Cornwall's Hidden History Blog
Hanns, the custodian of the hotel shakes our hands warmly. There are no other guests so he is delighted to tell us we have been ungraded to a better room. Our window looks out on a typical German street of apartment blocks. The walls now warmly lit red in the setting sun. Halle an der […]
Read More
Carwynnen quoit has fallen more than once. It’s giant stones have been raised up again and again, the first time 5000 years ago, then again in the 19th century and the last time in 2014. Yes, unfortunately it has taken me this long to get around to visiting but the twisting back roads led me to a impressive […]
Read More
One of my favourite walks takes me on a lovely loop from Trevalga along a stunning stretch of coastline up through Rocky Valley and back to Trevalga via Trethevy. The Rocky Valley walk is quite famous in these parts and it’s close proximity to the surfing mecca of Newquay means that it gets plenty of […]
Read More
Bees are fascinating creatures and what they give us (a little unwillingly!) is one of the world’s most delicious natural gifts. But like so many foods these days we as consumers know little about how it gets to our toast. I could tell you all about how many bees it takes to make a teaspoon of honey or how […]
Read More
If you google ‘how to find a new planet’ an article published in The Guardian in May pops up. In recent months, it reports, NASA has discovered 1200 new planets orbiting distant stars in far off solar systems. In just the last couple of weeks a possible “earth-like” planet has also been discovered.  How far we have come […]
Read More
I really don’t remember the last time that I visited Lands End, for me the famous point that so many travel to see has been turned into some kind of strange theme park, expensive and overcrowded. I do however still love it’s sister headland, Cape Cornwall. In the summer it also has it’s fair share of visitors […]
Read More
Once while on one of our trips my other half and I were taking in just another orange Caribbean sunset when we heard what we thought was a party just a few dusty streets away. It may have been the rum or the weeks on the road with little in the way of night life but we […]
Read More
In an earlier post I wrote about the Cornish word Hireth, which means a longing for somewhere, and how many people can feel a deep affliation or connection to a place. For me, Bodmin Moor with its mysterious relics, wild landscape and wide horizons is one of those places. Canon Elliott-Binns’ 1955 book Medieval Cornwall contains this description – “The […]
Read More
When exactly mankind first discovered the art of smelting metal is a mystery. But what we do know is that tin has always played a major part of the history of Cornwall and its people. Up until recent years it was a vital part of our economy and our culture. And perhaps one day it […]
Read More
I grew up in a household where farm work and animals came first, above anything else. Don’t misunderstand, I am not complaining. I had a blessed childhood with a kind of freedom that sadly very few children experience today. It taught me not only independence but also the importance of hard work and taking responsibility. […]
Read More