Towan Beach, Newquay, Cornwall No753

Towan beach lies athe bottom of Beach Rd is close to then town and due to it's location is a popular area for locals and tourists.

To the west of the beach is what is called the'Rock' which has a house built on it with a bridge between the house and the mainland.

When the tide is out Towan‚Great Western & Tolcarne join up to make one huge beach

Fowey to Polruan, Cornwall No31

With warm temperature on the south coast it is not surprising that you can see palm trees growing in gardens.

Despite having one of the coldest winters on record;it even snowed a lot in Cornwall‚ the cold weather doesn't put off exotic plants growing.

Ferryside, Polruan, Cornwall No Mauriers No 740

Ferryside is the home of the Du Mauriers family the most famous of these being Daphne Du Maurier the author onf many books including Rebbeca‚ Jamaica Inn & her first novel  'The Loving Spirit' which she wrote between 19328/29.

Ferryside is also the place where she metb her husband 'Boy Browning' in 1932 who was then a Major in the Grenadier Guards‚ he later became Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Browning.

Keeping an eye on Polruan, Cornwall No27

When youre' taking an image of a landscape it is good practice to try and use a natural element in the image to help keep the viewers focus on wht you want them to see.

Sometimes it might be a wall leading youre eye in to the image‚ or a winding road.

With this one I chose to use the porthole in the wall to focus on Polruan harbour and the historical building known as the Blockhouse.

With the eye in the wall it makes the veiwer look exactly at what I was trying to achieve.

I hope it works for you?

Sunnyside, Fowey Cornwall No726

Just a nice view of the harbour across the River Fowey to Polruan.

See other images on this page for history of this area. No61- No72

Fowey down the river, Cornwall No 723

This image could reflect another part of the world with it's clear sea‚ blue sky and white fluffy clouds.

Fowey has be designated an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'

With it's quaint cottages‚ narrow streets‚ yachts and boats bobbing up and down in the water. and the river flickering in the warmth of a summers day‚ ancient cobbled streets adorned with hanging baskets all help to make a visit to Fowey an experience never forgotten.

Fowey's maritime history goes back many centuries ships have sailed for this port and become involved with many historical confrontations such as the blockade of Calais. Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake both set sail from Fowey helping to cement a reputation as a seafaring town.

China clay played an important part in the history of Fowey as it was one of the main ports used in the trade.

Now tourism has taken over as the main financial input into the town the harbour still retains it's maritime past with at leat 40% of cargo in the South West passing through the port.

View from Polruan to Fowey, Cornwall No3

It no suprise to find that Fowey has a sailing reggata in August with the amount of boats of all shape and sizes.

And it has Royal Approval which adds to the pomp and circumstance of the seven day event.

Looe with lights at night. Cornwall No2

Looe with lights at night was an attempt to try long exposures with all the coloured lights hanging from  rows of wires along side the harbour plus the shop lights giving a magical theme and with the reflections in the water added to the overall picture.

River Fowey set in a silver sea,Cornwall No 4

Another moody image showing the River Fowey with the sun breaking through the hint of grey cloud‚ giving the water a silverish gleam.

View from Polruan to Fowey, Cornwall No 2

Crossing the River Fowey in either direction is quite esay‚ there are two options. Obviously depending on which shore you're on you can if you are close to Polruan catch a car ferry from Bodinnick a few mile north which will take you on a short journey over to Fowey.

However if just want a pleasant and equally short trip across the water there is a passenger boat that will do just that.

Lantic Bay, Pencarow Head, Cornwall No 7jpg

Lantic Bay is a quite beach sitting below Pencarrow Head lots of widlife to watch‚ mainly birds {with feathers} flying around‚ just sit patiently and something will fly in you direction.

When we were on Pencarrow head we were joined by a group of people letting off about a dozen Chinese lanterns inm the evening‚ very moving with the small candles flickering in the sky and then dissapearing out of sight.

Polruan looking east towards Fowey, Cornwall No3

Both Polruan and Fowey are a haven for the boating freternity with plenty of space to moor your boat.

Along with the maritme offerings there are historical sights to see such as the Blockhouse in Polruan {there was one directly across in Fowey it has now disappeared}. They hung chains across the Fowey in the middle ages to prevent ships enetering the harbour and then being attacked by pirates or other undesirables‚ however if the ships did get in they couldn't get out as they would lift up the chain to stop them.

Looking east from Pencarrow Head, Cornwall No5

Pencarrow head offers dramatic views and coastal walks in both directions. We were camping close buy last September and walked up to the head to take some outstanding pictures on the landscape‚ both at night and day.

If you want  to walk the coastal path and you choose to go westwards it will bring you out eventually in Polruan and then you gan get a ferry across to Fowey.

Going east will take you to east & west Looe‚

Cornish Lugger on the River Fowey No12

Cornish Luggers plyed their trade between the 17 & 20th c it was the most important type of vessel of the Cornish fishing industry.

The original style of boat used was a clinker {built of overlapping planks of wood 'clinched' together with nails} they were also duble ended craft in length between 20-40ft  with a wide beam and deep draught.

Drawings of the day show the vessels open with two-three masts. Hand lining was one use for the boats‚ they were able to catch hake‚ whiting and pollack‚ long lining brought in turbot‚ ray and conger. Working short fleets of hand bred drift nets enabled them to catch other fish including pilchards‚ herring and mackerel.

These were then hawked around villages and farms.

The largest bulk fish caught were pilchards‚ these were salt cured then packed in to barrels‚ to be exported to Spain and Italy as food for lent.

A supply also found it's way to the West Indies to feed the slaves.

Wheal Coates coastline, St Agnes Head. No15

South Crofty was the scene of the last Tin Mine to work in Cornwall.

It closed in 1998 after 400 years of tinning. The mine was between Cambourne and Pool‚it was 3‚000 feet deep and stretched 2.5 miles in width.

Tintagel Castle coastline. No8

Wheal Coates Tin Mine, St Agnes Head.No22

When tining first started they would have probably been able to hue the rock out from the face. But as they continued to dig and dig‚ deeper and deeper and took more and more  away‚ they started to go further and further down‚ until they were hundreds of feet below the surface.

Then they started to work their way out in to the ocean as far as they had dug down‚ now they were asked to go as far or even further out under the sea.

Wheal CoatesTin Mine, St Agnes Head.No26

Another of Cornwall's Iconic heritage images is that of the Tin Mine.

The Cornish landscape is covered with a plethora of ruined Tin mines reflecting a past time that was cruel‚ dirty‚ hardwork and extremely dangerous.

When tinning first started they would probably have been able to hue the rock from the face‚ but as they took more and more away‚ deeper and deeper they dug until they were hundreds of feet below the surface‚ then they moved out into the sea for probaly as far‚ if not further out.

Treyarnon Bay. No42

Watergate Bay. No1

Trevose Head Lighthouse. No30

The Romans‚ Phonenicians and Greeks also built lighthouses. The original type of light would have been burning wick‚ these for obviuos reasons would not shine a light very‚ just a miles.

In 1822 the first use of lens in a lighthouse was pioneered by a Frenchman called Augusitn Fesnel who uses a prism to extend the light beam.

It wasn't until 1844 he managed to set his idea into practice.

Treyarnon bay. No49

Treyarnon bay. No2

Tintagel Castle. No10

Trevose Head. No13

Treyarnon bay. No45

Tintagel Castle. No2

Treyarnon bay. No59

Trevose Lighthouse. No14

Lighthouses have been a common sight on the British coastline for somtime.

They originated in Egypt where they built the tallest Lighthouse ever constructed it was 900ft in height and built in283 BC‚ it guided ships for 1‚500 years.

Tintagel Castle. No31

Old Malthouse, Tintagel. No1

Tintagel Castle coastline. No65

Old Post Office, Tintagel. No1

Tintagel Castle. No41

Tintagel/Trevena/Tre war venydh/Dintagell

These are some of the different spellings of the village we lovingly know as Tintagel.

It was however known originally as Trevena‚ until the post office decided to use the name of the headland which is Tintagel as it's postal address.

Tintagel Castle coastline. No1

Sunset on Treyarnon Bay.No1

The Old Post Office, Tintagel. No16

This is another Iconic image of Cornwall. I'm sure that if you showed this picture to a stranger they would know where it was.

The Old Post office in Trevena {Tintagel} is thought to date from the fourteenth century and boast a large hall.

It might have been a Yeomans house originaly.

During the 19thc it was used as a letter-receiving office.

It fell in to disrepair and was finally to the National Trust in 1903 through far-sightedness by a group of locals.

The Old Malthouse.14thc, Tintagel. No82

St Ives. No15

St Ives . No6

Sunset at Treyarnon bay.No62

St Ives. No8

St Ives. No113

St Ives. No3

St Ives, Porthmeor beach. No86

St Ives, Porthmeor beach. No98

St Ives harbour beach. No107

St Ives coast.No160

St Ives, Porthmeor beach. No148

St Ives an Iconic image,No137

Certain holiday resorts boast some kind of Iconic image‚ some thing that if you showed a complete stranger a picture they would know from the image you are talking about.

For instance Blackpool has it's 'Golden Mile' of sandy beaches as well as the Tower.

On the east coast‚ Whitby has St Hilda's Abbeyand the Whale jaw bones‚ Brighton has it's Pavillion.

In Cornwall they have an abundance of these‚ some of which we will be looking at later.

St Ives has it's own Icon‚ the cottages tucked away in the corner of the harbour with their lichen covered roofs.

This image must have been painted and photographed many times over the years.

Porthmeor beach. No84

Sarah on the beach, St Ives. No19

Sand bank, St Ives. No131

River Fal, No11

The name 'Fal' comes from the Danish language in a time when they along with the Cornish/British were fighting the Anglo-Saxons in Wiltshire‚

Rainbow over Treyarnon bay. No70

My partner and I recently stayed at Treyarnon Bay at a YHA lodge. It is as close to the coast as you can get without being in it.

The rooms were clean‚ the food was great and the staff were excellent.

You went to sleep with the sound of waves lapping against the shore‚ and woke up to the sun shining‚ blue skies and even bluer sea.

Porthmeor beach. No89

River Fal, Truro. No1

The River Fal has a ferry service that starts it's journey close to Trelissick Gardens.

There had been a ferry on this crossing for centuries‚ but for exactly how long no one is sure.

The origin of the name is also shrouded in mistery‚ was it  to commeorate King Henry VI.

According to records there is mention of this in 1528 as the 'Chapel of St Mary and King Henry VI'.

Porthmeor beach, St Ives. No101

Red Boats, St Ives.No123

Porthmeor beach, St Ives. No67

Port Isaac. No27

Port Isaac. No29

Port Isaac harbour. No12

Port Isaac has that 'Typically British' feel about the place.

It is probably how many tourist see a typically British fishing village.

Harbour beach, St Ives. No117

Harbour & Lighthouse, St Ives. No15

Porthgwidden beach, St Ives. No54

Minack Theatre, Cornwall No 64

Boats in the harbour, St Ives. No119

The town of St Ives revolves around two industries tourism and fishing.

Tourist flock to this part of Cornwall‚ some might come to paint‚ others for the fresh fish caught and brought straight to restaraunts in the area and further a field.

With it's crystal blue waters‚ golden sands and a warm temperature brought in by the Gulf Stream it makes for a wonderful place to holiday.

Winding narrow cobbled streets with clotted cream cottages lining them‚ combined with the smell of the sea and cornish pasties and Cornish cream teas.

If you have time to wait and take a walk down to the harbour you might just catch a glimpse of a harbour seal‚ these mammals swimming clse to the fishing vessels waiting for a bite to eat.

Another wild creature waiting for a bite as well will be an abundance of Sea Gulls‚ they will snatch the food right out of your hand if your'e not wachfull.

Life here is cradled around the harbour where boats still land good catches of freshest fish for the local restaurants to nourish you with. Brought ashore on the ancient granite quays‚ the catch is of the highest quality for your dinner plate or for the tables of some of Britain's finest restaurants. A maze of tiny cobbled streets to wander through‚ lined by fishermen's cottages‚ with a breathtaking seaside vista to greet you at the end of each one.

Booby's, Constantine & Treyarnon Bay. No 1

I'm not sure where the name Booby's came from‚ however if you know please let me know.

3 feet =1 yard. No41

Booby's, Constantine & Treyarnon Bay. No9

Colours of the coast No145

Just look at the different shades and coloures in this image.

You have the blue sky the turquoise sea in the distance‚ the paler sea in the foreground‚ and even the sand is duo toned.