Cornwall - the UK you don't know. And you'll love it
There are some countries that I simply do not associate with tourism. This is, of course, a “state of mind” rather than a reality backed up by facts. I find it very hard to think of Germany and Great Britain as attractive tourist destinations. But I know they are!
Unfortunately, in my mind's eye I see factory chimneys, grey streets, an urbanised, man-made landscape and nature that is, at best, much like ours at home. Little by little these images are colliding with reality, and with each trip I begin to see the potential of those places. Berlin, the German Alps, Passau, Scotland and now Cornwall have taught me to keep my prejudices in check and to consider such seemingly unattractive destinations.
Flying to Bristol and getting to Cornwall
I visited Cornwall, the south-western tip of Great Britain, in the summer of 2013. At that time you could fly in comfort to Bristol from Okęcie airport in Warsaw. Today people from the capital have to go to Modlin to fly to Bristol, which is regarded as the gateway to Cornwall. Ryanair also flies there from Gdańsk, Kraków, Poznań, Rzeszów and Wrocław. From Bristol it is still quite a way to Cornwall's attractions: to the seaside town of Bude, where we were based, for example, it is a 2.5-hour drive, and to the far end of the county almost 4 hours. On the one hand this is an inconvenience; on the other, it shows that Cornwall has no big cities, with the airports that come with them, and that the focus there is on tourism and nature. The facts bear this out. Cornwall is known for its wild landscapes, moorland, a long and varied coastline and a mild climate. Tourism accounts for almost ¼ of its income. The county remains one of the poorest regions of Great Britain. Of its half a million inhabitants, only about 300 can communicate in the Cornish language.
Clovelly, Hartland Point and the beaches of Bude
Cornwall is all very well, but we begin our journey in Clovelly, a small village in the county of Devon.
Steep lanes lead down to a charming harbour. Traffic has been banned from the centre, which keeps alive the long tradition of moving goods on special sledges with wooden runners. Anyone who has been to Madeira will know what I mean. I have not, but I know someone who has.
From the harbour you can see the houses cascading down the hillside amid lush greenery.
And now it is time for Cornwall. Its jagged, rocky coastline makes for fine viewpoints. One of them is Hartland Point. From the tops of the rocks you can see the endless sea, and often, closer in, seals frolicking in the shallows. Between the rocky cliffs lie small sandy coves and long, flat beaches. Anyone who enjoys walking barefoot on sand can head to Bude and give their feet a massage on a walk of several kilometres along the sea.
But stay alert, because Cornwall has some of the largest tidal ranges anywhere. What is safe ground today may be several metres under water a few hours later. And you will find yourself nervously looking for a way out of the trap, with a hostile sea in front of you and steep cliffs behind.
A Polish tourist will not be put off by the temperature of the Atlantic and will probably be keen to take a dip in a specially built rock pool on the seashore. You will find one in Bude. The sea flows freely in and out of it, refilling it again and again with fresh hectolitres of water.
The Camel Trail, fish & chips and Cornish pasties
Cornwall is a great place for cycling. We choose a route from Padstow, on the north coast. Hiring bikes for a full day (9.00-17.00) costs 14 GBP, and half-day hire (after 17.00) costs 10 GBP. The route, partly laid along the embankment of a former railway line, follows the estuary and then meanders along the course of a picturesque river, crossing it in several places. The views are gorgeous, with interesting stops along the way. The furthest point of the Camel Trail is 10 km from the start.
The bike ride ends at Rick Stein's famous restaurant, where ordering “Fish & Chips” is compulsory. This treat for the palate, which also replaces the calories you have burned, will cost you about 10 GBP.
While in Cornwall, you must try the regional delicacy, the Cornish pasty. It is nothing more than a baked pie made of wheat or wheat-and-rye pastry with a filling of potatoes, beef and vegetables. It is tasty and sold from takeaway kiosks for just under 4 pounds. Cornwall is a land of very narrow lanes, flanked on both sides by low walls and tall hedges. They are only wide enough for one car. I do not know how it happens, but the car coming the other way never seems to arrive.
St Ives, Land's End and Cornwall's palm trees
St Ives is worth a visit if only because many people consider it the best seaside town in the whole of Great Britain. This well-known surfing centre, “equipped” by nature with two beautiful beaches on either side of a headland, attracts a great many holidaymakers. For me, rather too many: it is too noisy, and the town is close to being trampled underfoot by the crowds.
For many, a must-see in Cornwall will be Land's End, the place where the Land ends and the Water begins. We did not make it there. Well, we just did not feel like ticking it off. We knew what to expect, and that was enough for us.
What you will not expect in Great Britain is… palm trees. Some of them are quite large, almost reaching the roofs of the houses.
There is an interesting story behind the palms. They do not need heat to grow; it is enough that there is no frost. What stops the temperature falling below zero? The proximity of large bodies of water. Sea water cools much more slowly than land and simply cannot freeze. It will always warm the land beside it. That is why, right by the sea, despite the frequent “British” weather, you can enjoy plants like those in Egypt.
The Minack Theatre, Mousehole and St Michael's Mount
Ahead of us lies one of the most beautiful and strangest places in Cornwall. The Minack Theatre is the product of nature, vision, determination and the back-breaking work of one mad woman. It all began in 1932, when Rowena Cade, who had a house and garden on a rocky slope, handed them over to a Shakespeare production. From then on, day after day, together with her helpers, she created a rock stage and auditorium, blended stunningly into the surrounding landscape. Today, as you walk along the man-made rock terraces, admiring the lovingly tended gardens and feasting your eyes on the turquoise water, you can think once again: is it possible? It certainly is!
Anyone for whom this example of the British art of gardening is not enough can visit another of the 18 recommended Great Gardens of Cornwall. Besides the traditional ones, the list also includes the famous garden created as part of the Eden Project.
Have you ever been in a mousehole? Hmm… perhaps you should. Mousehole is a lovely village on the south coast of Cornwall. Its small, shell-shaped harbour, enclosed by a breakwater, turns into a sandy basin at low tide. Boats, tilted now one way, now the other, lie helplessly on the seabed, green with algae.
The next attraction on the Cornish coast is of the “déjà vu” kind. “Surely that's a cheap knock-off”, you will think. How can anyone copy France's Mont-Saint-Michel and build a castle on a rock, also on an island just off the coast? St Michael’s Mount (what a coincidence of names) is certainly worth a visit. The castle, whose history goes back to the 12th century, looks very impressive from the shore. Once we reach the island on which it stands, by boat at high tide or along the causeway at low tide, we may be a little disappointed. The island is not densely built up, and the castle is surrounded by vegetation. To me it looked more like wasteland than the park the brochures proudly call it.
Cornwall is an interesting and varied land. It is not well known in Poland and is not seen as a tourist destination. If you happen to hit a “weather window”, you will certainly be enchanted by it. A definite plus is that, apart from those 300 people, everyone there speaks English.
