Day 7 - Pendennis Castle and the Lizard Peninsula

We awakened to cloudy skies and a cool temperature... but thankfully no rain!  We ate our breakfast indoors and treated ourselves to omelets!

Once we were ready to go, we started off for Pendennis Castle which is on the eastern coast of Cornwall.  I had seen their website while planning the trip and they had this stunning picture of the castle that was very captivating.

They also said the castle was built by Henry VIII.  How could we pass this up?

It didn’t take too long to get there.  We found parking at the end of a field separating us from the castle, then walked up to it.

We paid our admission and then started to look around.  This is a large property and most of our walking was outdoors and cold!  The castle is impressive to look at so we braved the temperature to admire it and get some photos!

taken by Mom

taken by Mom

taken by Mom

Once we got inside the castle, we were able to walk around and see the different rooms.  There were living quarters,

armory/defense areas,

a kitchen,

taken by Mom

and very narrow spiral stair case.

There was even a model of men defending the castle with cannons complete with fake smoke and an audio recording on a loop.

taken by Mom

There were several rooftops with wonderful views that we enjoyed as well.

On the rooftop with other buildings on the property and views of a town behind me, taken by Mom

Mom on the rooftop with fabulous architecture of this 500-year-old castle

After looking inside the castle, we started to explore other areas of the property.  This area was used by the British military for 450 years!  The last time it was used was during WWII.  There were areas for men to sleep and eat while being on the ready to go to their guns.

Sleeping & eating quarters for soldiers on duty

There was also a view station with sonar equipment and good old binoculars to see what might be coming.

"Do you see any E-boats?" - taken by Mom

They did have to watch for German E-boats (S-boot) during WWII.

Vintage photo of an E-boat

We were also able to walk to different areas that had large guns used during the World Wars.  It was interesting to view objects that were about 60 years old right in front of something over 450 years old!

The new and the old

There were some great views out to the sea, the nearby villages, and St. Mowes which is another old castle across the bay.

St. Mowe's across the bay

After that we looked in the barracks where there was a museum about the history of the castle and fortress.

Museum display of military bunk.

Then we left to head to the next activity.

We drove to Coverack to see the coast and to eat.

We had heard this little village has a nice coast and harbor so we wanted to see it.  Surprise, surprise, another village with incredibly small, narrow roads.  With this diesel engine, you can’t get out of first gear going down some of them!

Coverack Cove

Coverack Cove and village, taken by Mom

Coverack coastline, taken by Mom

Thatched roof house

Finally we found a place to park and started to walk around, looking for a place to eat.  We had our hearts set on fish and chips and actually found a shop advertising that they had the best fish and chips in Britain for 2011...

The Old Lifeboat House, taken by Mom

The award, taken by Mom

of course they were closed for several more hours.  So we tried the restaurant across the street but only the bar was open.  After walking around and taking pictures, we found a souvenir shop that had great postcards and books.  The owner told us we probably would need to try another town if we wanted to eat now.  So after buying our souvenirs, we walked back to our car and started our drive to The Lizard which is the most southern point in England.

Typical street in The Lizard

Which way to go?

Back street

Once we got there, there where fish and chip shops galore!  But most of them were take away (to go) only and we wanted to sit down!  Finally, we went to The Regent Café where you order and pay at the counter and then they bring you your food.  They did have different fish sorts for their fish and chips so Grandma ordered Plaice and Mom and I ordered Haddock.  The portions were HUGE and we wished we had shared!

Haddock Fish & Jacket Potato with Mushy Peas, taken by Mom

But we felt much better after that as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was already evening!  The sun stays up so late you don’t even realize how late it is getting.  They had quite a souvenir shop attached to the restaurant, so after eating, I browsed for gifts for friends and family and also found a neat mystery book written by a Cornish lady involving parts of Cornwall we had been to.  The shopkeeper assured me it was a real page-turner!  After that, Grandma and Mom had to get some Cornish ice cream and then Grandma decided she had walked enough for the day.  She sat in the car while Mom and I walked to Lizard Head and to see the coast.

Starting off for the most southern point in England

It was quite a walk, especially for Mom’s knee.  But the views were fantastic and we were glad we did!

View towards Kynance Cove on the path across the pastures

Foxglove growing along the side of the path

Pink flowers growing on a rock wall

Field of Buttercups

There were fields of buttercups and other pink flowers.  There were also fantastic views of the water and the rock cliffs down to it!  The sun was starting to lower so the lighting was very beautiful!

View down the cliff to the water

Great place to sit and take it all in

Rocks in the water

Coastline

Ah... enjoying the view

The yellow outfit in the buttercup field

Cows coming in at the end of the day

Posing by a wooden horse sculpture.  The wooden sign posted there states a girl lost her lounge line and hopes someone found it.  Taken by Mom

After walking back to the car, we drove to Kynance Cove.

It was so late, the parking attendant at the car park was gone.  They asked us to leave money if they were gone but we couldn’t find where to put it!!  We had a quick walk out to a view point where we could see the sea and see the cove.  Both very beautiful.

We also saw a lady riding her horse on the bridle path which looked like fun.  I was hoping to do some horse riding here and even brought my breeches from home, but I would find out that prior planning and quite a lot of money is what you need to make that dream come true.

After that, it was time to come home, use the internet up by the bar, and then to bed!  Great day and we saw some amazing things!