Images of England – Page 17

Down the Cot Valley

Another drive (or walk if you are so inclined) from St Just is down the Cot Valley following the Cot stream to the shore at Porth Nanven. Once this area was crowded with tin-dressing floors, stamps, settling tanks, reservoirs and wheel-pits. Now long abandoned and overgrown, it can make walking off track somewhat dangerous. The road is very narrow so take it slowly and there is a small car-park at the end.

Porth Nanven is unusual in that the cliffs are formed from rounded boulders of an ancient raised beach, formed in the last ice-age. It is illegal to remove any stone from this location, though many might crave a few for their rockery. Continue reading Down the Cot Valley

Painting St Ives

All these images were taken through the windows of the café located on the roof of the Tate, St Ives. A slight glass distortion effect has been applied. The reflections are original 🙂

St Ives Harbour and Bay — St Ives Bay and Smeaton’s Pier

Gilly of Lucid Gypsy posted similar images from her recent visit to St Ives. I’m beginning to get the glimmer of an idea for a challenge here.

A walk in the past

West Penwith. The furthest west you can go on British mainland and where you will find Land’s End. An area which was once rich in mineral wealth and is therefore riddled with mine shafts and abandoned engine houses. It is also an area rich in megalithic and archaeological sites. Fields of standing stones, stone circles, rocks with holes in the middle and a quoit or two.

Staying near the former mining village of Pendeen which lies between the sea and moorland gave me a chance to explore this wild and rugged region. The sun shone brightly every day, although the accompanying wind from the north reduced the temperature to a mere 14°C and made walks on the exposed coastline ‘~~interesting~~‘ difficult to stand up in.

A rather more pleasant walk was inland to find Chûn Quoit and Chûn Castle (though the castle is reduced to a heap of stones as most of it was used to pave the streets of Penzance) as much of the route was along a sheltered lane with high Cornish hedges at either side.

Finding the start of the public bridleway was the first hurdle as it isn’t marked from the road, but consulting the Ordnance Survey map we had with us it appeared to start at the back of a group of houses/farm in Higher Bojewyan just around the corner from our cottage.

Continue reading A walk in the past

The difference a year makes…

Last year I was involved in a fascinating project run by Lisa of the blog NorthWest Frame of Mind to show what was happening in different parts of the world at the same time of day. One of the most interesting and challenging projects I have participated in. Anyway, one of my ‘hours‘ was to show the back of my Ludlow house and the abandoned allotment.

Last year poppies flourished and all matter of ~~weeds~~ wild-flowers grew. This year the plot is smothered in Valerian of all shades – deep red, deep pink and even white. Of the poppies there has been no sign. But the most magnificent rambling rose is tumbling over the wall and the potting shed has practically disappeared from view as the ivy reclaims it.

Last Year

Wild flowers flourish

Nature reclaims

The demise of the potting-shed

This Year

Lovely elderflowers

Beautiful roses

Valerian on the wall

White Valerian

Somewhere amongst this there is a potting shed

And a neigbourhood cat has claimed it for his crash-pad.

I shall link this post to the WPC Muse as Ludlow seems to have been a major source of inspiration for my photography over the last four years. The history of this Medieval town is fascinating; its importance hundreds of years ago when royalty lived in and visited the castle; the battles fought here in the War of the Roses. Its very position on the Marches – the turbulent Welsh/English border. With the rolling countryside surrounding the town and the wonderful open-air markets selling local produce along with all the festivals held each year this place has contributed enormously to my blog. I just hope I haven’t bored you 😀

Pendeen Watch

It was our first day in Bojewyan – a bright cornflower blue sky, cloudless and bright. Though the wind was sharp for the time of year and lazy at that as it cut straight through you. We walked the mile into Pendeen for a cooked breakfast at Heather’s café and sat outside in the minuscule courtyard, sheltered from the wind, basking in the sun and ate a full English along with a mango smoothie, followed by a flat white. It tasted good. It felt good. And it set us up for our stroll down to the coast to look for a lighthouse.

Looking back at Pendeen from the lighthouse road

It’s only about a mile, but it took us a while as we stopped every few yards to take a photograph. So much to stop and look at. Chimneys on the horizon of abandoned and disused tin mines. Drystone walls brimming with wild flowers. A ruined cottage. The sea. Interesting gates featuring roses and an engine house. Continue reading Pendeen Watch