Visiting Cornwall

Cornwall is a land of rocky green pastures and homey villages straddling salty seashores. I've visited Cornwall - which is in the Southwestern region of England - many times, and I've always found that its rough beauty is highly pleasing yet not overbearing. This past week I spent time in two typically Cornish villages, Mevagissey and Bude. They are both largish seaside villages that have become tourist attractions. Mevagissey is a fishing village that features a little harbor full of fishing boats coming and going. The houses and shops are built on hills that descend to the harbor. Being a fishing village, you can find there the best fish and chips in the country. Fish and chips are, in truth, a rudimentary form of fast food, often served greasy and basted in salt and vinegar. Delicious all the same. The most wonderful part of Mevagissey is the hikes you can take along the coast. Climbing up hills and reaching cliffs, you are soon rewarded with fresh salty air and fulsome views of the ocean. Even a dolphin can be spotted on occasion. Travelling back into town, you can explore a variety of galleries and shops filled with oddities.

In place of a harbor, Bude features a lovely beach. Bude's beach is sizeable and, although rocky, quite pleasant. There is even a fantastic "sea pool" (imagine a traditional pool carved into a beach) where you can go for a proper workout. Bude also has many shops that offer Cornwall's second most famous dish, the Cornish cream tea. This tea (yes, black tea with milk) comes the most luxurious cream that you can spread on two large scones. I have been unable to find a similar cream anywhere else. Bude also has many nearby historical sites. Of these sites, I briefly visited Tintagel, which is supposedly King Arthur's original castle. Naught but ruins remain now at Tintagel. However, as you walk the wind-blown cliffs surrounding the castle, you can imagine a group of hardy but enduring soldiers huddling in their castle as they plotted the reunification of the people of England. Sadly, there is scant historical record for King Arthur's existence.

Cornwall is a magical place that is perhaps less haunting than parts of Northern England and Scotland but nevertheless just as mysterious. Hitchcock shot Rebecca in Cornwall, and the movie displays well the land's rustic beauty. I'm not sure I'd want to live there, but it always makes for a relaxing and reinvigorating visit.