Monday 13th September 2021 Once again the extreme tides meant that we would have more time than usual on St Martin’s and would therefore have time to walk all round the island, which is the northernmost of the inhabited onesmaking up the Isles of Scilly. The Firethorn dropped us at the quay in Higher Town. In what must surely be one of the most prosaic examples of place naming in the UK, the three main settlements on St Martin’s are called Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town, although it could be argued that the use of the word “town” must itself have required quite a feat of imagination: in the 2011 census the island reported a population of just 136. Initially we set off to walk anti-clockwise round the island towards the highest point at its northeast corner on Chapel Down, passing an unexpected vineyard on the way. The highest point is dominated by a large red and white striped daymark or unlighted beacon, reminiscent of the upper section of Tintin’s rocket, which was visible from some distance across the bays and inlets as we walked. The date above the blocked, arched doorway on the daymark reads 1637 but […]
England
Sunday 12th September 2021 After seeing people floating seemingly effortlessly around Coniston Water and Lake Bala, Robert had been keen to try stand up paddle-boarding [SUP]. We had also seen people inflating them in a car park in Llanberis and so he felt it would be possible to fit them in Al, the camper van. Since a minimum water level is required for a SUP, this was also affected by the tides but we found we could catch the boat to Bryher and hire them from the very helpful people at Hut 62 then catch the boat back. On arrival we were given a life jacket, a SUP and a paddle each and then a brief lesson. It is important not to drag or beach a SUP in case the fin snaps off. Paddle-boarding is all about balance and core strength, neither of which are Matilda’s strong points. She did not manage to stand up from kneeling on the board but her swimming costume did stay dry. She felt she should have practised this on dry land in advance. Robert, however, after a slightly shaky start, managed to stand up and move smoothly round the bay. Although Matilda stayed kneeling, […]
Saturday 11th September 2021 Once again there were limited boats we could catch from Tresco because of the extreme tides. However, this also meant that we would have more time on the island we visited. We therefore waved goodbye to the girls at our cottage and set off to catch a boat to St Mary’s. On the quayside, we saw the helicopter arrive, running only a little late, and watched as it left with the girls on board. Once on St Mary’s we set off to walk around the entire island. The coastal path goes up past Juliet’s and then on to . . . . . . the ancient Iron Age village at Halangy Down. The site was inhabited until around 600-700 AD and the ruins here were uncovered between 1964 and 1977. Much of the stone from the site was removed in the 19th century to build a new pier at Hugh Town. Providing you have line of sight to this modern telecoms tower, you can get a 4G signal on the islands so not everywhere is covered. St Mary’s is known as the site of the tower from which Marconi heard wireless signals transmitted over 30 miles […]
Thursday 9th and Friday 10th September 2021 Since the tide continues to fall as you walk between Tresco and Bryher we had been advised to start walking about 30 minutes before the tide reached its lowest point. About an hour and a half before that, the crossing looked like this. The water soon receded. Eagle-eyed Jaime spotted a baby cuttlefish about the size of a thumbnail in the shallows. Even though it appeared almost transparent, it managed to squirt out a significant amount of black ink in an attempt to scare us off. Although it is called a walking tide . . . . . . on this day it was more like paddling. It was important to watch where you put your feet. Matilda asked the girls to look for interesting shells so that she could keep them as mementoes and say she had picked them up, if not exactly off the ocean floor, then perhaps off the seabed. All four of us . . . . . . made it across safely. Having reached Bryher we had to wait for the tide to rise so that we could catch a boat back. We took a walk . . […]
Wednesday 8th September 2021 After the travel stresses of the previous evening, we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast at the Flying Boat Café and Deli [see Dish of the day]. The extreme low and correspondingly high tides have an impact on the timings of both the Scillonian and the boats between the various islands so although we would have liked to go to St Mary’s to meet our daughters, we found we might not have been able to get the first boat after they landed back to Tresco with them as this was reserved for new arrivals. We therefore stayed on the island to wait for the girls to appear. Matilda had cajoled both daughters into coming to Tresco this year as it coincided with a “walking tide” – one that is low enough to allow people to walk between Tresco and Bryher. At 0.6m it was slightly higher than is recommended for the crossing but it was good enough for us. To fill the time before our daughters’ delayed arrival we took a stroll to the point where it is recommended people start the walk to make sure we knew where to begin the next day. Some people […]
Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th September 2021 We like to break up the journey to the Scillies and take in a few interesting sights on the way. This year our first overnight stay was Charlestown where we had a lovely view over the harbour from our room window. We had visited briefly last year and decided it was so picturesque it would be worth an overnight stay to allow us to sample the local hostelries . . . . . . and the atmosphere at the harbour-side bars in the evening. Well rested after an uncharacteristic lie-in we took a quick stroll in the morning before leaving to take a look at St Austell. Matilda had been expecting a castle keep on a mound, based purely on the brewery logo, but instead we found St Austell Market House which is apparently said to be “the jewel in St Austell’s crown”. During the middle ages markets and fairs were often held in churchyards, but Edward III passed a law prohibiting such events on church land and markets therefore had to relocate. Records show that in 1791 a small market building stood here but the successful town outgrew it and in 1842 […]
Monday 5th to Thursday 15th July 2021 Southwold seems to be becoming an annual event now that we have a motorhome/campervan and, despite the rise in the number of people wishing to holiday in the UK this year, having booked well in advance, we had two pitches at our disposal and had the pleasure of a range of different people staying at varying times. John and Belinda and Clare and Roger had also booked their own pitches for part of the stay. [See Selfie of the day.] Our first visitors were Graham and Dee and there seemed to be some confusion about the best position for their van and awning but fortunately this was eventually resolved. High winds overnight meant that both awnings had to be taken down the following morning. It was a real pleasure to have Graham and Dee join us for a few days at the start of the holiday particularly as . . . . . . this coincided with her birthday. It was great to catch up after such a long time and all the limitations of lockdown. There are wide open views back across the flat Suffolk landscape towards the town from the campsite. […]
Friday 18th June 2021 One of the reasons for downsizing the motorhome to Al was that Matilda had said she would consider driving a smaller vehicle. Although this proves that she can, she does not find it entirely comfortable as her feet did not quite reach the floor and felt as though they were floating she felt this may not provide the best pedal control. Robert was keen to teach her how to use the cruise control but Matilda was adamant that she would take one step at a time. On the way to Coniston, we stopped off at Kendal to visit the Herdy Shop [see Selfie of the day]. It just has to be done. We had pre-booked to go on the Steam Yacht [SY] Gondola on Coniston Water. Launched in 1859 she was built for the Furness Railway and is a screw-propelled, steam-powered vessel. In commercial use until 1936 when she was retired she was converted into a houseboat a decade later. Acquired by the National Trust in the 1970s the derelict vessel was restored and was put back into service in 1979. We watched it return from an earlier cruise. The vessel, originally Victorian, has been rebuilt […]
Tuesday 15th September 2020 On our last morning in Tresco we awoke to low-lying mist and poor visibility and the knowledge that our helicopter flight was likely to be delayed. The mist cleared on the Isles of Scilly by about eleven. However the mist lingered considerably longer on the mainland so four of us spent the majority of the waiting time in glorious sunshine in the cafe at the Abbey Gardens where we saw some beautiful, but camera-shy, red squirrels. The other two members of our bubble had caught a high speed boat to St Mary’s, stopping to view basking grey seals on their way to catch a plane to Land’s End. They too had to fill in time which they did playing cards. We kept in touch as announcements were made and rumours spread and in the end the plane flight from St Mary’s was cancelled and two caught the Scillonian while four of us, after a six hour delay, travelled to Penzance by helicopter and . . . . . . enjoyed the views then . . . . . . passed over the Scillonian and waved. The helicopter also provides a good aerial view of St Michael’s […]
Tuesday 8th to Tuesday 15th September 2020 We decided to take advantage of the recently reinstated helicopter service for the last leg of the journey. The views from the helicopter are fantastic and it was such a pleasure to step out onto Tresco once again. Of course, Robert had to reacquaint himself with the New Inn, at the earliest opportunity. We have never been disappointed in the Isles of Scilly. Despite the limitations imposed by Covid restrictions, this trip to Tresco has been blessed by some beautiful sunny days and great company. This year’s highlights, although not always captured photographically, have included several picturesque pubs with panoramic views. The view from The Ruin Inn, Tresco, towards the Blockhouse and on to St Martins on the left is one of Robert’s all-time favourite bar views. We all enjoyed the mode of transport between islands and . . . . . . the sun, sea and sand. The Scillies feature many sweeping, sandy bays and this is the one next to to the cottage where we stay. One day we took the boat to the isle of St Agnes and found that the tide had uncovered what felt like a narrow tropical […]
Monday 7th September 2020 We had booked to go to the Eden Project in the afternoon to allow time for our daughter and her friend to make an early start and drive down to join us there. That morning we decided to take a scenic stroll before returning to the car and headed towards the castle and down to Readymoney Beach. This is a delightfully sheltered cove owned by the National Trust and the clear water and sandy beach would make it the ideal spot for a swim if time allowed. The walk to the castle is not accessible at high tide and as the tide was rising and Eden was beckoning, we will save this for another visit. We also stopped at Charlestown on the way and this proved to be an unexpected treat. Construction of the Georgian harbour and dock started in 1791 and the natural inlet was excavated to create a main dock and a shipyard. Initially copper and then china clay was transported via the port and it remained largely unchanged during the twentieth century. Its historical charm means it has been used as a location in several period film and TV dramas, most notably Taboo […]
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September 2020 On our way from Exeter to Fowey [pronounced to rhyme with “joy”] we stopped in Bodmin at a garden centre for an al fresco coffee with a dear friend, Angela: we refrained from using the words “old friend” but we used to visit her on our way down to Tresco with our daughters almost 20 years ago. The intervening years seemed to melt away and it was so lovely to catch up. We have promised each other “the same time next year” and hope to make it a regular event. From here we drove on to Fowey which is going to be the base for our forthcoming day trips to re-visit the Eden Project and see the Lost Gardens of Heligan for the first time. Fowey is a long-established port which has existed since before the Norman invasion and which is perched on steep cliffs on the estuary of the River Fowey itself. Robert had booked us into The Ship Inn near the harbour and had been advised to park in the main car park and walk to the town. Whilst this seemed an eminently sensible suggestion in the downwards direction, Matilda found she […]
Friday 4th September 2020 Initially, 2020 was scheduled to be the year we circumnavigated the northern hemisphere without flying but these plans had to be, first, adapted and then shelved completely in the face of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past several months therefore we have been the non-Travelling Herd apart from a few days away in Southwold in Alan the motorhome in August. Prior to lockdown, we had booked a week in Tresco on the Isles of Scilly and we are pleased that travel restrictions have now been lifted sufficiently for us to be able to go and support the beleaguered UK tourist industry. The 300 mile journey across to Tresco can be an adventure in itself with travel options from the mainland including the Scillonian ferry, a light aircraft or the helicopter. At various times, the members of our holiday bubble will be making use of all of these. The two of us decided to take a few days driving down to Penzance prior to our helicopter flight on Tuesday afternoon, taking in some more of the beautiful English countryside. On Friday, we drove slowly along the congested A303 past the majestic and iconic Stonehenge on our […]
Wednesday 4th December to Thursday 5th December 2019 It was a pleasure to be returning to the beautiful city of Bath and we were blessed both by good company and sunshine. Having pre-booked timed entry tickets to the Roman Baths for the following day we strolled around and were pleased to see that a local restaurant was promoting us. We visited Bath Abbey where . . . . . . a major refurbishment project is underway to repair the floor which is collapsing. Outside, the Bath Christmas Market takes over much of the city centre and roads are closed to traffic. It offers all the usual stalls, but mid-week, away from the week-end crowds, and in such a beautiful setting it was one of the most pleasant such markets we have visited. We walked up to the Royal Crescent as the sun was sinking in the sky. We then tried some restorative mulled cider in the “Apres-Ski Bar”. After some Christmas shopping, more refreshment was required and, naturally, Robert could not resist a beer named Stouty McStout Face. The next day we returned to visit the Roman Baths, walking through the Christmas Market . . . . . . .and […]
Monday 2nd December to Tuesday 3rd December 2019 Having planned to meet friends in Bath to enjoy the famous Christmas market there we decided to break the journey and found a place to stay near the ancient site of Old Sarum. From here we walked into Salisbury and visited the Cathedral. The original building was constructed between 1075 and 1092 but just five days after the consecration ceremony it was damaged in a storm and needed repairs: we felt that some people might have taken this as a sign of divine displeasure. In about 1120 to 1130 the cathedral was rebuilt on a much grander scale, although some of these buildings have since been demolished. Today there is a peaceful cloister which is said to be the largest of any cathedral in Britain. In the Chapter House off the cloisters you can see the best preserved one of just four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta, dating from June 1215. This document covers such varied topics as the standardisation of weights and measures and the rights of the Church as well as the importance of legal due process and, crucially, the principle that no one, not even the king, […]
Wednesday 22nd May 2019 The journey to the Isles of Scilly includes a range of different transport options and so strongly appeals to Robert. As he arrived back from France on Tuesday evening he had decided to optimise our time on Tresco by going straight to catch the overnight sleeper from Paddington Station where Matilda greeted a much-loved character from her childhood reading. The first class waiting room was almost deserted. Our experience of first class sleepers in India had made us slightly wary but our cabin was clean and comfortable, if rather compact. We were able to have a bite to eat and a night cap in the buffet car before settling in for the train journey to Penzance. It is a short walk from Penzance Station to the dock from whence the Scillonian departs. Staff take charge of luggage and labels show which of the islands it needs to be transported to. Restorative coffees were available on board, the crossing was calm and sunny. It was a real pleasure to spot dolphins and whales playing in the wake behind the ship. We felt thrice blessed when we saw seals on the crossing from St Mary’s quay to Tresco. […]