England's Fair and Pleasant Land 

Day Three: Walking from Polperro to Looe

Polperro is another one of those Most Picturesque Villages in England, and it was appealing as a destination because of its dramatic location along the Cornish coast. 

It's a picturesque little town, with tiny, narrow streets totally unsuited for vehicles. We drove as far into the village as we dared and even then we couldn't get terribly close to where we were staying. No room at all to turn around; we had to back the car out virtually the entire way.

We stayed at the delightful House on the Props -- an old smuggler's house.

These are the props -- some ancient ship's timbers that hold up the place.

I suppose it would not have been inappropriate for us to stay at this place ....

As we left on our walk/hike along the cost to Looe, it was low tide once again in the harbour, which makes it hard on the fishermen.

Anyway, off we went.

Some sailors who had moored overnight outside the harbour were setting off as well.

Climbing out of the village, you can see how it snuggles in its little valley and hugs the shore. 

This sign is appropriate almost anywhere in the Cornish countryside!

Here's another sign along the way:

Sometimes however, the dogs don't seem to get the message

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11692743/Dog-chases-sheep-over-a-cliff-to-its-death.html


The coastal walking trail is not for the faint of breath.

Benefiting from her exercise routine however, Louise  forges on ahead.

No exercise routine; bringing up the rear ....

I don't know who Roy is or was, but I was grateful for his Bench ....

They thoughtfully provide steps for the really steep parts of the trail. There must have been half a dozen of these sets of rustic stairs ....

Not that they slowed Louise down at all ....

When we got to this sign, I was sure that walk was a lot longer than it said .... 

At least Louise put to good use the time she spent waiting for me to catch up.

Eventually, she found a suitable escort party.

The dog would soon come in handy, since shortly thereafter, we encountered a herd of wild beasts blocking our path. Louise was not amused ....

It's possible these beasts weren't either ....

In any event, with the aid of the intrepid jack Russell Terrier, we safely made our way through the migration of these Cornish wildebeests ...

... and arrived in the oceanfront town of Looe, where going to the seashore evidently means sitting in your BMW and reading the newspaper!

Looe is a larger version of Polperro, a small fishing (and smuggling) port (with a train station) built along a river valley.

We crossed the river in search of the ultimate Cornish snack, which required some more ferry travel.

A slightly more serious ferry than the previous.

What could be more authentic than to be in Cornwall eating what was reputed to be the best Cornish pasty (authentically pronounced pass-tee) available in these parts?

The Cornish pasty was meant as miner's food. A hot, nourishing meal the Cornish tin and copper miners could slip into their pockets as they went down into the pits. Sturdy, but surprisingly delicate pastry encasing what is essentially beef and swede (what they call turnips) stew. Perfect for hungry hikers! 

We took the bus back to Polperro.

Here's the upper reaches of Looe Harbour mid-afternoon, at high tide.

And the next morning at low tide (we had to drive through Looe again to get to our next destinations)

We waited out the rain back in Polperro at The Blue Peter, Last Pub before France.

Plenty of water in the harbour by now.

The rain stopped and we headed out to dinner, at least one of us fashionably attired.

For some reason, Louise insisted I take a picture of her by this sign ...

This Cornish bubbly though, is what we drank at dinner (in keeping with our continuing quest for authenticity ....)

Quite tasty!

Dinner at a place called Kitchen was lovely and surprising creative. We ended up carousing with these lively Brits who were also in Polperro for the weekend.

A sweet ending to a long and pleasant day!

England's Green and Pleasant Land -- Day Two 

To begin our second day in England, we first headed to the ancient seaside town of Lyme Regis, perhaps most famous for being the location of John Fowles's novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman, and the movie of the same name, starring Meryl Streep. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFZPSQKjwwc

Fowles was not the first author to sense the literary attraction of the famous breakwater -- The Cobb -- which also figured in Jane Austen's novel, Persuasion.

The dramatic, picturesque, serpentine structure surrounding the tiny harbor dates back to the early part of the 19th century (although the first breakwater was built on this site in the 1300's and the curved shape itself dates back at least until the early 1500's.) 

All she needs is the cape ....

In honor of Liza's alma mater, we then drove on to the original Exeter, where the River Exe is crossed by means of a manually powered ferry.

The Ferryman pulls the cable to get the boat across the river 

He admits it's not a lot of work ...

The main attraction in the town is the Cathedral, built from around 1100 through around 1400. 

There is always work going on at these old cathedrals

This is said to be the longest unsupported arched roof in all of England and Europe. Almost 320 feet.

This clock in the Cathedral dates back to the mid-1400's.

Keep pretty good time ...

The breathtaking structure aside, what I found most fascinating in the Cathedral were the memorial plaques that line the walls. There were of course, noble monuments to the local regiments and the sacrifices made in wars throughout the centuries.

It was also the poignant stories told, and the sentiments expressed about husbands and wives and children, that I found quite touching. The inherent social commentary is also interesting.  Here are a few that caught my particular attention. They speak for themselves.

We were headed to Topsham -- according to the signs, The Ancient Port of Exeter -- in search of what was reputed to be England's finest chippy (fish 'n chips joint.) Along the way we came upon this pub -- The Bridge -- dating back to the 1600's and run for more than the last hundred years by the same family. 

It's said to be the only pub in England ever visited by the Queen. Here's the inside story: http://www.cheffers.co.uk/royvis.html

Topsham is a lovely riverside community.

There are some beautfiul restorations along the river

Low tide on the River Exe.




.

Now the Ancient Port is strictly recreational

With some effort -- and it was well worth it! -- we found the Fish Shed, at Darts Farm, which is an extensive fancy food complex and shopping experience.

The Fish 'n Chips are not served wrapped in the Daily mail any longer. Some sort of nanny-state health directive, no doubt.

Nonetheless, this was an outstanding meal; not only the traditional chippy, but   also Louise's Thai fish cakes. We had to order the mushy peas side dish. How can one resist the name?

Lustleigh -- another of the Most Beautiful Villages in England -- offered some excellent hiking (for which we had no time) so we simply dipped in and out.

I want to pull the roof of my house and replace it with thatch ....

It seems that everyone in England has a well-developed green thumb 

Next we headed to Plymouth, from whence our Pilgrim ancestors departed these shores for our shores. It's a formidable harbour guarded by an enormous and powerful citadel.

The Mayflower is a big deal in Plymouth.

This is more or less the spot from where the Mayflower put out from Plymouth 

Descending the Mayflower Steps

Original Pilgrims

Modern-day Pilgrim

Other colonists also departed Plymouth for the New World.

Plymouth was also the port from which sailed Sir Francis Drake, the most accomplished of all the Elizabethan seafarers. Not only did he successfully circumnavigate the globe, but he was an extremely successful pirate. The treasure he liberated from the Spaniards -- 50% of which went directly to the Crown - made up more than half of all the Crown revenues in those years. 

His statue stands high above the Hoe -- the vast seaside plateau upon which in July of 1588, Drake's game of bowls is said to have been interrupted by news of the imminent arrival of the Spanish Armada. First he finished his game and then he sailed out and defeated the Armada.

Other impressive monuments on the Hoe commemorate the Royal Navy's losses during the two World wars.

And there is this imposing lighthouse.

The River Tamar separates Devon from Cornwall. Right alongside the modern suspension bridge that carries the highway is the most astonishing piece of  mid-19th century engineering: Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge, carrying the railway into Cornwall.

The bridge looks almost space-age today, yet as you can see by the tribute placed on the bridge by Brunel's friends following his death (not long after this bridge was completed) the wrought-iron structure (designed and built before the advent of steel!) is more than 150 years old.

This is what it looked like from our car

Brunel was one of the great geniuses of his age -- of any age. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel

And finally, as night was falling, we arrived at our ultimate destination for this day and the next, Polperro: a tiny Cornish port and village (once a smuggling hot-spot, now supported by fishing and tourism.)

The Old Mill at the entrance to the village

View of the harbour from our window. Low tide again ....