I slept well in our loft bedroom. We have the third floor. It has exposed massive arched beams, a little low for walking near the sides, but it looks cool. The bells from St. Andrews ring all night but I love them. They don’t chime Westminster chimes, it is a much prettier tune. The walls of the house are so thick that the bells are muted nicely.
We walked over to the churchyard so Dad could see the graves of the various Nicholas Saunders ancestors. We peeked into Ring O’Bells and noticed some construction going on. Dad got the attention of the workers, who said a French woman who lives next door had just bought Upper Ring O’Bells. Dad told him his history with the house, and they gave him a very old, sheared-off nail from the eaves (I think). I collected some chestnuts from the churchyard. I’d like to try to grow a tree from one.
We all piled into the van to drive to Tintagel & Port Isaac. The roads are very narrow and Ed was not enjoying driving on them.
Tintagel was packed. We found a car park near the path to the castle, which filled up just after we got there. As we gathered near the road, Ed caught himself checking for Mom. Ed & Linda waited in line for tickets, then a guy came out and said tickets could be bought closer to the castle. But we also heard that the tickets were for scheduled times an hour or more away. Meanwhile, I noticed Land Rover rides to the bottom of the very steep path. That was really the only way for Dad (or Barbara) to get closer to the castle. Ed stormed off toward the bottom, Dad & Barbara caught a Land Rover, and Linda & I walked together. Tintagel is completely different than the last time(s) I was here. The town is completely overrun with tourists. We could hardly get the car in or out of anywhere. There was a gift shop and cafe near the bottom of the road and a new bridge to the island with the ruins. None of us paid to cross the bridge. I met Dad & Barb at the bottom, walked a bit and then hiked toward the bridge so did get a look at the ruins. Ed & Linda walked from the road midpoint to the bridge. Then Ed went to an old church nearby and Linda hiked down where I met her. Tintagel was a bit of a bust. Even the pasty shops had sold out of some varieties.
Next we headed toward Port Isaac. Dad, Barb, Linda & I had lunch in Port Gaverne, the next bay over. Dad, Linda and I had tasty lamb wraps, and Barb had fish sticks from the children’s menu. The restaurant was called Pilchard’s, which is a fish. Meanwhile, Ed parked the car up the hill and went for a run.
Then on to Port Isaac, where the TV series Doc Martin was filmed. I have only seen a few episodes, while Dad has seen them all and Linda has seen most. Port Isaac is very like Clovelly, steep roads to get to the harbor, not very accessible to cars. Dad & Barb waited in the car at a carpark and Ed, Linda and I made our way down. It was very picturesque. Linda found many of the settings of the show. There were fishing boats and fish shops at the water, tea shops, and a lot of hanging baskets.
We headed back to Stratton on motorways, Ed being tired of driving with the sides of the rental scraping the hedgerows when cars came the other way.
The dinner plan for tonight was the Tree Inn just around the corner. It is a former manor house, parts of which date to the 13th century. I believe it played a part in the British Civil War.
We did not get seated in the charming part of the restaurant, and the service was slow. It took us nearly an hour and a half to be served. But the food was excellent! I had risotto, Dad had pasta, Ed a steak, and Linda the pork special. Barb had fish sticks – just kidding! She had a salmon starter.
We walked back for drinks at the house. I went over to the church to try to get a long exposure of the church at night, but couldn’t see well enough. One more night to try. It looks beautiful and eerie with the greenish churchyard lighting and the gravestones.
