Return to St. Michael's Mount

 Rita on the trail between Penzance and Marazion

 St. Michael's Mount from the Village of Marazion

 Rita having coffee at a cafe in Marazion with St. Michael's Mount in the background



After returning from St. Ives it was late afternoon but the sun was still out so we decided to walk off the Cornish Pasties and head back to St. Michael's Mount to take some pictures in better light.  It was a wonderful walk and the pictures were great as you can see. 

A Visit to the Cornish Riviera

 Looking down at the town of St. Ives from our parking area

The harbour at low tide with Old Town in the background

 Porthmenster Beach is family-friendly as its long, wide and offers excellent swimming

Porthgwidden Beach is tiny and secluded making it the warmest of the three beaches and very popular

Porthmeor Beach is for surfers and is in a spectacular natural setting

 Rita holding our hot Cornish Pasties.  Notice the line of people waiting to get into the shop


Today was brilliant.  Sunny skies all day.  We had an early start for us as we were out the door by 10:00 and headed for St. Ives, known as the Cornish Riviera.  St. Ives is a small town squeezed between a sandy harbour and three beaches.  It's old town streets are very narrow and overrun with tourists.  We thankfully heeded the advice of our Rick Steves tour book and parked above the town and walked down to the waterfront.  Even with throngs of tourists streaming through the streets St. Ives is a beautiful place. We took a walk along the High Street which is part of the Waterfront admiring the many unique buildings and shops.  It was time to get away from the crowds and so we headed out to explore the beaches and the harbour.  Very impressed with the beauty of the sandy beaches and pounding surf.  Headed back into Old Town for lunch and decided to finally try the local delicacy a Cornish Pasty (The pasty was originally prepared as a hearty lunch for Cornish tin miners to take to work.  Basically it was a beef stew wrapped in a pastry crust, pasties had a thick, crimped edge that miners could grab with dirty hands without contaminating their food).  Our guide book suggested a place that specialized in Cornish Pasties and as we made our way there you could smell the aromas from the shop.  There was a line up to get in and order but it was certainly worth the wait.  I am still full 7 hours later.   To be continued....

Back Door to Land's End

 Driving down into Sennen Cove

 The trail to Lands End from Sennen Cove Harbour

 Lands End in the distance from the National Trust Trail

 Part of the rocky and hilly National Trust Trail heading to Lands End

The sun shining on Mousehole Village and Harbour



Woke up to more of the same cloudy weather this morning but the Internet weather site promised clearer skies with some sunshine so we got ready and took a short drive to take a look at Lands End.  Our trusty Rick Steves travel book had suggested that we bypass Land's End due to all the tacky tourist shops that surround the location.  However, if we definitely wanted to go we should drive to Sennen Cove and go on a hilly one mile walk to Land's End.  This is what we decided to do.  Just before we arrived the sun started to come out.  We started down a steep hill and turned a corner and the breathtaking Sennen Cove stretched out before us.  It was a huge sandy bay with pounding surf.  We drove into the tiny village and parked the car.  We headed up the mile long trail that would end at the farthest point in the UK.  It was a spectacular walk until we made it to Land's End.  The place had all the charm of an amusement park.  It even had a carousel.  We quickly headed back the way we came and thoroughly enjoyed our time on the trail away from the crowds and tacky attractions.  As the sun was still shining we decided to head to Mousehole to get some better pictures.  The drive was a little stressful as we finally hit some twisty one lane roads. I had to back up once and on coming traffic had to back up twice before we made it into Mousehole and parked.  Went to a local restaurant for lunch and had their specialty Newlyn crab sandwich and my bias is showing but I much prefer our Vancouver Dungeness crab.  After lunch we toured the little village and I took pictures again that hopefully give it a little more life.  Decided to go back to the Navy Inn for dinner again as it is just around the corner from our apartment.  We both had their house specialty, country pies. Rita had the seafood pie and I had the pork and leek pie.  They were excellent and I think we will make this our local as the  Cornish beer here is excellent  as well.          

Sunday at St. Michaels Mount

 On the coast trail from Penzance to Marazion

 Motorboats taking visitors to St. Michael's Mount

St. Michael's Mount looking up from its harbor

Rita looking out from the turret balcony


Sunday had the same weather as Saturday and so we did not wait for it to improve and after a hearty breakfast we headed out on a 10km walk along the coast that would take us to St. Michael's Mount. Benedictine Monks travelled from Mont St. Michel in northern France to establish a monastery in the 6th century.  In the mid 1500's it was converted to a fortress to protect the coast from foreign invasion.  In the early 1600's it was purchased by the St. Aubyn family, who still own it today in partnership with the National Trust.  At low tide you can walk to causeway from the town of Morazion but it was high tide when we arrived and so we took the 5 minute motorboat ride into the harbor.  A steep and rocky path curves its way up to the castle entrance allowing for some impressive views of the countryside.  The St. Aubyn family still lives in a small part of Mont St. Michel and the rest has been turned into a museum of its interesting past.   We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and will come back when the weather improves to take better pictures.  Tomorrow the weather is supposed to improve.

A Hike to Mousehole

 Walking on coastal path to Mousehole

Fishing trawlers in Newlyn Harbour

 Mousehole Harbour

 Mousehole Village and Harbour

Rugged coastline on the trail outside of Mousehole


It's the weekend and the weather has turned.  Typical!!!!  Overcast skies that threatened rain turned everything grey.  As we also had strong winds we hoped that it would blow over but by 2:00pm we realized it was going to be with us for some time so we put on our walking shoes and headed for a 15km hike along the coast that would take us to a small fishing village called Mousehole.   On the way we passed through Newlyn, a fishing village where most of Cornwall's larger fishing boats are moored. Mousehole is a very pretty village with a very small but well protected harbour, thus it's name.  In the past Mousehole was famous for smuggling, fishing and being the last place where Cornish was spoken.  Today tourism drives the economy.  As most of our walking had been on concrete pathways, we decided to take a walk past the village up into the surrounding countryside following a dirt track trail.  It was a hilly hike but the scenery was well worth the effort.  Unfortunately, the pictures I took do not do the place justice but we will return when the sun comes out.

Off to See the Pirates of Penzance

Stopped for lunch at a Farmers Market in Devon to enjoy a Panini and the wonderful view

Our apartment in Penzance.  The top two floors are where we will be staying for the next 6 days

Rita on the balcony showcasing the beautiful view

 White washed row houses on a street leading down to the harbour front

Penzance harbour with St. Mary's Church towering in the background


Today we travel from the seaside resort of Brighton to the fishing town of Penzance in Cornwall, a total of 455km (283miles) and it should take 6 hours if we do not stop or hit any serious traffic bottlenecks.  With my bladder no stops is not an option, so we head off understanding this will be an all day drive.  It's also a holiday weekend for the Brits and so we are expecting the traffic to be heavy.  We were happily surprised to make it to Penzance in 7.5 hours that included several pee stops, lunch and a couple of traffic jams.  The great thing about driving in the UK is the speed limit: 135kmph (80mph) on 6 lane major and 4 lane secondary divided highways or 120kmph (70mph) on 2 lane undivided highways. There are Lot's of speed cameras and so most people keep to the speed limit and traffic flows very smoothly most of the time.  It's amazing that North America has the biggest cars and cheapest gas but the slowest speed limits!!!!

Thanks to our trusty Tom Tom we found our lovely apartment without any difficulty, unpacked, went for a stroll around town, had a lovely seafood dinner at the quaint Navy Inn pub before falling blissfully into bed.

Down Day in Brighton

 Heavy winds created huge waves crashing over the Brighton Marina concrete barriers

The winds had calmed by the time we went on our stroll along the Eastbourne Pier and boardwalk



Woke up to rain and heavy winds this morning and decided to have a lazy day of reading and relaxing as we waited out the weather.  The rain finally stopped but the winds continued and so we finally kicked ourselves out of the apartment and headed for Eastbourne, a smaller seaside resort about 30km east of Brighton.  We took a walk around Old Town Eastbourne which has many attractive buildings before heading to the beach.  As it was lunchtime we decided to have a picnic and went to the local Marks and Spencer's to pick up some sandwiches, fruit and water.  The seafront was very similar to Brighton's with a pier, boardwalk and lots of hotels.  But it lacked the tacky commercialism that has invaded Brighton's seafront which was quite refreshing.  After a nice break on the beach it was time to head back to Brighton as we are leaving for Cornwall in the morning and need to do a bit of packing before dinner.  Went out to a local restaurant just around the corner from our apartment and had a very enjoyable evening.  As this is a Holiday weekend in the UK the traffic could be heavy and we anticipate the drive to take at least 6 hours so we will be leaving fairly early in the morning.

Seven Sisters and Medieval Towns

View of the Seven Sisters from Hope Gap

Rita and I on one of the many Seven Sisters Trails

Rita coming out of Belinda's Tea Room in Arundel with a bag of tasty scones

Side view of Stately Arundel Castle

The Norman Keep situated on the highest piece of land within the Castle was built in 1067

Rita checking out some of the Maritime history in Rye

Ypes Tower was built around 1250 to protect Rye against French invaders

Another remarkable day today of hiking and exploring. Rita and I had such a great time walking the South Downs that we decided to go on another hike in the same area. This time we hiked the Hope Gap and it was just as spectacular as Beachy Head. After a 2 hour hike we were ready for our first medieval town experience and headed for Arundel, dominated by its 11th century Norman Castle. The town of Arundel is quite small but has many quaint cafes and antique shops. After hiking all morning we were ready for lunch and found a great tea room with a quiet garden patio. The building was built in 1560 as a barn and converted to a tea room in 1920. After a great lunch of sandwiches and tea we headed for a tour of Arundel Castle. The Castle has been the family home of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors for over 900 years. Many of the original structures still survive, however between 1870 and 1890 the Castle was almost completely rebuilt and is considered to be one of the great works of Victorian England. In fact the Castle was used for the filming of The Young Victoria.

Our next stop was the town of Rye, an important fortified town surrounded by steep cliffs and three rivers with sea access. Originally, at high tide the sea flowed to the edge of town but in the 1600's the sea retreated and so did its importance but it has retained many of its historic buildings. We had a wonderful time walking the cobbled streets and checking out the Old Town before heading back to Brighton.

The White Cliffs of Beachy Head

River and grasslands at the beginning of our hike in South Downs

Rita hiking along one of the trails on top of the White Cliffs on South Downs

Rita on the beach with some of the White Cliffs in the background

The White Cliffs are massive but very fragile as they are mostly made of limestone chalk and calf-off about a meter a year

Beachy Head Lighthouse is still in use keeping ships away from the treacherous currents

Wow, what an amazing day we had. Got an early start for us, 08:30 out the door and headed for the South Downs and Beachy Head for a day of hiking. The reason we are here is Rita wanted to see the White Cliffs of Dover but we were told the best White Cliffs are located within the South Downs and at Beachy Head. We made our way to the South Downs National Park and were not disappointed by the diverse and beautiful landscapes. We spent two hours walking through some incredible countryside before stopping at the Beachy Head Pub for a delicious lunch and a pint. We pulled ourselves out of our comfy chairs for another hour of hiking around the Beachy Head area taking in more incredible White Cliffs panoramas. That finished us off and we headed home for a quiet evening on the couch watching TV.

London to Brighton

View from the living room of our lovely one bedroom flat

Rita enjoying the sunshine on the upper boardwalk with Brighton Pier in the background

Brighton's pebbled beach stretches for miles and was recently voted 20th best in the world

King George IV completed his Oriental styled Royal Pavilion as a home and party palace in 1823

After a lovely weekend spent with my cousin Lis and her family Rita and I headed for the rental car agency to pick up our Vauxhall hatchback (thankfully, I think they only sell these cars in the UK) and made our way to Brighton some 75 miles (125km) away. Our trusty Tom Tom GPS guided us without incident into the heart of old town Brighton and our new home for the next 4 days.

Brighton is a seaside resort which has a long history of being a decadent party town for British Royalty and commoners alike. Both groups have created many tacky tourist facilities to entertain themselves including the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Pier. After finding our apartment, locating a parking space and unpacking we went for a walk-about to check out the beach, pier, old town (called The Lanes) and the Royal Pavilion.  However, we did not come here to spend our time in Brighton, although very unique, but to tour the surrounding countryside which we will be doing over the next few days.

A Tourist in London

British Columbia House will lapse back to the landlord at the end of 2011 and TBC will move to a new location

Westminster Abbey where Prince William and Kate Middleton were married

Big Ben at the Parliament Buildings

Geoff and Rita in front of Buckingham Palace

Last day in London and we decided to explore some of the icon places that both Rita and I have driven by countless times without stopping to see them. It was another hot and sunny day which made exploring on foot a pleasant experience. Packed and left our Chelsea apartment before our 10:00am check-out and took a taxi to Marlybone train station as we wanted to check our luggage for the day before going off to explore. Unfortunately, the train station did not have a luggage storage facility so Rita decided to use her warm smile and charming personality to sweet talk the doorman at a nearby hotel to see if we could store our bags there. It worked!!!! After storing our bags we took the underground to Piccadilly Circus and began our self made tour. First we went to visit British Columbia House as very soon it will no longer be called that as TBC will not renew their 99 year lease on the building. In the three years I was stationed in London for TBC I had some wonderful memories being in that building and will miss seeing the Canada and BC flags flying from its rooftop. From there we made our way to Westminster Abbey where the Royal Wedding had just taken place. The place is still crawling with tourists as thousands of people were milling about and lining up to get inside. We took a few pictures and moved onto the Parliament Buildings while crossing over and back on the Westminster Bridge that goes over the Thames River. Moved onto the Horse Guards parade grounds which are being readied for the Queens birthday celebrations, through St. James Park and onto Buckingham Palace. Again the crowds were amazing for this time of year. We heard helicopters whirling overhead and watched as three large ones dropped down behind the Palace and were sure it was the Queen and her entourage that were returning from their historic trip to Ireland. We were getting hungry and so headed for one of our favorite restaurants in SoHo, Cafe Bohem that has so many good memories for Rita and I. After a wonderful lunch it was time to head back to the train station, retrieve our luggage and head off to stay with my cousin in Beaconsfield for the weekend. On Monday we will be picking up our rental car and driving to Brighton on the southern coast of England.