hour one way and 3 hour back bus trip into Paris, but we are just visiting Le Havre where the boat is docked. Hopefully there will be a patisserie where I can use my favorite French sentence: “Je voudrais deux croissants et un pain au chocolate, s’il vous plait.”
pictures from top: Saint Michael's Mount; low tide at Penzance; Lands' End; a swan andher newly hatched cygnets at Falmouth.
