Newquay Airport, May 2017

As one of our humans was going to a conference in Liskeard in Cornwall, we had the opportunity to travel with our humans. It was a chance to explore Cornwall in southern England, where the legendary King Arthur came from. Roger had visions of him self as the famous King Arthur fighting off the fleeing enemy.

We had seats on an Aer Lingus flight to Newquay where we picked up our rented car.

Click each photo to enlarge

From Newquay we went down the narrow roads by the Cornish coast to Land's End on the very tip of southwestern England.

Land's End, May 2017

It was very windy. One of our humans was afraid we'd get blown over the cliffs never to be found. We were not allowed to walk freely around to have our photo taken outdoor. Instead, we went for coffee in the local cafe.

From Land's End we went to Penzance and Longrock. From Longrock we could see St. Michael's Mount - it's a bit like Mont St. Michel on the north coast of Brittany in France.

Lizard's Point, May 2017

We also went to Lizard's Point. It's actually a bit further to the south than Land's End.
"I thought we'd be seeing lots of Cornish lizards here..." Tom said.

On our way to Liskeard we stopped for the night at an B&B near Constantine.

Britain has lots of cozy looking inns and pubs dotted around the countryside. We went for dinner at The Red Lion in Mawnan Smit.
After dinner Tom had a pint of Cornish beer, Treen's. Roger had some water with a drop of lime - later he had something more substantial - and McBear had tea with real Cornish honey.

Fowey, May 2017

While staying in Liskeard we went out to explore Fowey - pronounced as in Foye. We wanted to find places which were featured in the novels by the famous Cornish writer Daphne du Maurier. She lived in Ferryside, a huge house on the other side of River Fowey. We went to her museum in Fowey, and here we are at the Ship Inn. The inn is said to date back to 1570.

We wished to enjoy some Cornish specialities in the Ship Inn. Tom ordered saffron buns, Roger ordered Cornish Pasty and McBear ordered Cornish cream tea! Yummy!
"Wonder what King Arthur and his men would have been eating..." Roger pondered.
"Maybe sheperd's pie - and fish..." McBear responded.

Minions, May 2017

While staying at the Eliot House Hotel in Liskeard, one of the days we went to... Minions - yes, Minions! The village became famous after the film The Minions came out.
"There ought to be an Irish city named after me!" Roger believed. "Ballyroger, that's it!"
"Excellent." McBear applauded. "We'll send a formal letter to Dublin City Council proposing that Finglas be renamed Ballyroger."
"Ballyroger?" Tom asked. "What a splendid idea. I was thinking of something like Killroger, but I didn't really like the idea."

The Jamaica Inn is featured in the book The Jamaica Inn from 1936. The inn is located at the heart of Bodmin Moor. We wished to unravel the murder case in Jamaica Inn. Who killed the uncle? Hoping to find out, we went for dinner.
"What did you order?" Roger asked McBear of curiosity.
"Stargazy Pie." was the answer. McBear later claimed he'd never order that again. "It's a Cornish dish, however, there are fishheads sticking up everywhere!"

Bolventor, Bodmin Moor, May 2017

Having chewed his way through a pile of pilchards fish, Tom believed the killer was to be found at sea. He was convinced Daphne du Maurier had masterminded the plot so smugler Joss and his brother were behind the killing.
"Maybe we should order some dessert to confirm your suspicion." Roger proposed. "Howabout some Cornish Hevva cake?"

From Liskeard we wished to find Tintagel, the birthplace of the legendary king Arthur. On the way we went through Boscastle, a village once nearly washed to sea by a severe mud river.

We found the ruins of Tintagel Castle on a grassy rock above the beach.
Roger was in a fairytale mood
"I am King Arthur and this is my castle Tingletangle..."
"It's Tintagel!" McBear interrupted.
"Whatever!" Roger said and continued his visions...

Tintagel, May 2017

But this was only half way up the cliffs. We climbed stairs - and then more stairs - and we were gasping for breath in the heat. But the views were worth it all.

Exhausted, we reached the summit. Here we discovered a dark knight standing tall.
"He looks scary," Tom said. "Is that him?"
"Yeah, it's King Arthur" Roger replied. Could hardly anyone else."
"With that all metal light saber and that helmet..." McBear pointed out "...it's more like Darth Arthur.
"Darth Arthur? Good point." Tom agreed. "Good point".
Roger was standing admiring the statue and imagining him self as King Arthur.
"McBear, what was the name again of this castle? Tickletickle?" Roger asked.

Tintagel, May 2017

Having said hello to Darth Arthur, we worked our way down to the beach. Here we found Merlin's Cave.
"I thought Merlin was one of King Arthur's knights on a crusade" Tom said.
"No, Merlin was the wizard and trusted adviser of king Arthur. All this about knights and crusades is hundreds of years after king Arthur. Why do you think King Arthur went on a crusade?
"Well... I watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I thought it was a reliable source..." Tom responded.

Then we found our way to Trevarrian where we'd stay the last night.
"It seems..." Tom was pondering, "...that every second town starts with 'Tre'-something".
"There are also lots of Pols and Pens." Roger added.
"It's Cornish." McBear said.

Trevarrian, May 2017

Having enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Travellers Rest, we went down to the beach at Watergate Bay. Cornwall has lots of sandy beaches. No wonder Cornwall is a popular place for tourist to visit.

From our B&B in Trevarrian we had a fantastic sunset.

Newquay Airport, May 2017

Then, unfortunately, it was time to leave Cornwall. We packed our gear for the last time and returned to Newquay Airport. Here, we enjoyed the last hour in the lounge.