A Few Days in Cornwall (1 Viewer)

[DBK]

We are having a few days in Cornwall on a couple of Murvi Club rallies. The first was in Falmouth, staying at Menehay Farm Touring Park.

Menehay Farm Touring Park, Falmouth, Cornwall | The park is ideal for those who enjoy the peace and quiet of their immediate surroundings, but with the convenience of being a short walk away from Falmouth’s fantastic amenities.

I'm not sure how the caravan got there. There was no car parked beside it and we hadn't seen anyone in it and naturally assumed it was probably used on weekends only. Or we did until I stepped onto the pitch to push a tent peg into the ground to support one end of my radio antenna when the door burst open and a very irate man burst out to remonstrate about my trespass! It didn't end well for him as his little dog escaped from the caravan through the open door and he spent at least the next fifteen minutes chasing it around the site trying to catch it.

St Budock church was a short walk away.

How can you not like a church with pink doors?

The church has very old origins, dating back to the 13th century. The interior is notable for the remains of a wooden screen dating from the time of Henry VII which makes it at least 700 years old. Only the base of the screen remains including 23 paintings.

The church is surrounded by extensive burial grounds, apparently the parish of St Budock includes a large part of Falmouth.

Some of the grave stones were made from thin pieces of slate.

It was a bit overgrown in places...

There is quite a lot to see around the church, lots of geocaches and a network of paths.

It was possible to walk into Falmouth from the site although with my hip still playing up I only managed to reach the nearest beach at Swan Pool.

We drove to the Lizard one day and stopped at the NT car park which I wouldn't recommend doing in anything wider than a PVC. The road to the village is fine but the last few hundred yards to the car park are very narrow with stone walls either side to punish any errors.

We also had an organised delivery of Cornish pasties to the rally. Just £3 each and tasty.

On Wednesday we had a very enjoyable organised dinner at the local golf club in their very swish new clubhouse - paid for I suspect by the new houses recently built on part of their course.

Yesterday our rolling rally moved to Heligan Caravan and Camping Park.

Camping in Cornwall| Heligan Caravan and Camping Park

Experience the great outdoors and get back to nature at our quiet and secluded campsite in Cornwall. Enjoy magical Heligan Garden and Mevagissey on our doorstep.

heligancampsite.com

The move was slow as we met a succession of traffic jams, which started in Falmouth and were encountered several times on the journey, which took over an hour but would have been half that time without the traffic. If I ever had any idea of moving to this part of Cornwall this would have been binned after this experience.

To be continued...

 

[berni109]

Those pasties looked the real deal. Made my mouth water just looking at the photo.

 

[Janine]

I love the Heligan site although last time I was there, a bull had wandered in from a neighbouring field. The man in a little red tent was hastily removed to a safer place

 

[CWH]

The move was slow as we met a succession of traffic jams, which started in Falmouth and were encountered several times on the journey, which took over an hour but would have been half that time without the traffic. If I ever had any idea of moving to this part of Cornwall this would have been binned after this experience.

At our last house in West Cornwall, I had a 7-mile commute to work, it took over an hour in tourist season.
When I was self-employed and travelling to the extremities of the whole county, I had to double my travel time in summer and still only give an estimate of which half of the day I might arrive.
I suspect it's considerably worse now.

 

[Ejaydee]

Welcome to Cornwall.

Unfortunately traffic jams in this county is almost a daily occurrence, often made worse at weekends by the temporary closures of the A30 between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross (dual-carriageway work). I live near Penzance, and frequently get held up by heavy traffic or accidents when travelling towards the Cornwall/Devon border. However, although I love travelling around the country and further afield, I would not want to live anywhere else!

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[Spriddler]

Lovely photos. I do love the ruggedness of Cornwall and the history on the graveyard headstones of washed up shipwrecked sailors, people shot by customs men etc. For nearly three years I rented a remote cottage near Constantine on The Lizard whilst inadvertently working at Falmouth shipyard after retiring.
The summer traffic congestion removed any thoughts of moving down there, plus the winters with day after day of grey damp clag, the deserted villages and closed seasonal shops.
(When showing me the cottage the agent said that there was no mains electricity but pointed out a charming Ruston and Hornsby petrol stationary engine and generator in the adjoining barn so I'd be able to watch television. He gave me a strange look when I said I wasn't concerned about TV as I'd be more than happy to just sit in the barn watching the engine chuffing away).

 

[Janine]

Thinking about it, did I pass you on the A390 yesterday DBK? I saw a Funster badge with a 3 letter name but couldn’t read it.

I was travelling from Doubletrees at Par to Carnon Downs.

 

[CWH]

The summer traffic congestion removed any thoughts of moving down there, plus the winters with day after day of grey damp mist, the deserted villages and closed seasonal shops.

We moved 800 miles from West Cornwall to Isle of Skye - but I can't say I've noticed much of an improvement in any of those things

 

[DBK]

Thinking about it, did I pass you on the A390 yesterday DBK? I saw a Funster badge with a 3 letter name but couldn’t read it.

I was travelling from Doubletrees at Par to Carnon Downs.

It could have been us, we were there around 11:30 in a silver PVC.

 

[DBK]

A shot of the site. It is strongly sloping in places. The Hymer in the foreground on the left had to be pulled out after reversing over a bank the driver didn't see. No damage done I think.

Yesterday we visited Heligan Gardens, which were once lost but are now easy to find as they are right next door to the site and are reached through a gate and very short path. Sadly, this only leads you to the entrance where you have to pay to proceed further. The normal price is £25 per head but staying at the site gives you a 20% discount. You can also at no extra cost convert your day ticket to a 7 day one allowing you to visit more than once. This we did as we plan to return tomorrow to see the bits we missed on the first visit. If you live in Devon or Cornwall for just £30 you can get a ticket which allows unlimited visits for a year.

The gardens allow dogs so Charlie came with us.

I've enclosed a map of the gardens as a PDF which may be readable. There are two maps, a close up of the gardens and one showing the whole estate. We went anticlockwise around the outside of the estate for about two thirds of the way then cut back through the gardens.

The usual random photos.

This is the Mud Maid. She is lying down, head on the right then a shoulder and arm across her chest I think then left of centre her hips.

The Grey Lady. Very hard to see!

So I have added a guide. The figure is based on a phantom lady reputed to haunt the estate.

Big tree.

Pond.

Stump with pennies bashed in it.

I've seen this once before somewhere else but I'm not sure what the idea behind it is.

They have a small business here making charcoal.

The logs are stacked according to type, the labels may not be readable but say ash, beech and sycamore. It should be excellent charcoal and I must remember to see if they sell any in the shop although I doubt it will be cheap.

Another big tree.

Giant rhododendron but we are too late for the flowers.

The sundial garden.

This is the famous Giant's Head made out of a stump. Like the Mud Maid it is a bit overgrown. One eye, made out of broken crockery, is easy to see but the other is hiding behind leaves. Ear on the far left.

I'll take some pictures of the greenhouses tomorrow.

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[Spriddler]

Interesting pics, ta, especially the penny tree stump.
The Grey Lady requires a bit of imagination and reminds me of the Water Otter at my local Scout fete a couple of years ago where for 10p you were allowed inside the gazebo to see a camping kettle.

 

[Ejaydee]

Yesterday we visited Heligan Gardens, which were once lost

Not completely true. We used to live in Mevagissey and along with several other local families, we would walk along the valley up to the gardens and picnic and BBQ during the summer school holidays if the weather was nice. The gardens were 'lost' to the extent that you had to be local to know they were there. We also used to cut all the bamboo poles needed for the garden and at sea (pot ends). John Nelson one of the main people who 'found' the gardens and brought them into some sort of order, was a local.

Nice pictures by the way.

 

[DBK]

Not completely true. We used to live in Mevagissey and along with several other local families, we would walk along the valley up to the gardens and picnic and BBQ during the summer school holidays if the weather was nice. The gardens were 'lost' to the extent that you had to be local to know they were there. We also used to cut all the bamboo poles needed for the garden and at sea (pot ends). John Nelson one of the main people who 'found' the gardens and brought them into some sort of order, was a local.

Nice pictures by the way.

From what I've read Tim Smitt of Eden fame seems to have been instrumental in the commercialisation of it. The main house was converted to flats in the 70s. Owned by the Tremayne family since the 1600s although the current owner who inherited it isn't a Tremayne but is a descendent I think.

 

[CWH]

Giant rhododendron but we are too late for the flowers.

Interesting, they're just coming out here

 

[Paul.]

Off to St Ives in a couple of weeks. First time we have been to Cornwall in 40 years. No doubt it will have changed, hopefully not too much.
Paul

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[CWH]

Off to St Ives in a couple of weeks. First time we have been to Cornwall in 40 years. No doubt it will have changed, hopefully not too much.
Paul

Well the Tate's been built for one thing ...

 

[Gellyneck]

We are having a few days in Cornwall on a couple of Murvi Club rallies. The first was in Falmouth, staying at Menehay Farm Touring Park.

View attachment 898710

I'm not sure how the caravan got there. There was no car parked beside it and we hadn't seen anyone in it and naturally assumed it was probably used on weekends only. Or we did until I stepped onto the pitch to push a tent peg into the ground to support one end of my radio antenna when the door burst open and a very irate man burst out to remonstrate about my trespass! It didn't end well for him as his little dog escaped from the caravan through the open door and he spent at least the next fifteen minutes chasing it around the site trying to catch it.

It was possible to walk into Falmouth from the site although with my hip still playing up I only managed to reach the nearest beach at Swan Pool.

The caravan is a "semi-residential" and I think it's used by a couple of guys who are into some kind of vintage motor sport. I did take a couple of photos but can't find them.

I think they had something like a Morgan or Cateram soft top. There was also some other estate car along with it.

The site also has a couple of huge rally fields next to the one you were on, great for letting the dog off if nobody on them!

Did you go up the lane behind you at the side of the site and then down the path into Budock? We started but had to give up as a torrent of water was flowing down the pathway!

OK your hip may have been giving you jip but you could have got the bus at the front gate down into Falmouth!

Enough of the scenery pictures! Came across this plaque on a wall in Falmouth.

Oh, and you forgot to mention that mobile signal on site ain't too bad!

 

[scotjimland]

You are bringing back some great memories Dave..

... must be all of 30 odd years ago we spent a week-end on that site with our old Colchester caravan at a Caravan Club Rally.. it rained a lot and the site was so muddy the owner provided paving slabs to walk on.. I remember they was a kids play area with a model caravan .. our two boys had a great time.. is it still there by any chance. ?

My dad, who died in 2012, age 89, was with us in his Eriba Puck.. happy memories.

Back then the 'lost gardens' had just been opened for exploring and were still pretty much overgrown and wild..

Great photos, I had also has some, but as per usual .. can't find them


edit... found on an old backup drive.. the two boys are now 35 and 40 years old

 

[Gellyneck]

DBK Somebody has moved the benches!

Just in case you want to read about her.

 

[DBK]

Interesting, they're just coming out here

You do live north of the Arctic Circle...

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[DBK]

Off to St Ives in a couple of weeks. First time we have been to Cornwall in 40 years. No doubt it will have changed, hopefully not too much.
Paul

Expect more traffic jams...

 

[DBK]

The caravan is a "semi-residential" and I think it's used by a couple of guys who are into some kind of vintage motor sport. I did take a couple of photos but can't find them.

I think they had something like a Morgan or Cateram soft top. There was also some other estate car along with it.

The site also has a couple of huge rally fields next to the one you were on, great for letting the dog off if nobody on them!

Did you go up the lane behind you at the side of the site and then down the path into Budock? We started but had to give up as a torrent of water was flowing down the pathway!

OK your hip may have been giving you jip but you could have got the bus at the front gate down into Falmouth!

Enough of the scenery pictures! Came across this plaque on a wall in Falmouth.
View attachment 899065

Oh, and you forgot to mention that mobile signal on site ain't too bad!
View attachment 899055

I read about that tale of cannibalism at sea in a newspaper very recently.

And yes, the paths near the church were very wet in places. There was a geocache at this point and even the cache description said to avoid it in winter unless you had brought a snorkel and flippers.

 

[robnchris]

Lovely part of the world Cornwall, I married a Falmouth Lass so a tad biased.

 

[DBK]

You are bringing back some great memories Dave..

... must be all of 30 odd years ago we spent a week-end on that site with our old Colchester caravan at a Caravan Club Rally.. it rained a lot and the site was so muddy the owner provided paving slabs to walk on.. I remember they was a kids play area with a model caravan .. our two boys had a great time.. is it still there by any chance. ?

My dad, who died in 2012, age 89, was with us in his Eriba Puck.. happy memories.

Back then the 'lost gardens' had just been opened for exploring and were still pretty much overgrown and wild..

Great photos, I had also has some, but as per usual .. can't find them


edit... found on an old backup drive.. the two boys are now 35 and 40 years old

View attachment 899091View attachment 899092View attachment 899093View attachment 899094View attachment 899095View attachment 899096View attachment 899097View attachment 899098View attachment 899099View attachment 899100

The site layout hasn't changed much, the Children's play area is still very much the same and Reception is in the same place but in a new building hiding behind the shrubbery.

There is a bit of the Gardens called The Jungle which has a rope bridge which we will visit tomorrow and I think some of your photos were taken there. It will have grown up a bit now I suspect.

 

[Paul.]

Expect more traffic jams...

We will be staying at the Ayr campsite just outside St Ives. I'm told it's an easy walk into town but a fairly steep climb on the way back. Once on site we will use public transport to get about
Paul

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[Gellyneck]

We used to live in Mevagissey

You'll recognise this then!

Wonder if this is where Monty Python stole their Dead Parrot sketch from?

 

[Gellyneck]

There is a bit of the Gardens called The Jungle which has a rope bridge which we will visit tomorrow and I think some of your photos were taken there. It will have grown up a bit now I suspect.

We thought that was the best bit of the gardens.

Yes, scotjimland it has grown up a wee bitty!

 

[Gellyneck]

DBK
If you get a chance the harbour and The Shipwreck & Heritage Centre at Charlestown are worth a visit.

In a similar vein to previous wall plaque, but with a different outcome,

The funeral of the D Day veteran, Harry Billinge, who was a frequent guest on BBC Breakfast was held in a church there just over a year ago.

 

[DBK]

Mevagissey with obligatory Cornish ice cream. I ate it slowly as at £3.50 it was about 20p a bite. Photo taken when there was about £2's worth left.

 

[DBK]

On the subject of indulgence we are trying my new little table this evening. It's a Helinox Table One which if you pay full price will cost you £140 or you can wait, as I did for a sale, and pay half price. Which was of course still a lot of money for a 24" by 15" table!

It weighs only about 900g and folds up into a small bag. The clever bit is the top is very rigid and can safely take a fizz glass as Mrs DBK is demonstrating.

Downside is due to the light weight you need to keep your dog on a short lead away from it!

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