THANKS to readers for the many positive comments and your memories of a visit to London – and I hope you enjoy this week’s trip to the West Country which many consider to be the best of what England has to offer
I have been to Cornwall several times and, if you ignore the long drive south, there are some wonderful places and attractions to visit. I have stayed in a cottage, residential caravan and a hotel – not unlike “Fawlty Towers” – which is supposed to be modelled on a hotel in Torquay, Devon.
My visit to the south west kicked off with mackerel fishing off the picturesque village of Mousehole, catching the silver blue fish with a shiny hook and no bait. The many fish were given to the car park attendant as a tip for his services after I was advised, by someone older and wiser, that I would not enjoy the oily, fleshed ocean dweller.
On return to dry land, we popped into “The Ship Inn” – an 18th century watering hole – for a pint of Thatcher’s cider and a genuine Cornish Pasty – and not one manufactured by Gingsters or Greggs, however tasty they may be!
In the village of St. Day, I stayed in an old cottage and experienced two events you may catch on your visit – the St. Day Choir singing in the St. Day Inn, on Fore Street, and dancers, complete in evening dress, dancing to the “Floral Dance” which is more associated with Helston. You can read about the history of “The Floral Dance” – in a book of the same name by Ian Marshall – which became a world-wide best seller.
A piece of music, also called “The Floral Dance”, became a big hit when released by the Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band – before the enigmatic Sir Terry Wogan jumped on the bandwagon with his version which he sang on his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show leading to a successful novelty single, which reached number 21 in the Top Twenty chart, if that’s not a “woganism”.
Of course, no trip to Cornwall would be complete without an unforgettable Cornish cream tea with buttered scone and homemade jam. I enjoyed mine at Lamorna Cove, an area very popular with artists, in the popular cafe at the nearby Lamorna Pottery. The guide book I was using also suggested the Rosemergy Farmhouse, in Morvah near Penzance, which boasted scones, freshly baked in an Aga, that you can enjoy in the pleasant gardens overlooking the sea. You pay your money and take your choice!
That’s my lot for this week, with fishing, pasties, dancing and the Floral Dance record! Although I am not “A Cider Drinker”, a record by The Wurzels, a cover version of the song “Paloma Blanca”, provides a musical link and invitation to join me next time when the music of Bonnie Scotland beckons – bagpipes and maybe even a wee dram “Over the sea to Skye”!
