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Exploring England’s West CountryBy Caroline M. Jackson
Devon and Cornwall conjure up images of secluded coves and wild windswept beaches, lonely moors and bustling holiday resorts, Cornish pasties and clotted cream teas. This area known as the West Country has attracted writers such as Daphne du Maurier, Agatha Christie and Rosamund Pilcher. A delightful gateway city is the elegant city of Bath. A relaxing spacious town, it is easy to reach by motorway or train from London.
Designated a World Heritage Site, its thermal springs were first discovered by the Celts, then by the Romans who built a series of baths, saunas and plunge pools. Visitors to the Roman Baths Museum and Temple can walk along the colonnaded arcades and past the hot gushing waters. Eighteenth century records show that many patients’ physical symptoms of gout and paralysis were often brought on by occupational hazards that exposed them to lead. Also, alcohol, particularly port, was contaminated with lead as a sweetener and fungicide. The Royal Mineral Water Hospital was the first in England to be open to rich and poor alike. On arrival, a deposit of $6 either paid for your journey home, or your funeral, depending on the outcome of your confinement. While the Baths have an interesting past, they also have a promising future with the planned opening of an ambitious restoration project called the Thermae Bath Spa.
There are many ways to see around Bath which like Rome, is set in an amphitheater of seven hills. You can take a free two-hour walking tour, cruise down the meandering River Avon or do as we did and opt for an open-top bus tour. This is a great way to enjoy the sweeping Georgian architecture of the King’s Circus, a complete circle of houses in honey-colored limestone. We learned that in the Royal Crescent, one of the 30 houses recently sold for over two million dollars. When the houses were built, the architects would design the front façade of the buildings and the interior, but leave the back for the builders to do whatever they wished. “This” said our humorous tour guide “is why we say that most of Bath is Queen Anne at the front and Sally Ann at the back.” If you and your fellow travelling companion have different interests, you can part company and choose from 16 museums and galleries, then meet up again for an evening repast. Choices include the Museum of Costume, the Bath Postal Museum, the Royal Photographic Society Museum and the Holburne Museum. On your last evening, stroll across charming shop-lined Pulteney Bridge. Afterwards, sit in Parade Gardens and watch the weir gently cascade like bridal veils into the River Avon. Ponder a moment on the famous people who loved this part of England and who probably sat on the same spot - Admiral Lord Nelson, General Wolfe, Sir Walter Scott, Gainsborough, Handel, Dr. David Livingstone, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
From Bath, it is an easy return back to the M4 and the journey westwards. Our first port of call was the seaside town of Lynmouth which lies on the coastal edge of Exmoor National Park in North Devon. Our abode was the Rising Sun Hotel; a 14thC thatched inn with crooked ceilings, thick walls and uneven oak floors. One of our deeply recessed windows overlooked the picturesque harbor and it was from here that I whiled away many an hour drinking in the scene before me: like eyebrows, lemon, pink and red roses clambered over cottage doorways and windows. No wonder this spot inspired the poetry of Shelley, Wordsworth and Coleridge in the early 1800s. However, Lynmouth was not always so peaceful. In August 1952, a flash flood welled up on rain-soaked Exmoor and roared through the town destroying 93 houses and taking the lives of 34 residents. A model exhibition in Memorial Hall tells the story surrounding this disaster.
The wooded river valleys and the maze of trickling streams on Exmoor led the Victorians to dub the area “Little Switzerland ”. Lynmouth is twinned with Lynton which sits on the brow of the hill 500’ directly above Lynmouth. The towns are linked together by a Victorian water-operated cliff railway which is popular with visitors. Our favorite hike from Lynton was the North Walk along the spectacular Valley of Rocks with its weird jagged granite outcrops on one side and the sparkling Bristol Channel on the other. For a different view of the coast, check the chalkboards at the harbor to book one of the boat tours. On a bright sunny afternoon, we coasted past the cliff faces our binoculars trained on the rocks. I was the first to spot one of the feral goats on Castle Rock. Below were fulmars and on narrow ledges herring gulls were perched with their fluffy beige chicks.
The next morning we headed for the coastal town of Marazion and the romantic fairytale castle of St. Michael’s Mount. Situated on a rocky island, it was once a monastery affiliated to Mont St. Michel in Normandy. Today it is home of the St. Aubyn Family and a property of the National Trust. The castle has a fascinating history and its terraces offer splendid views of the Cornish coastline. Depending on the tide, access is along a causeway or by ferryboat. It pays to check the tidal charts. Through binoculars, I watched a crocodile of visitors on the causeway turning back to the shore with sandals held high and shorts a little damp.
Back on the mainland, we drove through the thriving town of Penzance and along narrow high-banked lanes towards Land’s End. Our destination that afternoon was the extraordinary Greek-style Minack Theatre which was carved out of the granite cliffs. From May to September, the theatre comes alive with 20 different productions. The Exhibition Centre tells the story of how an indomitable woman, Rowena Cade, built much of the 750-seat theatre with her own hands.
Adjacent to the cliff side theatre is the spectacular Porthcurno beach with silky sands more reminiscent of Majorca than Britain. Later, we rounded off our day with an evening visit to St. Ives with its crescent of golden sands. Cobbled lanes and flower-filled courtyards all lead down to the bustling harbor. It is easy to see why this seaside resort has attracted many artists including Turner, Whistler and Barbara Hepworth. All too soon, it was time for us to backtrack eastwards, this time along the south coast. Having read much about Cornwall and Devon’s beautiful gardens, we decided to visit a couple of them. The first was The Lost Gardens of Heligan – a living museum of 19thC. horticulture near St. Austell in Cornwall. Until fairly recently, these gardens were lost under mountains of timber, bramble and ivy. Revived, the gardens today boast walled gardens, water meadows and a medieval sunken lane. There are even manure-heated pineapple pits from which Her Majesty the Queen was given a pineapple on her Golden Wedding Anniversary.
The next garden was at Coleton Fishacre House near Dartmouth in Devon. Now owned by National Trust, the house was designed in the 1920’s for the D’Oyly Cartes of Gilbert and Sullivan fame. It is an airy, pleasant house with windows and doors leading out into the picturesque gardens. The house is set in a stream-fed valley, which slopes down to cliff tops. My favorite corner was the Rill Garden with its pools and canalized gushing stream. Enjoy afternoon lunch in the outdoor patio – yellow pepper soup, Brixham crab sandwiches and stem-ginger ice cream washed down with a cool ginger beer from Buckfastleigh Abbey. Never alone, you’ll have an audience of cheeky chaffinches.
Whether in Devon or Cornwall, there’s always something interesting to see around every corner. Our dilemma was selecting what we could realistically fit into our one-week itinerary. Where we stayed: Contacts: Travel tips: St. Ives: parking can be difficult in many of the popular towns especially if you are travelling in the high season. Check with the local tourist authority for advice. Images by Hamish M. Jackson Email:
caroline@crestlynn.com |
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After your self-guided tour of the Roman Baths Museum,
visit the early 18thC Pump Room and ask the “Pumper”, a gentleman wearing a
white wig, for a cup of Bath spa water. It tastes like the inside of a volcano
but one consolation is that you have just downed 43 minerals and trace
elements. Afterwards, you can treat yourself to a dainty afternoon tea
including a Bath bun while listening to the classical strains of the Pump Room
Trio.
Continuing to journey westwards, we hugged the north
coastline via Woolacombe till we reached the quaint fishing village of Clovelly.
Donkeys are the only allowable means of transport, so we abandoned our rental
car and walked down the steep cobbled street which wends its way down to the
14th century harbor. Our route took us past 18thc. and 19thc. slate roofed
cottages bedecked with flowers. In Fisherman’s Cottage, an exhibition depicts
Charles Kingsley who wrote the children’s classic “The Water Babies”. Clovelly
can be a very busy tourist spot, so if you don’t like crowds and your knees
ain’t what they used to be, give it a miss. 
For us, the town of Dartmouth was a pleasant surprise. Pick
up a leaflet, which takes you on a self-guided walking tour of this fascinating
town, which is truly a treasure trove of maritime history. Amble along the
pillared Butterwalk where fishing vessels from Newfoundland docked in the early
1600’s. Continue to Bayards Cove which was visited by the Pilgrim Fathers in
1620 and the cobbled quay which was the setting for several films including ‘The
Onedin Line’.
Follow the stepped packhorse track, which is lined with exquisite
cottages. If you are a photo buff, you’ll have a challenge lining up your camera
for perpendicular shots of 17thc timbered houses, which sit at odd angles. To
round off the day, treat yourself to a packet of fish ‘n chips on the waterfront
or take a river boat to view Dame Agatha Christie’s estate and the Britannia
Royal Naval College.