Day 4 - Saint Michael’s Mount, Penzance, and Land’s End

Surprise, surprise, the water was COLD!!!  The man sent to turn on the water heater didn’t know what he was doing or what we were needing, or both!  I was pretty frustrated at that point.  I went down to ask Grandma if she had the same issue which she did, I was on the verge of calling reception again when she said, “Did you try the switch in my closet?”  Of course I hadn’t.  I didn’t know she had a switch in her closet!  How did I not hear about this last night?  Or seen it when looking in her closet for the heater itself?  We pulled the doors open and there on the back wall, plain as can be, was a switch labeled “immersion heater.”  I flipped the switch and a little light next to it came on.  Now came the waiting period until the water was hot.

In the mean time, we made a pot of tea to warm ourselves up.  After waiting as long as we were willing to and still not having hot water, we cleaned up as bet we could with cold water and prepared our breakfast in the little kitchen.  Mom and I walked to the golf shop to get some milk.  Fortunately, Grandma had brought really nice granola with her and we enjoyed it for our first breakfast in our lodge... al fresco!

Breakfast on the patio

After reading our Sabbath School lesson, we decided to go to St. Michael’s Mount today.

The sun was shining and the temperature was fairly agreeable, so we wanted to make the most of it.  It took some time to drive there... a few wrong turns didn’t help that much.  At last we made it to a car park which happened to be some distance from the boat landing that takes people from Marazion (the village on the shore) to the island with the castle.  We had hoped to walk over as there is a causeway that is passable on foot in low tide.  This being late morning was fairly deep underwater.  The view of St. Michael's Mount from that location was impressive!

Grandma was not interested in getting on a boat, so Mom and I went on without her, leaving her sitting on the beach, reading a book in the sunshine.

Grandma enjoys the sun and a book

It was 2£ to take the boat over to the island the castle is on.  The ride was short and smooth and soon we were stepping out of the boat and climbing up onto the stone pier.

Taking the boat from Marazion to St. Michael's Mount

Once we paid our entrance to the castle, we began what was a long, steep climb up a very uneven, and stony path to the entrance of the castle.

As we walked, we could see how impressive the outside of the castle is and how it was in a good position to be a fortress and defend itself.

Once inside, we were able to tour through the rooms of the castle that our open to the public.  The family that has owned the property for thousands of years, the St. Aubyn’s, have private living quarters within the castle.  We were still able to see a lot including former dining and sitting areas, armories, and a chapel.

Starting the tour

Chevy Chase Room, named after the poem by the same name describing a hunt which is pictured in the frieze above the fireplace

Chapel stained glass

Michael slays Satan

There was some fabulous architecture as well with breathtaking views out to sea and back to Marazion!

Mom outside the castle with beautiful architecture for a backdrop!

Exterior of the chapel

Cornwall flag flying by the cannons.  This castle has been a fortress in the past and defended the area against the Spaniards.

View out to the bay and Marazion.  You can see the causeway under the water as the tide is going down.

Enjoying the views out to the bay and to Marazion.

It was a wonderful experience.  Then came the trek back down that steep hill... not a great idea in clogs as I discovered.

Afterwards we popped in the gift shop and picked up some souvenirs.  Then it was back to the pier and two more pounds before our boat ride back.  We landed near the causeway which was staring to surface as the tide was going out.  Some people were even starting to head out over it in wet suits.  We stopped to take pictures on it and then headed back to Grandma who was still waiting on the beach!

We were getting pretty hungry by then but it was mid-afternoon and all the restaurants are closed.  So we walked around until we found one open, called "Chapel Rock Cafe."

We ordered a vegetable sandwich with humus, pesto, and rocket (arugula) and a side of chips (french fries) times two and shared it three ways.

Very, very good!  We enjoyed it a lot and sharing kept the portions just right and the calories down!  Now we had the strength to walk the fairly long distance back to our car.

Now we wanted to go see Penzance,

made popular by Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.”  We could see the town from Marazion as it was just down the coast a short way.  It didn’t take long to get there, but there were lots more very narrow streets to navigate once we arrived.  Somehow we made it down to the coastline to look around.  Mom and Grandma were too tired to get out and look around, so we took a picture of the harbor,

the sailing club,

Notice the mascot!

and then headed on to Land's End which wasn't far away.  This is the most western part of England and the closest one to America.

We arrived after the shops there had closed.  But there was still access to the walkways that go out to cliffs.  We paid to park, and then started the walk out to the actual point of Land's End.  We saw the First and Last Refreshment House in England, at least from the outside.

We also had our picture taken by the sign that showed us how far to New York.

We spent some time enjoying the outdoors and the views before walking back to the car.  Then it was time to head back to our lodge.

When we arrived there, they were serving dinner at the restaurant.  We had not been able to get to a grocery store before their Sunday closing time, so we had to eat out again.  They were offering a carvery buffet which we only figured out once we were seated.  None of us wanted that much to eat so they allowed us to order starters such as soup and baguette which we did.  After eating, Grandma headed back to the lodge and to bed and Mom and I sat near the bar where the free wifi is to get on line.