Falmouth, England, UK...

This morning I was up really early for sail into Falmouth. Highlights of the sail in photos included pictures of Falmouth’s Pendennis Castle another castle built by King Henry VIII , St. Mawes Castle and St. Anthony Lighthouse. Falmouth is a tender port and we made it to the pier in plenty of time to meet our tour guide. We were picked up in Falmouth by our guide Peter and off we went to visit the county side of Cornwall. Cornwall is a long granite peninsula with a very temperate climate. We passed through Lizard village to reach Lizard Point, the most southerly point in Britain and the famous lighthouse. Next, we drove on the narrow roads to Kynance Cove, considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. There were spectacular rocky islands, stacks and arches hidden amongst the towering cliffs. Our next stop was St Michael's Mount. St Michael's Mount, a former Abby, was a Cornish counterpart of Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France. The two mounts share the same tidal island characteristics and a similar conical shape, though Mont-Saint-Michel is much larger. The tide was low and we walked over the causeway to enter the castle grounds. Peter and I climbed up to the Castle and later Cathy and I did second climb to the gardens. With the tide still low we were able to walk back to the mainland. St Michael’s Mount is located just off the shore of the town of Marazion. Next, we drove to Penzance a town, known for its history with pirates. The oldest part of Penzance is the quay. From here we drove up to Chapel Street which is rich in history. Most of the street dates back to the mid-18th century but there are a few reminders of the more distant past. Moving right along, we drove to Newlyn a charming harborside town with its own Cornish fishing fleet. The harbor has been in existence for hundreds of years and was already in operation by 1400s. Today, Newlynn has one of the biggest fishing fleets in the UK. Just a stone’s throw away was Mousehole, a lovely quaint fishing village. Mousehole was once described as 'the loveliest village in England' by the writer Dylan Thomas. Famed for its tiny harbor mouth, this picture-perfect haven has a labyrinth of narrow streets, quaint houses and boats bobbing in the bay. On our way to Penberth, we stopped at the Merry Maidens a group of 19 neolithic stone circle stones. Legend has it that the maidens were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. Our next stop was Penberth Cove, where the British drama series Poldark was filmed. Penberth Cove is a tiny fishing hamlet that lies at the foot of a wooded valley just to the east of Porthcurno. The cove consists of a wide, granite cobblestone slipway at the top of which sits and enormous wooden winch. This would have been used to pull fishing boats up the slope, but these days an electric winch is used. Today, a small fishing fleet still operates from Penberth.  Porthgwarra is a fishing hamlet…what a picturesque fishing cove where a handful of boats still use the slipway. There’s only sand at low tide but plenty of rockpools to explore and tunnels to discover. The property around the cove is largely owned by Lord St Levan of St Michaels Mount. On our way to Cape Cornwall, we drove through the hamlet of Sennen known as the first and last pub in England. Known as the locals Lands’ End is Cape Cornwall. Cape Cornwall is a small headland in West Cornwall, where the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea meet. The mining stack at the Cape resembles a ketchup bottle and coincidently the mine site was purchased in 1987 for the nation by the H. J. Heinz Company, to commemorate a century of the company's operations in the United Kingdom. Boy we covered a lot of territory today with a great guide. Peter was so accommodating and knew his history. Peter got us back to Falmouth in time to catch our tender back to the ship. It was a great day exploring this area of England for the first time. Lots going on tonight…sifting through my photos, publishing the blog, and attending a President's Club dinner…  hope I find time for some sleep; tomorrow is another day!  Back to Ringaskiddy, Ireland…