Cornwall, Devon, Somerset

A Brixham sailing trawler slowly winds its way towards Brixham no doubt, just about 20 miles NE of us here near Salcombe. Easily identifiable by these red sails. In the foreground a couple of popular Kayakers gaze on too. A hot day but will the sun burn away this thick haze? A Musical link

A rather atmospheric view of Salcombe Estuary taken from Mill Bay, a ferry ride from the main town of Salcombe. Across the water too, here we can just see my other misty bay of 'North Sands'. This was taken at the end of a very hot walk around the estuary to the left here to 'Gara Rock' about two miles away. PiP's Enjoy full screen.

As small craft ply to and forth over this Salcombe Estuary, the mist drops down thicker onto the water. In the meantime, these larger yachts wait on. Behind, almost like a dark cloud, the very real cliffs and hills of this steep coastline pop their heads out and remind us of the dangers nearby. Enjoy full size.

We've been to Devon a few times during our lives and so when I came across this the other day I thought it might be worth an airing again. It was originally in my Panoramio account. Beer, Devon Aug 2013 'Once a fishing village, Beer later made its name as the source of Beer Stone, which provided the material for many of Britain's most famous buildings. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the manor of Beer was once owned by Catherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII. It later became infamous as a haven for smugglers. - The first thing to clear up is the origin of the name; it has nothing to do with an alcoholic drink, but comes from the Saxon word 'bearu' for 'grove', a reference to the woodland once grew thick around this area of the coast. Beer grew up around a sheltered bay which made fishing easier than at other places along the Jurassic Coast. But fishermen were not the only ones to make use of Beer; smugglers also appreciated the relatively easy anchorage and used caves in the cliffs to store contraband goods. There is no natural harbour at Beer so boats had to be winched up onto the shingle. This used to be done manually with a capstan on the shore which required 20 men to operate. Now electrically driven winches make light work of the task!' (www.britainexpress.com) Enjoy, full screen.

A late warm scene taken last year in Devon. The tree makes this for me giving us pause as ours eyes scan from side to side. Enjoy full size

Looking like a rustic cross on its side here, is part of the fence to the back of our Devonshire cottage we hired last year. To the back of that were vast fields of wheat that rattled in the breeze but unfortunately not a red poppy in sight. The brown rusty leaves on here, old Ivy I think, were a bonus. Ps –maybe like me, you will now have that wonderful song of the same name in your head. If not, this might help: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JS9P8d2iOc HFF, enjoy your weekend

A much smaller river Avon than its more famous namesake at Bristol. This in Devon near Kingsbridge and Salcombe. We are actually taking a coastal walk from Thurleston Sands to Burge Island (pip) and in doing that we must cross the river here just a mile or so up the estuary. We were told that one could wade across in low tide just a few hundred metres higher up from here but that would have entailed waiting another four hours. So a small motorised boat across with the ferryman to be repeated in the opposite direction some 6-7 hours later. Our journey carries on by foot down river and over hills to the right before dropping down to the sea again to the Island. Enjoy full screen.

As the wind and rain drives like a fast train towards me, the bright sun here just moments ago lights up the sky and sea with rainbows. The spot is a high headland above the Cornish cove of Chapel Porth. HBM. Enjoy full screen and have a good week.

Another week by the sea takes me for a night to Somerset’s Weston-S-Mare’s promenade in rather dodgy weather. Here we see its famous Grand Pier which for us was unfortunately closed. Originally built in 1905 it was damaged by fire in 2008 and its superstructure repaired and re-opened in 2010. Of course for me, I am attracted by the stormy light here and some minutes later had to run for cover. Enjoy full screen.

A chance to compare the same scene taken almost 35 years apart. The left photo is my original slide conversion as seen on our dear old Panoramio, posted in 2008 but taken c 1986. The right hand side was taken last week, ie October 2021. Looking at the composition and viewpoint of these, it looks to me that my skills have waned over the years :) but the scene has not. See next photo for a more modern look and historic description. This is especially for our Ipernity friend Andy Rodker who knows this Cornish St Agnes Head coast and mine intimately. It is my wish that he will one day soon, walk these paths again after his recent illness. Essential full screen.

We will miss you here in Ipernity Andy, and the Cornish coastline has also lost a dear friend. RIP ******************************************************************************************************** The earth below Cornwall is full of natural metals, especially near the coast. Here we see my favourite old Tin Mine, revisited after 35 years. The paths you see here are part of the ‘South West Coast Path’ and are a delight to follow through natural and man-made history. “Earliest records indicate a mine at the site since 1692.The present mine opened in 1802 and was closed in 1889 when the price of tin fell. It came into full production in 1815. Flooding and bringing ore to the surface were the main problems of the mine until steam-driven equipment was available, as the mine's underground operations extended for some distance under the sea. The mine was sold in 1844 and thereafter allowed to flood. A new owner reopened the mine in 1872 but work was sporadic until its 1889 closure. For some years, the yield was 20lb of tin per ton of ore. In 1906, new ownership hoped to work the mine for both tin and copper. Wheal Coates had produced a small amount of copper ore, more than a century earlier.At the height of its production, 140 people were employed at the site to mine a seam of tin just below sea level but this and a subsequent period of operation from 1911-1913 were not very successful because tin production was sporadic. The mine was closed for good in 1914. Wheal Coates is now part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.” (WiKi) See adjacent photo for alternative and historical views. Enjoy full screen.

Looking east from the Blue Hills towards Bawden Rocks. This cove is also known as St Agnes cove and we see here the cliffs to the sea that were once part of the old harbour. Only some old steps and ramps along with a few tunnels give any clues that once many winches helped manhandle heavy ore from the top cliffs quarries and tunnels down to the ships. From the harbour at Trevaunance Cove ships took copper ore to be smelted in Swansea, returning with coal. St Agnes remained a busy port until the collapse of the harbour wall in a storm in 1915. Since the 17th century there had been many attempts to create a harbour for St Agnes. Three attempts were made in total, the first being washed away in 1705.The second harbour built in 1710 was wrecked in 1730 by the crashing Atlantic Ocean waves. A third harbour was constructed in 1798 and also supported a pilchard and mackeral fishing industry, reaching its peak in 1830 before its final demise in 1915-17. The rock Islands (there are two rocks) are called Bawden Rocks. Essential full screen.

Walking over St Agnes head, we start to descend to Trevellas Cove and civilisation. As we see here, millions of years of being pounded by the Atlantic Ocean has its effect as seen in these caves and rock formations. Now that it is late autumn, the bright colours of the heathers shown here have somewhat receded. Essential full screen.

Walking the ‘South west Coast’ path around Godrevy Point is most rewarding. Not only do you have great views of an Island rock lighthouse but there are numerous Grey Seals about too. (There were some just down in this rocky cove.) This short bit of fence though, not to be taken too lightly, the drop on the other side was dizzying. Enjoy full size. Have a great weekend. Herb

Taken from the slopes of St Agnes Beacon. Looking towards the headland on the left, you can just about see the lighthouse Island of Godrevy and beyond that Carbis Bay and St Ives. The buildings are the top ones of Wheal Coates Tin Mine. This was built in 1872 and drove 32 heads of stamps as well as winding from Towanroath shaft below. The engine stopped working in 1887, although it was modified during the 1910-1914 reworking. It was consolidated in 1986. Of course a great sky for the lover of such things too. The type of view I will never get closer to home. Essential full screen.

As I say a temporary goodbye to Cornwall today, I show you a capture of one of its many Atlantic breakers. This taken at Porth Chapel as the tide was rushing in. The PiP taken from the same place just moments afterwards. Yes, this is not far from England's surfing capital: Newquay. Enjoy full size.

To accompany the preceding photo here is somebody who makes full use of those waves.

We are on the bay looking towards the sand dunes and village of Perranporth in Cornwall on this windy day. One is usually advised to keep your DSLR camera and len’s well covered up in such conditions as this but I have never been too good with rules. The red dog-poo bin draws our attention of course. Enjoy full screen.