Tintagel – Cornwall

After such a busy period with the extended family Helen and I opted for a quiet, short week in Tintagel. The caravan site was spread along the cliff top. (Our ‘van was near to the right hand end.)

The resultant views from the site were spectacular. The weather was also predictable as you could see any changes sweeping in from the Atlantic.

Such a location and views demanded some walking. We started with a walk from Port Quin to Port Isaac (Doc Martin territory). There is a coast path which is spectacular but tough going. It defies my basic scout upbringing whereby once you have reached a contour you hold onto it. With the coastal path you ascended 40 or so steps then walked some 10 metres of level only to descend another 40 steps. Quite a work out.

The above and next shot give an indication of the amount of climbing as well as the great views.

Port Isaac is little changed from our last visit in July 2011. It continues to be well maintained – maybe a new series?

Exhausted we decided that our second day should be a restful one. Just as well as the weather turned very ordinary. So as to end the day on a brighter note we went to a show in the evening called “Arsenic and old lace” that was held  at the Stert open air Theatre North of Liskeard. It is a largely volunteer company and we opted for dinner beforehand at their café. A very flavourful stew with vegetables followed by cheese and biscuits all washed down with a great bottle of red was great preparation for the show. It was also surprisingly economic. The show itself was entertaining and a bit of fun. The yellow canopy gave an unusual hue until the lights came on.

After 24 hours we were ready for a second walk and this time opted to leave the car at the site and walk into Tintagel. The route was no less challenging than the first day and equally no less spectacular. Despite the rugged coastline there was a sandy beach in one bay. Great place to cool down until of course you had to walk back up….

What was a pleasant surprise amongst all the seagulls was a pair of Gannets.

In some parts we were sufficiently high that it almost felt like we were also flying over the cliffs.

On the return leg someone was kept going by the thought of a drink and nibbles while someone else prepared the curry dinner. If you cannot guess the who’s who in this arrangement then the next photo might help!

This could be a picture of a setting sun but was the view from the van window.

Caravanning near Tintagel meant that a trip to King Arthur’s castle was mandatory. It is enormous albeit mainly in ruins and dates back to Roman times (3rd century). Originally there was an arch to the main castle but this fell into the sea many years ago and now it requires – yes you’ve guessed it – a climb down a lot of steps followed by a climb up a lot of steps. The path in some places was quite narrow and with the large number of visitors it took quite some time to get across.

This view shows the Lower and Upper courtyard which are quite precarious. Some walls have been rebuilt over the ages as the sea slowly claims the cliffs.

The Lower courtyard was the platform for a periodic half hour show by three actors bringing to life some of the King Arthur legend – most entertaining for all ages.

Once we had undertaken the steps the view back to the mainland really showed how big the now missing arch must have been. The noise of it crashing down would have been frightening. This followed by the realisation of being cut off would have been a more than usual stressful day! (A new bridge is planned that will cantilever from either side - but not quite meet - reality v folklore - may be stressfulfor some!)

On a good day the view is spectacular.

However, this statue of King Arthur (the first King of England) supports the notion that the area supports a lazy wind. (It goes through rather than around you.)

With the fall of the arch the entrance gate to the main castle area would have been easy to defend. The guards would also have been well sheltered.

And as the day and our trip to Cornwall drew to a close we were rewarded with a great sunset.

The New Forest and BP

The base for the third week of the Rowlinson itinerary was the New Forest. Black Knowle had only reopened the week previous and the facilities and sites were “top draw” thanks in large part to taking note of user feedback (their claim). We had a large grass site – all set up to relax with the washing done.

Lianne was keen to catch up with old friends from her “gap year”. This resulted in a trip to Bideford and great lunch with Bernard and Angela. The garden salad was just that – and very tasty as a result.

After a short drive we then visited friends Helen and Garth. Here are the kids "burning up energy" on a swing to make room for a delicious barbecue with local hamburgers and sausages.

I have to say it was wonderful of both our hosts to put on such fare for our large “fly in – fly out” group. I suspect the subsequent calm after our departure was much appreciated.

The main draw card for staying in the New Forest was a visit to Brownsea island. Site of the first camp run by Baden Powell. Lianne ensured uniforms had been packed. A lovely half hour boat ride to the island, a quick pose at the quay and then we were off to explore.

This is the commemoration stone of the camp.

And the flag pole.

But the most fun was had at the shop which was “personned” by two wonderfully helpful and talkative scout leaders. There was so much to see and the kids came away with quite a few badges for their blankets. I had not realised that over the 110 years (1907) that scouts have been around there have only been 10 UK Chief Scouts with Bear Grylls having been aboard since 2009. Tieve took particular pride in donating her scarf to the collection and making a note of the our visit in the visitors book.

It was the tranquility of the island that appealed to me. The glimpses of sea through the woodland were very calming.

Daelin and I also enjoyed the vibrant heather.

So from the natural to the super natural you only get one guess as to our next visit. All were eager to get in the car for this ride to North London!

I have to say this is the largest and most interesting display I think I have ever seen. It is vast and we spent over 5 hours wondering round. Each of the scenes were designed free hand (not even CAD was used) and then a card model made. This, of Dumbledore’s office is surprisingly detailed.

But the castle soon put into perspective how detailed a card model can be.

In turn the card model was (in the case of the castle) made into a huge model that covered an area at least 20m by 20m. But the attention to detail remained, even the roof tiles had rough edges. The model was used to fly through the building and with green backdrops could have snow and many other computer generated enhancements. The changes in software and other ideas that were developed over the 10 years the 8 movies were made was staggering.

There were some stage sets that remained little changed throughout the 10 years. The main dining room was a good example. It looked like a real castle hall until you went round the back of the walls to see scaffolding and fibreglass.

The above is just a snippet of the tour. Animal training was a whole team and included four owls – one for carrying letters, one for sitting in a cage, another for sitting on an arm. How they made a Giant and then all the special effects. Suffice to say I am motivated to now watch the movies and encourage all who are near North London to spend a half day doing the tour. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. (I also do not have any shares in Warner Bros!)

As we were in the New Forest a walk was essential. Seren took Tieve and Lianne to the hospital to get her plaster split and tied in time for the flight. So the rest of us went on a deer hunt. (Helen and I had seen one earlier in the week.) This really motivated Daelin and we had snacks that he had packed at half way (cold chips from the previous night!!)

We got close to the ponies and picked Blackberries which Daelin really thought was adventurous.

We also went close to the edge of the woods for much of the journey being very quiet. However, we did not see a deer and at the end a rather disappointed Daelin declared that “a deer hunt without any deer was just a walk….”

As this was the day prior to departure we suggested that maybe a fish and (hot) chip supper might help to make amends and this clearly had appeal all round.

The following day the Rowlinsons were off back to Oz and Helen and I were looking forward to a short break on our own in Cornwall.

Thonin Les Bains and the accelerator.

Apart from the natural beauty of the area and of course Geneva a major draw card was the CERN particle accelerator. The first of a series of buildings was the Globe of Science and Innovation which housed the Universe of Particles. The sculpture outside "Wondering the Immeasurable" has numerous names and formula of those who have worked at CERN and some of their hypothesis.

CERN's latest accelerator is the Hadron Collider which comprises a 27 km circular tunnel 100 m underground (as no one owns that land) where particles are accelerated to just under the speed of light while being held in the middle of the tunnel by huge magnets so that they can then crash into one another at enormous force to produce ever smaller matter. The resultant data is then shared world wide where scientists analyse the data given their particular research interest. This has given rise to many theories such as Up and Down Quarks (the smallest matter?) which have yet to be seen but seem likely to exist…….

The research ranges from the smallest matter to help us understand what we and the world comprises to those studying the start of the universe (based on the big bang…)

Our tour included the control room where they were ramping down the magnets (to enable them to cool) and collecting and throwing away the remnant particles. I have to say it was mind blowing stuff which was very simply explained so that we came away with the idea that we had some understanding. Our guide (who was a scientist) encouraged questions and Glen had a few very knowledgeable queries that were well explained. Even the amusing query as to the reason for the bunny on top of one of the desks had a scientific basis to it. (Glen insisted he knew there would be a good reason before he asked the question…….)

The first accelerator (Synchotron) was built in 1957 and stayed in service for over 30 years. In order to ensure the Nuclear research was not used for improving arms CERN was set up on the basis that all research would be out into the public domain so that no single nation could benefit from the results. 

As we were only a few hundred kilometres from Narbonne, cousin Nancy and Sasha drove over to catch up with us. The last time they saw Tieve and Seren was June 2009 (refer blog) and they had not met previously met Daelin. We caught up in Geneva for some pasta and a bit of wine.

Nancy had arranged to stay in Thonin so Helen and I went and picked them up from the hotel and spent a wonderfully quiet morning exploring the colourful town.

It has a great vantage point over the lake and us sufficiently high and steep to warrant a funicular.

The week passed quickly and we were soon headed back to “Blighty”. With the ‘van we decided to make this a two day trip during which Tieve accompanied us while the rest of the team forged ahead. Our overnight stop near Dijon had a restaurant which had much more appeal than cooking. Tieve was happy to try new foods and found the escargots to her liking.

After dinner a walk around the lake was appropriate. Although a bit over 4 kms it appeared very short as the antics Tieve got up to were hilarious and we spent much of the walk just chortling.

The stillness of the evening continued the following morning with an eery mist holding back the rising sun.

As it did so the silhouette of a hardly distinguishable boat tested the eyesight – was this fishermen or someone disposing of a body……. 

Maintenon, Mont Blanc and Seren

During our market meanderings in Maintenon we noticed a Chateaux and decided this warranted a visit. The entrance through the front courtyard was fairly standard but the rear view had a Micky Mouse feel to it – how’s this for an enchanted Disneyland castle?

The grounds although small were beautifully kempt but what really grabbed my attention was the large structure in the background.

On closer inspection it is a massive structure which was the Canal de l'Eure (or sometimes the Vabaun aqueduct after its constructor). You could easily fit a two way highway on top. (At 60' it couldn't be a road...). It was to take water from the River Eure to the massive but very thirsty fountains of Versailles some 80 kms away. (See blog June 2009.) King Louis XIV had numerous fountains in Versailles but little water so ordered the aqueduct notwithstanding the need for 692 arcades. Unfortunately funds ran out before it was completed but it is a remarkable piece of 1690 engineering. 

I should mention that in Maintenon I was serving dinner and the children were rushing in as it had started to rain. There was a crash and staggeringly loud wailing as Seren hit the entrance floor of the awning. Long story short – a broken ankle and 12 hours of travelling around Chartres visiting hospital, police and pharmacists at midnight. For some reason she declined dinner…..What was interesting was hpw quickly she adapted to crutches from painfully slow to almost running in just a couple of days.

The Rowlinsons had selected our itinerary for these weeks and we set off for Thonin Les Bains on lake Geneva. A visit to Mont Blanc was essential. This view of Aigulle du Midi at the top of the two stage lift also had a magical and enchanting feel to it.

The weather was great and so were the views.

As occurred during our visit in July 2011 there were a few hikers

Some of whom were setting up for the night prior to making an assault in the morning.

One of the advantages of Seren being in plaster and on crutches was that we were able to short cut queues. We were invited into the first aid room on the way down when there was another squeal. This time Daelin had touched a radiator which was so hot he burnt his hand. (Pretty good for a first aid room – it got turned off immediately and then a cool gel and some serious bandaging had to be applied.

Fortunately by the time we were back in Chamonix and tucking into some raclette the bandage was off and the cheese and potatoes being thoroughly enjoyed.

The view as we left the restaurant continued the enchanting theme of a magical day.