Tales from the Sea Garden

Tales from The Sea Garden

Email me: theseagarden@btinternet.com

Friday 15 February 2013

The Great Atlantic



Yesterday J and I took a little trip out to Cape Cornwall, a rugged and dramatic headland which lies at the very tip of Britain, and unlike Land's End itself, remains totally unspoilt. The weather was idyllic for this time of year, if a tad breezy.



Priest's Cove lies at the foot of the headland, and a few hardy fishermen still work the boats here, from a rather precipitous concrete slipway and a very rocky approach from the sea, which is always pretty wild on this great Atlantic coast.



Set into the cliff face are a number of ramshackle fishermen's huts; the rough grass and the creeping mesembryanthemum having grown over the corrugated tin roofs so that they resemble the little homes of seafaring hobbits.





The cove has an unusual geology, which I am afraid I am not knowledgeable enough to tell you about, but it is very noticeable how many perfectly rounded pale granite boulders there are littered all over the underlying rock. 





Up on top of the headland the views were spectacular, the waves crashing and frothing below. 




I feel so completely invigorated when I watch the sea



The sun was going in and out from behind scudding clouds, and it got a bit cold up on the Cape, so we headed back to St. Just to The Cook Book Cafe for a milkshake and a toasted tea cake. Their chocolate milkshakes are to die for! (I usually have two). Then a short drive to a secret hidden valley....Cot Valley.....


This little babbling stream winds its way down through enchanting groves of trees and subtropical plants until it emerges out onto the wild scrubby heathland and eventually the sea....




Like Priest's Cove, the 'beach' is almost entirely composed of rounded granite boulders.



A little way along the cliff edge is this tunnel, now blocked, which I suspect was the entrance to a mine shaft. The whole area is littered with disused engine houses and chimneys; many of the tunnels went out for miles under the sea bed.



As the afternoon sun began to lower in the sky I just stood mesmerised by the beauty of the light on the water and the continual surging back and forth of the waves....



Happy Valentine's Day to you my friends; hope you spent it with someone you love. x 

14 comments:

  1. Wonderful photographs - thank you for sharing. Reminds me how much I miss Cornwall.

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  2. Oh what a beautiful place and such gorgeous photographs thank you for sharing them. Xxx

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  3. Beautiful pictures. I live in Cornwall but have not been to these places. Now you have shown me I will go search them out.
    Rosezeeta.

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  4. My goodness, such beautiful, beautiful pictures. What a lovely day.

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  5. I love the photos - especially those at Priests Cove; so colourful. I wish I had viewed the Cape from that side when I last visited.

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  6. Beautiful pictures, and what a gorgeous day out. We have walked down to Cape Cornwall many a time, and then stopped off at St Just on the way back. I have bought several craft books over the years from The Cookbook Cafe, and also enjoyed looking round the art galleries, and second hand shop.
    Hoping to go there in April.
    Wendy x

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  7. What beautiful images, so inspirational and I would love to visit. I havent been to Cornwall yet, as not being a driver, I am unsure of the area which would give me the most opportunity to see and do different things (not commercial type things)....or where to stay. ( I am an artist and writer)It reminds me of the West Coast of the Cape, South Africa, where I used to live.There is something about the wild Atlantic.

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  8. You are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world...your photos are stunning!
    I spent many childhood holidays in Cornwall and it holds lots of happy memories for me.

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  9. Magical Cornwall, always! Love the idea of Sea faring Hobbits! We will be back this summer. Minerva ~

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  10. Oh! I could live here for sure! Seafaring Hobbit Huts! So Charming. I love the sea and used to live 8 miles (very close) from it. But alas, my husband got a good job inland and up the Central California valley 125 miles inland. I have dearly missed the ocean for 31 years.
    Thank you for these lovely photos...they warm my heart!
    Cheers!
    Teresa in California
    http://amagicalwhimsy.blogspot.com/

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  11. I think its wonderful the way you really delve into the places you visit, the tunnel here is fascinating and it feels such an unsullied, true sort of spot. Very invigorating photos!
    xx
    julie

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