Aug 10th - Hayle (DT to a few places 😆)

 A bit of a mixture of visits today with trips to a National Trust property, a fishing village, and then a little bit of a coastal walk. 

Our first stop was to ‘Godolphin Estate’, the former seat of the Dukes of Leeds and the Earls of Godolphin, and home to a Grade 1 listed Tudor/ Stuart mansion.  Although the whole place had promise, overall, for a National Trust property, it was a bit of a disappointment.  Although the house has been renovated it contained very few original features while some rooms even have modern appliances installed. Not very good if you want to try and emulate the atmosphere of times gone by. 

Next off was a visit to Porthleven, the most southerly port in the UK.  This picturesque little fishing harbour, with its elaborate double harbour wall, originates from the early 1800’s and with much of the work carried out by French prisoners from the Napoleonic War.  These beautiful little Cornish villages have had a long history of fishing and once were a hive of activity.  Sadly though those days are long gone as the industry has diminished and now there’s only a tiny few still actively employed on the fishing boats. 

Our last destination of the day was to ‘The Lizard’ (from the Cornish: An Lysardh: The High Place), a peninsula and most southerly point of the British mainland.  We were hoping to experience some wild seas, maybe spot some seals, and even see some spectacular scenery.  Unfortunately though our efforts were to no avail.  Due to the crappy weather we couldn’t see a thing and it was just like walking through an endless cloud, it was foul!  Incidentally, while I’m having a bit of a rant, since we started our walk in The Cotswolds in the middle of July, in the middle of summer, five weeks ago, we have had just 3 days without rain!  The weather has just been poxy! 🤬😤😊