B.Y.O.S.

We finished our week in Polperro and have moved inland just a bit to Bath. We arrived around 3:30 Friday afternoon and settled in to our one room AirB&B cabin about 6 miles out of the city center. The cabin is very nicely decorated and has everything we need for a comfortable three night stay.
Jane and her husband Tony own the property. Jane was very helpful in providing some useful information on the area. We were pretty tired from the drive and didn't feel like tackling too much that evening.  We did a short walk into town to pick up a few groceries and a pizza from a small place called Speedy's Charcoal Grill and Pizza...not bad!
Yesterday we explored the UNESCO world heritage city (the only one in the U.K) of Bath. Following Jane's advice we took a city bus for the short 15 minute ride into town. The bus station was located near the city center which was perfect.
Bath has the only natural hot spring in the country.  After the Romans invaded in 43AD they discovered the spring. Not being ones to pass up an opportunity for a hot tub party they built a bathing complex and temple on the site. The name given by the Romans was Aquae Sulis.  Nearly two thousand years later the remains of the Roman bath are a feature attraction for the city. It was interesting to tour and especially interesting to learn some of the engineering features of the structure that directed and controlled both water flow and temperature.  Additionally, they had designed it so it could be drained and cleaned if the party got too out of hand. They were pretty smart folks!
It was windy and pretty chilly but we still spent the majority of the day outside.  Royal Victoria Park, the Parade Grounds and along the Avon River were some of our favorites. The architecture of the houses and buildings especially those near the Royal Crescent (30 adjoining houses), the Circus (an oval road with housing on the outside and a garden on the inside) and Sydney Gardens were very impressive.  It is interesting that all the buildings are a honey colored brown. I think on a sunny day they would have looked even more impressive blending nicely with the green grass and colorful flowers that were starting to bloom.
https://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/the-royal-crescent-p56191
https://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/royal-victoria-park-p25701
Near the end of the day we found the small but very nice Holburne Museum which was even nicer because it was free.  One little tidbit I picked up on was back in the 1700's you brought your own eating utensils.  Back then that was only a spoon and a knife.  The spoons in particular were designed by silversmiths with elaborate designs.  The museum had a very extensive (and expensive) collection of these elaborately decorated spoons.  So back then is was Bring Your Own Spoon to the party.
http://www.holburne.org/
We finished off the day with an early evening meal at Sally Lunn's which is a restaurant in the City Center that holds two distinctions.  First, it is located in the Oldest House in the City of Bath. Second, it is the home of the Sally Lunn Bun which is a huge bread bun that is served with the meals.  We had ours with butter and garlic.  They didn't hold back on either, it was quite the bun!
http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/




Parade Grounds and Bath Abbey



Roman Baths & Abbey



Bath Abbey



Just thought this little foodtruck with the wood fired pizza grill was cool



Inside the Royal Victorian Gardens.  If it ever warms up I'll quit wearing this jacket.



Cherry Blossoms-Bath is known for it's blooming gardens



Holburne Museum



B.Y.O.S.



River Avon & Pulteney Bridge



Sally Lunn's Big Bun

These pubs have gone to the dogs!

We are in the county of Cornwall which forms a peninsula on the southwestern tip of England.  Polperro, where we are staying is on the southeastern side and it's harbor flows into the English Channel.  France is a good hearty swim directly across.  Today we drove over to the northwestern side of the peninsula to the towns of Newquay and St. Agnes.  If you hopped in the water and took off swimming from either Newquay or St. Agnes first of all you'd be in some mighty chilly water.  Secondly, if you made it across the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean you'd end up somewhere around Nova Scotia or Maine.
The drive across the peninsula isn't that far, only about 35 miles but because of some of the small roads it took a little over an hour.  Our first destination was Newquay which is a town of about 25,000.  When we read about it the descriptions made it seem like a beach resort type of town where surfing was very popular.  It was as advertised.
The town itself or at least what we saw of it wasn't very interesting and certainly lacked the character we had seen in so many places. There were nice hotels and condo's along the waterfront but no quaintness. We made our way directly to Fistral Beach which is quite a beach.  It seemed as if the beach was about a mile or so long and just about as wide.  There were big waves and plenty of surfers out in the chilly water enjoying some nice long rides.  They had quite a walk to the water and back but it looked as if it was worth the effort.
Our second stop, St. Agnes was more our type of town.  It is a very small town located directly on the coast but it has a similar charm and character as Polperro.  The beach was much smaller than Newquay but was very active with surfers as well.  There were actually more surfers here and they were concentrated into a much smaller area.  We enjoyed sitting up on the coastal path high above the water and enjoying the action.
I'd mentioned in an earlier blog about the pubs around here.  Now keep in mind a pub over here is much more than a watering hole, serving up great meals for the whole family.  When I say "whole family" that includes not only the kids but the dogs as well. 
Dogs are wildly popular over here and it seems as if most folks have at least two.  You see them in stores, shops and of course the pubs.  It's not unusual to see a sign outside a pub stating something along the lines of "Dogs with well behaved, big spending owners are always welcome".   I'd be willing to bet that as I am writing this there are about as many dogs as there are people inside the Blue Peter Inn.  Most are off their leash and just wandering happily about making sure their owners are not misbehaving.

Fistral Beach is this wide

Fistral Beach Coast Path

Fistral Beach

St. Agnes Beach

St. Agnes



My attempt at taking an "artistic" photo in St. Agnes

Two way traffic on a one lane road!

Yesterday's hike took a little bit of a toll on our legs.  It wasn't the distance that got us it was the roller coaster path.  Over the nine miles or so that we walked it was very rare that we were on flat or anything close to flat ground for more than a few minutes at a time.  When we were going up it was usually 15% or more grade and coming down the other side wasn't too easy either.
So while today's outing involved some walking it was minimal compared to yesterday.  We took the car over to Polruan and then the passenger ferry across the River Fowey to the town of Fowey.  These two cities are located where the mouth of the River Fowey empties into the English Channel. 
Like Polperro, fishing and tourism are their main industries and with it being off season both were pretty quiet.  In doing a little research I did learn that Polruan had been known as a ship building town back in the 1700's & 1800's.  Fowey had played a vital role in World War II serving as the main port for loading ammunition for the US 29th Division that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.
Fowey seemed to be the more lively of the two cities with a "main street" that ran parallel to the river.  Someone had told us about a quirky place called Pinky Murphy's that served good food.  We ran across it and it was time for lunch so guess where we ate?  It turned out as advertised. A nice little sandwich place that was decorated pretty quirky.
After covering Fowey pretty much from end to end we took the ferry back across to Polruan.  It was as quiet as it was when we arrived a few hours earlier.  Content to call it a good day we headed back up the hill to the parking lot. That hill seemed to have grown quite a bit since earlier in the day.
On the way back to Polperro we saw a trail that we first decided to skip.  We got down the road a bit and decided to turn back around which proved to be a wise decision.  The trail was to Lantic Bay which is on the South West Coast Trail.  The views of the bay and the wide beach from high above were spectacular.  We could have taken the steep trail down to the beach, but when we looked around there didn't seem to be an elevator running to bring us back up.  So we chose to just enjoy the scenery from the top.
Now this may seem like a pretty laid back day and for the most part that's true.  However getting there and back was a big part of the adventure.  Even though Polruan was only about 5 miles away it's not your typical drive.  Much of the way is on a one lane road with very high banks on both sides of the road. Surprisingly there are quite a few cars going both directions sharing these narrow roads.  So when you meet one you both try to find a little wider spot and slowly ease by one another.  At one point today, I along with the guy in the other car, had to fold in our mirrors to get by each other!  In spite of the slow speeds that everyone observes and the courtesy that everyone shows it's kind of nerve wracking, but also a fun part of the journey.

Tight driving conditions!

Lantic Bay

Along the South West Coast Trail near Lantic Bay

Pinkies!

Looking at Polruan from Fowey

Fowey Harbor

 

One more from Lantic Bay



One more from the road!

Polperro, Looe and the South West Coastal Trail

I really don't know how Beth does it but I'm so thankful for her skills at finding places like Polperro.  We've been here for three nights already and it's such an amazing little village.  At this time of year Polperro is still quite sleepy which is the way we like it.  About half the shops and cafes are open so there is plenty do without having to fight the crowds that we've heard are here from Easter through September.
Our cottage has a full kitchen so we had stopped and bought quite a bit of groceries at an Aldi in a town about 30 minutes up the road.  We've also found some nice food at a couple of the local pubs.  The most popular one in town seems to be the Blue Peter Inn.  While the name sounds more painful than appetizing the menu is pretty extensive and the staff are very friendly.  The fish and chips we had the other night were very good and I'm sure we'll venture the 50 yards or so along the harbor to eat there a few more times before the week is over.
As I had mentioned in the previous blog Polperro has an extensive history dating back many centuries as a fishing village.  It has a well protected natural harbor that has been made even safer by a barrier wall, as well as a gate that can be closed if the weather gets too severe.  We've watched a few of the commercial fishing boats return and unload their catch.  They seem to do pretty well.
Back in the late 1800's Polperro became quite famous for smuggling.  The remote location and nice harbor made it a smugglers paradise.  What was being smuggled in wasn't necessarily what you might think.  It wasn't alcohol, drugs or weapons.  The contraband being brought in was tea, food and lace.  It seems as if taxes were so high that the smuggling business was a thriving one for many years.
There are stories of many legendary smugglers with one of the most famous ones being a chap named Willy Wilcox.  At low tide there are a number of caves along the beach.  The way the story goes Willy hid in the caves along with his contraband at low tide but may have forgotten that the tide rises and falls very dramatically around here (15+ feet difference between low and high tide).  I guess that if the kings tax men couldn't catch him that the rising water did the trick.  I heard a local telling someone else this story in a coffee shop and he said a few times a year you can still hear Willy calling out for help.  We haven't heard him and I think we're good with keeping it that way.
After resting Saturday we decided to visit the city of Looe which is about five miles away. Taking the car isn't quite as easy as it may seem.  You see parking in this small village is minimal so the designated parking space for our cottage is about a quarter of a mile away.  Walking to and from the parking space yesterday was quite easy compared to walking down with our luggage (even though we pack light) and groceries when we arrived.  We've since learned that even though there isn't parking we can drop off and pick up our luggage less than a minute from the cottage.  This will be helpful at the end of the week!
Looe, is quite similar to Polperro although on a slightly larger scale.  It has a well protected harbor but is more active with shops and restaurants along it's waterfront.  One place we were excited to visit was Sarah's Pasty Shop.  Now don't let your mind go in the gutter. A pasty is a traditional baked pastry associated with the Cornwall area of England.  They are typically filled with meat and vegetables.  We had been told by a number of people that when in Looe the place to get your pasties is Sarah's Pasty Shop.  Sadly Sarah's is closed on Sunday so we had to take our business somewhere else.  I can't remember the name of where we ended up but it was plenty good.  If we go back to Looe during the week I'll do a little research and report my findings.
This morning we were greeted with bright sunshine which we understand is fairly rare around here at this time of year.  High temperatures have been in the fifties. So in clouds or sun it's been very pleasant.  From people we've talked to we understand it rained quite a bit last week. Thankfully we've had nice weather and the forecast is for it to continue through the week.
Today (Monday) we were able to take advantage of the weather and enjoyed just a small bit of the South West Coastal Path (SWCP).  The SWCP as the name implies is a coastal path but the amazing thing is that it is made up of over 600 miles of trails.  We did about nine miles from Polperro through  Talland Bay to Hannafore Point and back.  It was an amazingly picturesque walk and while it was quite hilly the whole way the most difficult thing was trying not to stop every five steps or so to take in the views or to snap another picture.  Beth refers to it as "B & B" (Beauty and Breathing) time.
It was a great walk, our legs are a little tired but we're confident they'll get us to the Blue Peter Inn for dinner!

Polerro at sunset

Looe Harbor

Town clock in Looe

A pasty!

The Blue Peter Inn- Bad Name, Good Food

South West Coast Path-Looking down to Talland Bay

Cheering squad along the South West Coastal Path

Looking back at Polperro from the South West Coast Path- The tide is out and you can see the entrance to Willy's Cave at the back of the beach



Joyce is Beth's mom's (NaNa) name.  It was an appropriate place to have lunch on the hike!

Driving England from the Northeast to the Southwest (Keep Left)

By comparison the country of England is about one fifth the size of Texas.  So in terms of distance driving from the northeastern part of the country to fairly close to the southwestern tip was not a major accomplishment.  It is however made a little bit praiseworthy by the fact that for over 350 miles it was all done the way it's supposed to be done on the left hand side of the road.  Speaking of roads, the motorways are excellent, sometimes 4-5 lanes wide with the only drawback being there are a ton of trucks.  Some of the secondary roads near the end of the trip were only slightly wider than the car, which isn't very wide. 
Since November when we were in New Zealand I've quite literally driven close to if not more miles on the left side of the road as I have on the right hand side.  Even still, with forty plus years experience on the right it takes some degree of concentration.  It's not too difficult however, just when I would settle and start to feel comfortable they seemed to throw in a roundabout to keep me humble.
The drivers over here are courteous, well except for the one guy on the motorcycle that I must have cut off.  I felt genuinely bad for this and would have apologized but he didn't seem to be in the mood for me chasing him down to say "I'm sorry" so I left well enough alone.
The day before leaving York we decided that it might be a good investment to by a GPS.  We got to the store just before it closed and a friendly sales clerk helped us pick out one that had preloaded maps of everywhere we'll be on this trip (UK and Ireland).  Beth and I got a kick out of just how calm and soothing the voice is coming out of that device.  It's almost as if she is "suggesting" instead of telling you what to do like some you often hear.  Not far into the drive we agreed that this was quite possibly one of the best investments we have made in our lives.  We would have probably made it to our destination without her but it sure would have been a different trip.  Speaking of our destination, it is the tiny fishing village of Polperro (population:5,280).  As you might have guessed by now we made it and boy was the drive worth it.
We're here for seven days in a very cute, small one bedroom cottage located over Gina's Art Studio.  If I took about 8 steps out the front door and across the Roman Bridge I'd fall into the harbor.  I don't intend to demonstrate this but the pictures will prove it.  There is really only one challenge with the cottage and that is it has low ceilings in quite a few places.  So we survived the drive unscathed and I unlocked the front door excited to see what it looked like upstairs.  I went up about two steps and suddenly it felt as if I'd been hit over the head with a cast iron skillet.  I had found the first low ceiling!  Experience may be the best teacher because I haven't done it again. The knot is almost gone and the wound is healing nicely.  I'm sure my dad was looking down and laughing at me since I used to always tease him about constantly bumping his head.................karma.
We've already done some exploring so I'll certainly be sharing some more history as well as our experiences over the next week as we dive in to this scenic little town and the surrounding Cornwall area.

Been there, done that!



That's our cottage on the second floor just above Gina's Art Studio



Taken just outside our front door looking out towards the harbor

Polperro Harbor



The Shell House in Polperro

A fishing boat returning to the harbor-the difference between high and low tides here is about fifteen feet so they can only go out or come in at high tide.

Looking into the very well protected harbor

Not only a rich history of fishing but smuggling as well although it might not be what you think.....more on smuggling in a later blog.

Looking back at Polperro from the Coastal Path

Bury grandma and have your oil changed in just one stop

After the full day in York we wanted to explore some other nearby areas so we booked a "tour".  Tour is actually a little bit of a stretch, it was actually transportation to a couple of spots with a little narration along the way.  We'd much prefer this type of tour to being stuck with someone rambling on all day long.
Our driver was a nice young man named Mark.  He had recently returned from a cross country trip across the US that started in Miami and ended in California.  Even though he knew it prior to the trip he was amazed at how big the US is compared to the UK.  He described himself as a music loving foodie and admitted to being more afraid of the snakes than alligators when he was kayaking in the everglades.  Smart guy on all three.
We traveled through the North York Moors National Park.  Compared to our National Park system the national parks in Britain are fairly new.  Towns and communities already existed inside land designated for National Parks and these continue to operate within park boundaries.  Land and homeowners still have their own property but do have to maintain it in traditional Yorkshire style.
There is a picture of the symbol for the park below and you can see it in the link to the park as well.  It's called Ralph's Cross and there was actually a very interesting story behind it that may or may not be true.  I've cut and pasted it below:


http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk


 According to legend, the cross was set up to mark the resting place of a monk from Farndale and a nun from Rosedale.  They would often meet here and a romantic liason of sorts occurred, but they were found out by their superiors and came to a nasty end, possibly with their deaths.  But the most common folk-tale tells us that a farmer called Ralph from Danby found the dead body of a traveller at this spot.  He was so moved by this that he decided to erect a cross in memory of this poor unfortunate traveller, who had starved to death and was found to be penniless.  Ralph had a hollow carved into the top of the cross so that more wealthy travellers, those on horseback, might place a few coins for the benefit of any less fortunate travellers, or as a thanksgiving for having reached this point on their journey. The poor traveller was able to take a coin, if he/she could reach the hollow, and buy a hot meal at the nearest inn.  Ralph then vowed that such a terrible thing would never ever happen again, and it seems to have worked, thanks to him.


We spent the majority of the day in the seaside town of Whitby which overlooks the North Sea.  There is a fairly large and very well protected harbor full of fishing boats.  The banks are lined with a mix of fish nets and traps as well as shops, restaurants and small hotels.  Beth had done her research as usual and read about the Magpie Café which we made our lunch destination.  This café is in a building that was built in 1750 and has been operating as a restaurant since 1939.  Their specialty of  course was seafood and most specifically "fish and chips".  In addition to the fish and chips we had an amazing order of steamed mussels in cream sauce as an appetizer.  We didn't go away hungry or disappointed.


http://www.magpiecafe.co.uk


The major landmark of Whitby (other than the Magpie Café) is the Whitby Abbey.  The Abbey was originally established in 657 AD.  The monastery was destroyed and rebuilt several times.  The ruins of the one there today date back to the 15th century.  There are some pictures below and if it looks vaguely familiar to you that might be an indication that you are a fan of Dracula.  It was used as inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula movie.  Because of this Whitby is often referred to as the "Birthplace of Dracula".
Our last stop was the very small but quite famous town of Goathland.  By small, I mean just a few shops, a small hotel and a building with a sign on it for both a garage and funeral home.  This little town is famous for two reasons.  First, if you're British you'd know it as the setting for a TV series called Heartbeat that ran for twenty years over here.  If you're not British but a fan of Harry Potter I'm neither) you might recognize the train station as Hogsmeade Station.
Now about that garage/funeral home.  It was used in the Heartbeat TV show.  If they wanted to show the garage they just filmed the lower part of the building.  If the scene required a funeral home they filmed only the top half.  Clever Brit's!

Read the signs carefully!

North York Moors National Park

Ralph's Cross

Whitby Harbor

Whitby Harbor-Note the "Swing Bridge" is Open

Fish and Chips anyone?

Remains of Whitby Abbey

Goathland Train Station a.k.a. Hogsmeade Station

Graves with a nice view of Whitby Harbor.  There was a church right behind us.  It was interesting to note that many of the graves were older than our country.