Not a Cheap Date
⬅ previous ⬆intro next ➡Day 11 ~ Thursday 12 September ~ Trengilly to St Blazey
Right, you may remember that today is a bit of a last-minute change of plan: instead of the YHA Airstreams, we're heading for something else somewhere else and aren't quite sure what... But we are bold adventurers! Onward!
First, though, breakfast.
Breakfast is a bit posh too.
It looks nice from the outside. The room was fine, though we never got round to taking any pictures, and the staff were friendly. Another recommendation if you're thinking of a trip to Cornwall.
Anyway, we have the whole day ahead of us and a modest distance to cover, so we don't need to bomb it, we can see some interesting places on the way. First off, we're going to visit Falmouth and Pendennis Castle...
I suspect that this square has been a bit gentrified, but it's attractive nonetheless. Behind us out of shot is the Maritime Museum which looks well worth a visit later. The town itself seems prosperous and full of justifiable civic pride.
Now there's something you don't see outside of most clothes shops!
Let's check out the museum.
This is not a section of a boat, this is a boat. And not just a boat, this is the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic!
Quite frankly, it's small for crossing the Thames.
A picture can't do justice to the almost absurd reality, but read all about it here.
Can't see anything interesting anyway.
Not beer this time! The museum has a section that extends down below the water level.
The water is a bit murky and there's not really that much to see, except the rope that's covered in algae and mussels.
An appropriate exhibit for the underwater room.
Back on the street, they have the flags out.
That is a good colour cauliflower! We just buy a bit of fruit at the greengrocer's, but it's very tempting.
And so to Pendennis Castle, originally built by Henry VIII in the mid-1500s. The site remained of military significance until it was decommisioned in 1956.
Inside the Tudor hall.
And a more modern gun.
Barracks built in the early twentieth century, now partly used as a museum.
Remember the days before email?
But never let it be said that modern technology cannot coexist with tradition. In 1990, a document called RFC 1149 was issued. RFCs are the standards which define the workings of the Internet, and RFC 1149, entitled "A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers" [IP = Internet Protocol] described how computers could be connected by pigeon. You can read it here if you like, it's quite real! In 2001, some Norwegian students even put it into practice and sent a very small amount of data very slowly.
Remember the days before feminism?
I'm not entirely sure which side he bats for!
Time to move on, now.
And this is our accommodation for the next couple of nights. A bit less glam than some places we've stayed!
The owner of the house is not in residence, although we gather he appears sometimes, so it's basically four or five bedrooms and a shared lounge and kitchen.
Our room is plain but has all the necessities, particularly the en-suite! Amanda is a bit disappointed that the window is opaque glass so she can't see out, although in fairness the view would only be of the similar terrace on the opposite side of the street, so not exactly pretty as a picture.
We briefly see one other resident but otherwise have the kitchen to ourselves to make dinner.
Sautéed scallops with onion and samphire, rice and baby asparagus. Not quite as cheffy as the last couple of nights, but not rustic peasant fare either. First time in an unfamiliar kitchen with unkown appliances and I'm pretty pleased with it.
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