To the South, To England (Part 1)

Our foray into England began with a golf tournament at Clovend GC in the Dumfries area of southern Scotland where we had a wonderful time with members even though we played miserably--too much visiting with Roger and Wendy Bailey (our playing partners) and not enough concentrating upon our golf).  After our golf and visiting, it was on with our English sojourn--Taunton in Somerset, Bude in Devon, Penzance in Cornwall, Tavistock in Devon, Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds, and back to Scotland.

Sat Nav Problems.  To help Anne the Navigator we had purchased a new Garmin GPS system updated with the latest UK maps.  The Sat Nav was doing great getting us down toward Devon until we wanted to see the Cheddar village and Cheddar Gorge.  

The Village of Cheddar

Cheddar Gorge

Using our handy Atlas Anne had it mapped out down the M5 and a short jaunt over to Cheddar, but we figured the Garmin knew a better way when she (female program voice) took us off the M5 (motorway or freeway) into and through downtown and Bristol. 

Buying Cheddar Cheese in Cheddar

Cheddar Man--the Oldest Skeleton Found in UK

When we finally got to Cheddar an hour later it was lovely and very crowded on a holiday Sunday.  But that was only the first of our GPS woes.  Next was a wild ride through the tall-hedged roads of Devon to the little village of Staple Fitzpaine and the Greyhound Inn.  

Staple Fitzpaine Manse

The next morning when we took five minutes to get to the M5 we wondered why the damned Garmin had taken us the back way which was much harder driving and probably three times longer than the easy way. 

Staple Fitzpaine Parish Church

Parish Church Interior

 We checked the settings and she was programmed for the fastest route and not the most round-about route (which I’m sure is one of Garmin’s standard settings).  As if to convince us of her control, the f--ing bitch took us through the center of Penzance and dumped us in the middle of a city garden (literally through the main gates and onto the garden service road) when our guest house was right on the sea front avenue of the town.  

The Blue Seas Guest House, Penzance

Needless to say we’ll be dealing with Garmin Corp as soon as we get home. 

Blown Away by St Michaels.  Not far from Penzance at the southern end of England is   the village of Marazion and just off shore is St Michael’s Mount, known locally as the Mount.  

St Michael's Mount

The tidal island is connected to the coast of Cornwall by a 400-yard manmade causeway.  The name for the monastery on the island comes from the legend that Archangel St Michael visited local island fisherfolk on the Mount in the fifth century.  Today, the former priory on the Mount is the residence of Lord St Leven.

On a Thursday in a mix of sun and clouds Anne and I walked over to the island at low tide.  

Anne Walks the Causeway to the Mount at Low Tide

The day was quite breezy and got even windier as we walked along the sea front and directly into the wind across the causeway to the Visitors’ Centre on the island.  Thirty to forty mile an hour gusts suddenly increased to fifty plus gusts.  

Starting the Climb

The Castle on the Mount

We started the climb up to the castle entrance--a steep zig-zag path ending in a climb up about fifty exposed rough hewn stone steps--with gusts now approaching hurricane force.  Anne struggled in the wind to keep her balance on the uneven steps and I got no photos because I was struggling as well. 

Interior Work

Checking the View

The Drawing Room

 While we toured the house the decision was made to close the island to more visitors and to clear the island of both visitors and staff as the conditions were getting too dangerous--we have no idea what the resident family did. The walk back across the causeway was easier with the wind at our backs, but it still was a struggle to keep our balance on the cobbled path.  

The Lovely Views from the Small Roads of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. Everyone had told us that the southern shires, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall, were lovely.  What they didn’t tell us was that we couldn’t see most of it from the road.  You see [well actually we saw, or couldn’t see], the narrow roads in the south of England are lined with lush hedges closing in the small roads even more.  Since we couldn’t see much of the countryside, I had Anne take a few snaps of what we could see.  Here is a sample of lovely Devon.

Are these Roads a Little Tight?

Next: Ghosts, Theatre, and more.