Cornwall was part of a trip during a hoof and mouth disease outbreak. Several travelers had cancelled, so we were a small group of nine. One day it was the consensus to just follow a map and do our own thing. What a marvelous day it turned out to be!
We made our way to the village of Gweek where there was a rather extensive and nice seal sanctuary on the Helford River. Grey seals grow to eight feet long and weigh 550 pounds. Two-thirds of the world’s population of this species lives off the coast of the British Isles, mostly off Scotland. Pups are born August-September. It is not uncommon for a storm to separate the pups from mom, and then they are likely to be bashed against the rocky coast. Many pups are rescued, treated and housed in the sanctuary until the following spring when they can be safely released.
Rather unusual, the pups are weaned between 3-5 weeks. Grey seals are only able to dive for about ten minutes. The sanctuary has a hospital, plus several tanks where we found several varieties of seals. Watching the seals being fed, we suddenly realized we could use some lunch ourselves, so we headed to the Gweek Inn/Pub. At the only pub in town we found a rather complete menu and had a wonderful meal.
After lunch we journeyed to Trebah Gardens. The introduction in their flyer says, “This is no pampered, pristine, prissy garden with rows of clipped hedges, close mowed striped lawns, and daily raked paths. Instead it is a magnificent old, wild, and magical Cornish garden---the product of 100 years of inspired and dedicated creation followed by 40 years of mellowing and ten years of love and restoration.”
And magnificent it was! Even the light rain showers didn’t keep us from walking and enjoying the garden. Trebah stands at the head of a 25-acre ravine, 500 meters long and dropping 70 meters to the Helford River. Under an umbrella I walked the whole length twice on two different paths plus occasionally zig zagging between paths. The paths were well marked and at the end of the loop I stopped to read the marker that stands as a memorial to the men of the 29th Division who headed off from there to Normandy for D-Day.
Our hotel in Penzance, a seaside community, was across the street from the ocean promenade offering us a delightful view of Mount’s Bay and St. Michael’s Mount. In the 16th century Spanish raiders destroyed most of the town, so most buildings were 18th century.
One evening we headed to the Turks Head Pub where we learned the 14th century inn is the oldest in the town. It was a pleasant surprise to find an extensive menu with reasonable prices and generous and extremely good servings.
One evening we went to the local church for the bell ringing, which takes place once a week. Our guide somehow managed to get us up into the tower to watch this very involved and precise activity. The six men and women were playing the bells. It is quite a knack to get the bells upright, where they stay until finished, and then are lowered over a period of time. Once upright they swing and their weight turns them 360-degrees.. It is much more complicated than I ever thought.
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