Diary Thursday April 6

- the mysteries of the shower - all showers in hotels seem to be different-----
The first goal this day was Tintagel on the northern coast of Cornwall.
Sunshine on green undulating fields where sheep and lamb were grazing. S U N!! Far off we noticed the hills on Bodmin Moor. We passed lots of wind power stations with their wings going round fast in the wind. In a field we saw a tractor harrowing with a trail of gulls behind. They were so many and sitting so tight so it looked like a broad white ribbon.
The village of Tintagel is lying on the top of the coast cliffs. From there you can either walk down the ravine or take a landrover. My husband and I naturally prefered the later.
The ruins of the 12th century Castle is in two parts and lying high up on the promontory. Most of the people in our group climbed up to see the ruins and hear the guide who told the stories about the castle and the false connection to King Arthur of the legends.
My husband followed a path on the other side of the bay and from there he had a nice view of the sea and the cliffs. That path was not as steep as that one up to the ruins but it was rough so I had to keep on the even ground near the bay.
In the village of Tintagel where our bus was parked there is an old house called Old Post Office and it is considered to be the oldest house in Cornwall.
The tour went on between the hills to Padstow, a fishing village much influenced by tourism. We strolled around and had some Cornish Pastry for lunch.
The afternoon was reserved for Pencarrow, an estate belonging to a family who still lived in parts of the house. The house was harmonious in it's exterior and beautiful to look at. The garden was in Italian style but not as well kept as the other gardens we has seen.
One hour guided tour mostly concentrating on the portraits on the walls left a mixed impression. Lots of personal objcts, toys, articles of clothing etc were exposed in the rooms. One of the earlier owners had put hats on the busts in the staircase and they were left as an amusing detail.....
When we were back in Liston I strolled around a bit. A nice evening with lots of birdsong. The church is under repair. Outside was a "thermometer" showing the total cost and how much the contributions were up to this date. My reflecting was if that is what we will expect in Church of Sweden in the future? Collections to maintain our church buildings? Now as Church of Sweden is equivalent with all the other denominations?
In the school yard I noticed a very good climbing tree, an old beech. But the school building was a blue barrack building. The school has made a webbpage about Lifton Trail. At the end of the trail you can find a picture and some text about Arundel Arms.