Explore some of what England’s most beautiful peninsula has to offer.
Days 27 and 28 consisted of a lot of driving, especially Day 27. They consisted of the ancient counties of Cornwall and Devon, a gorgeous area of Great Britain full of ancient stone ruins, castles, cathedrals, manor houses and dramatic coastlines.
While Day 28 was mostly fantastic, Day 27 was not. The weather was a rainy mess and I, of course, came down with an ear infection, so I spent a little time that day at a clinic which was surprisingly fast. Due to this, I wasn’t able to explore most of which I had planned, like St. Ives and Penzance. Luckily, I made it to the most important destination.
Google The route I took on Days 27 and 28 on my Around Great Britain in 30 Days adventure.
Day 27, Stop 1: Tintagel Castle
Located on the gorgeous Cornish coastline, Tintagel Castle has been a popular tourist attraction since Victorian times when it was tied into Arthurian legends. Is it really a castle built by one of King Arthur’s Knights? No, it was built in 1225 by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall and made to look older than it really was. Tintagel Castle is a bit unique in the fact that part of it is on the mainland and part of it is on an island. The crossing used to require a lot of steps and a wooden bridge, which was a doozy in the rain. They have recently rebuilt part of that. Hopefully it’s easier now.
Getting to the castle is also interesting. I parked in town and walked to the entrance drive. A van shuttle took and a few other damp souls down to the actual entrance. The shuttle was there for the return. It was most welcome.
I think this picture was taken near the bridge between the island and the mainland. It’s hard to tell where I took pictures on this day. They are all a jumble. I blame the ear infection.
The ruins of the castle do look older that the 13th century honestly. They tended to use bigger building material by then.
I like how they built this wall up the hill.
Such a beautiful coastline!
Looking back, you can see the island castle, the mainland castle (which I didn’t make it to because the weather was turning south and so was my ear) and the town of Tintagel.
Day 27, Stop 2: Land’s End
Land’s End is the southwestern most point in on the island of Great Britain. As a lover of weird geographic oddities and extremes, I had to stop. I already had been to the northeastern point of Scotland at John o’Groats and the most northern point at Dunnet Head (Check them out). It’s 838 mi (1,349 km) from John o’Groats to Land’s End by road. I drove much more than that.
Land’s End has been a been of a tourist draw for centuries. Today, it’s a bit of a theme park but the cliffs are pretty cool.
Still a bit windy and stormy out.
874 miles from John o’Groats and 3147 miles from New York.
I stayed the night in Penzance at an adorable guest house near the water. I wish I had more time to wander about the town though, but it was getting dark.
Day 28, Stop 1: Trethevy Quoit
Google Maps used to have this awesome feature where they mapped Wikipedia articles with GPS coordinates. It led to some really cool things like this burial cairn, Trethevy Quoit. It’s a megalithic tomb known locally as the “giant’s house.” It used to be buried by a mound, with the rock shelter protecting the grave. Over time, the mound eroded, leaving the stones exposed.
The northwest view of Trethevy Quoit.
It lost one the stones protecting the front.
Day 28, Stop 2: Buckland Abbey
Now for County Devon, Buckland Abbey’s long history started in the 13th century as a monastery. No surprise there. It was the last Cistercian Abbey constructed in England. They had a large church and a very large tithe barn, where the local people had to give away their hard-earned food to the monastery to support it.
The 15th century tithe barn.
They could fit a lot of tithes in this barn.
Henry VIII ended the reign of the monasteries in England. So, what happened to Buckland Abbey? It fell into private hands, but unlike many monasteries in England, much of the buildings still survive. Buckland Abbey was turned into an amazing private residence. The first famous owner of Buckland Abbey was Sir Richard Grenville the Elder (he worked for Henry VIII). Later, Sir Francis Drake, the famous explorer and privateer of the Elizabethan era, famous for circumnavigating the globe, purchased the abbey estate.
The church architecture is really noticeable still in the abbey manor. Part of the church was removed, but the central tower was kept. Who doesn’t want a tower in their house?
Later additions to the manor lead to more living space.
The manor house is decorated in furniture from the Elizabethan era.
Staircase up to the tower leads to a very weird giant statue of Drake. There are quite a few exhibits outlining Francis Drakes’ life, especially in the tower.
I am so glad stoves are now a thing. I would not like cooking on an open fire all the time, especially indoors.
Day 28, Stop 3: Dartmoor National Park
The route from Buckland Abbey to my next official destination took me through the wonderfully scenic moors of Dartmoor National Park. I was not very into hiking back in 2012, so I just drove through and stopped a few times for views.
Endless, gorgeous moors.
This cow was staring me down.
Soooooo pretty. I am definitely coming back some day.
Day 28, Stop 4: Castle Drogo
This is a castle like none other I have stopped at. Castle Drogo is completely modern! Built in the early 20th century, this is the last castle built in England. In 1910, Julius Drew, founder of a successful retail chain, bought some land he thought his ancestor had once owned and he wanted a castle. His castle didn’t turn out exactly the way he wanted it, but it’s still a wonderful manor.
A modern interpretation on a castle. I love it.
I WANT this library. That couch looks so comfy. The room also has a pool table and a piano.
This sitting room is just adorable. It was a really large room with alcove on the other side. There is another piano in this room.
They used a lot of traditional designs in the castle, like dark Tudor woods, with white plaster ceilings.
The old call box system in the Butler’s Pantry, a lot more sophisticated than the old bell on a string system.
The castle had all the modern amenities of the early 20th century, like plush carpeting, radios, and tassels for the chairs.
Day 28, Stop 5: Exeter Cathedral
My last stop of the day was Exeter Cathedral and it was a perfect ending to a fantastic day, especially after feeling a bit under the weather the day before. Exeter Cathedral, built in the 12th-15th centuries, is a mix between Norman and Gothic style, my favorite. This gorgeous and unique church unfortunately was damaged during WWII. Luckily, they were able to restore some of the damage and some of the artwork and windows were removed before hand.
Of course, I visited when they were working on the front. (This is what it normally looks like.)
They were apparently preparing for a party.
Awesome balcony screen. I love the colors and the detail.
Another cool balcony, entrance below and the organ above. There is so much amazing going on with those carvings and the paintings are a nice touch.
I love these knight effigy tombs.
An extremely fancy knight’s tomb.
I love this chapel.
Double stacked ruffled knights.
This bishop’s tomb is really something.
And finally, the altar. Just lovely with all the windows.
Cornwall and Devon are just beautiful country. Lots of history can be found here and I unfortunately only had two days. However, I found a lot, castles, an ancient tomb, a manor house and a fantastic cathedral. A pretty good haul I say.
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