At the moment I’m attempting to stay faithful to a countryside theme, but I couldn’t let good old Carn Brea Castle pass by without a mention. Like the previously mentioned Helford River, this is another misnomer, as it’s not a castle at all. Originally constructed as a chapel in 1379, it was extensively rebuilt in the Gothic style by the Basset family in the 1700s, who used the folly as a hunting lodge. The views must have been spectacular, as the castle is situated at the top of Carn Brea Hill, a 750-foot-high summit found about a mile from the town of Redruth. Those visiting the castle will be able to see the remnants of the Neolithic hill-fort that once stood atop Carn Brea, with its earliest occupants knocking around as early as 3700 BC. You will also be able to sample some delicious Middle-Eastern cuisine whilst you’re at it, as Carn Brea Castle was converted into a restaurant in the 1980s. So you get the best of both worlds: Neolithic settlements, pretty castles, and baklava.
Wild horses feeding on Bodmin Moor.
The Mount By cornishtyke
Rapeseed blossoms colour the Cornish countryside.
Someone asked for more countryside, and your wish is my command! I return to you now with a lovely (and very quintessentially English, I think) shot of the Helford River and its surrounding landscape. This stretch of water, renowned for its natural beauty and its biological importance, can be found in southern Cornwall, stretching for roughly 6 miles on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula. Its rather grandiose title of ‘river’ is actually a bit of misnomer, as it’s not a river at all - it isn’t even an estuary. It is instead an ancient river valley that was flooded around the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, and is fed by numerous creeks. One of these is Frenchman’s Creek, immortalised by the wonderful Daphne du Maurier in her novel of the same name. Over the years Helford River has acted as an important marine highway, and today its banks are home to an array of quiet villages, beaches, and pleasure gardens.
(Source: Flickr / golden_season)
Anonymous asked: The countryside? I know there's a lot of port towns in Cornwall and towns on the sea but, there's a lot of country, too! Can we see some of that?
Thanks for getting in touch! You’re very right, I’m guilty of focusing too much on the seaside, but that’s probably because I was a mermaid in a past life. Starting from tomorrow they’ll be more Cornish countryside than you can shake a stick at!
In desperate need of your help!
As you’ve all probably noticed, this blog has been mostly inactive for about a month or so now, and first of all I’d like to apologise for this. I’ve been having a very busy time recently and at the moment I don’t have much time or motivation for any of my blogs. However, I feel horrendously bad for neglecting you all, but I’m experiencing a lack of inspiration, even for Cornwall!
So I’d like to ask you all to help me get this blog up and running again by sending in some requests. I feel like if I’m on some sort of schedule I’d be more likely to get going, and also it would give me a chance to get to know you. Which of course would be lovely.
So, what Cornish things would you like to see or know more about?
The Christmas lights of the popular seaside town St Ives, found in western Cornwall.
Hello everyone! Apologies for being so inactive recently, but Christmas is a nightmare when you’re trying to juggle the demands of your family and your followers! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas despite the distinct lack of Cornish things to brighten your day. The festive feeling hasn’t quite abated for me yet, so I’m offering you the snow-covered engine house of the South Cundurrow Mine, a relic of Cornwall’s rich mining past, that can be found about a mile from the centre of Camborne in the west of the county.
A very merry Christmas to all my followers!
But what are you doing on here?
Fuck off the internet and enjoy yourselves. Have an amazing day, and thank you for being such an appreciative audience!
