Looe in Cornwall

11 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Chensiyuan/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Chensiyuan/cc-by-sa-4.0

Looe (Cornish: Logh, lit. ‘deep water inlet’) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census. Looe is 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth and seven miles (11 km) south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe (Cornish: Logh) and West Looe (Cornish: Porthbyhan, lit. “little cove”) being connected by a bridge. Looe developed as two separate towns each with MPs and its own mayor.   read more…

Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall

1 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  6 minutes

Museum of Witchcraft and Magic © JUweL/cc-by-sa-3.0

Museum of Witchcraft and Magic © JUweL/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, formerly known as the Museum of Witchcraft, is a museum dedicated to European witchcraft and magic located in the village of Boscastle in Cornwall, south-west England. It houses exhibits devoted to folk magic, ceremonial magic, Freemasonry, and Wicca, with its collection of such objects having been described as the largest in the world.   read more…

Isles of Scilly

20 April 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

St. Agnes Lighthouse © Andrewrabbott

St. Agnes Lighthouse © Andrewrabbott

The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in both England and the United Kingdom, being over 4 miles (6.4 km) further south than the most southerly point of the British mainland at Lizard Point. The population of all the islands is at around 2,300. Scilly forms part of the ceremonial county of Cornwall, and some services are combined with those of Cornwall. However, since 1890, the islands have had a separate local authority. Since the passing of the Isles of Scilly Order 1930, this authority has had the status of a county council and today is known as the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Little of the fauna on, above or in the seas surrounding the isles was described prior to the 19th century, when birds and fish started to be described. Most records of other animals date from the 20th century onwards.   read more…

Land’s End in Cornwall

10 November 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Land's End marker © Mohcyn

Land’s End marker © Mohcyn

Land’s End is a headland and holiday complex in western Cornwall. It is the most westerly point of mainland Cornwall and England, is within the Penwith peninsula and is about eight miles (13 km) west-south-west of Penzance at the starting and finishing point of the A30 road. In May 2012, Land’s End received worldwide publicity as the starting point of the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay. In 1769, the antiquarian William Borlase wrote:   read more…

Tregothnan Estate, UK’s first tea plantation

9 September 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  4 minutes

Tregothnan House and Deer Park © geograph.org.uk - Fred James/cc-by-sa-2.0

Tregothnan House and Deer Park © geograph.org.uk – Fred James/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Tregothnan Estate is beside the village of St Michael Penkivel 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of Truro in Cornwall. St Michael Penkevil lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Almost a third of Cornwall has AONB designation, with the same status and protection as a National Park.   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall – Bude

17 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Beach and canal © Scott14/cc-by-sa-3.0

Beach and canal © Scott14/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bude is a small seaside resort town in north Cornwall, in the civil parish of Bude-Stratton and at the mouth of the River Neet (also known locally as the River Strat). It was formerly sometimes known as Bude Haven. It lies southwest of Stratton, south of Flexbury and Poughill, and north of Widemouth Bay and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude’s coast faces Bude Bay in the Celtic Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean.   read more…

Fowey in Cornwall

12 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Stefan Germer

© Stefan Germer

Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall in England. At the time of the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,273. Fowey is in the South Coast (Eastern Section) of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It lies at the end of the Saints’ Way and has ferries across the river to Polruan (foot) and Bodinnick (vehicle). There are many historic buildings in the town, including the ruins of St Catherine’s Castle, while Readymoney Cove possesses a local beach.   read more…

Penzance in Cornwall

22 January 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

The Wharfside Centre © geograph.org.uk - Mari Buckley/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Wharfside Centre © geograph.org.uk – Mari Buckley/cc-by-sa-2.0

Penzance is a town, civil parish and port in Cornwall. It is well known for being the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles (121 km) west of Plymouth and 300 miles (480 km) west-southwest of London. Situated in the shelter of Mount’s Bay (Towards the middle of the bay and probably the origin of the name is St Michael’s Mount), the town faces south-east onto the English Channel, is bordered to the west by the fishing port of Newlyn, to the north by the civil parish of Madron and to the east by the civil parish of Ludgvan. A ferry service is operated between Penzance Harbour and the Isles of Scilly by the Scillonian III, carrying both foot-passengers and cargo. Sailing time is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes. A bus service run by the Skybus Airline Service connects with Land’s End Airport for fixed wing flights (15 minutes) to the Isles of Scilly. The buses leave from the railway station, near the taxi rank, rather than the bus station. Penzance is home to the new Newlyn Art Gallery establishment “The Exchange” which opened in 2007. Penzance is also the home of Penlee House, an art gallery and museum notable for its collection of paintings by members of the Newlyn School. Within Penzance town centre there are a growing number of commercial art galleries. Every December Penzance holds the Montol Festival a community arts event reviving many of the Cornish customs of Christmas, including Guise dancing.   read more…

The Eden Project in Cornwall

12 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Eden Project gardens and Humid Tropical Biome © geograph.org.uk - David Dixon/cc-by-sa-2.0

Eden Project gardens and Humid Tropical Biome © geograph.org.uk – David Dixon/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall. Inside the artificial biomes are plants that are collected from all around the world. The project is located in a reclaimed Kaolinite pit, located 1.25 mi (2 kilometres) from the town of St Blazey and 5 kilometres (3 mi) from the larger town of St Austell.   read more…

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