Cornwall - sketching and a zillion photos

We've just spent a fabulous week in Cornwall,staying at Sennen Cove, taking 100's of photos and doing a bit of sketching too, when I could. Bliss.


The view from our bedroom in 'our' house (for the week anyway!)


A map of Cornwall for those not familiar with it

Cornwall is the most south western corner of England, the 'toe', sticking out into the Atlantic. A county of contrasts where Sarah of Muddy Red Shoes is now lucky enough to live and where I lived for some years as a child. I lived near Mawgan Porth - the subject of a whole series of paintings I've previously shown here.

Penwith has a wild and rugged coast, lots of tiny harbours and coves and moorland in the interior with a lot of stone circles, quoits and standing stones. There are the engine houses of old tin mines perched precariously on the edge of cliffs - it's all absolutely beautiful :>) The lanes are narrow, with high stone walls and hedges, (with passing places for when you meet another car) which in Spring are full of wild flowers. Hills are steep and twisting - lots of changing gears !

This time we visited Penwith, an area further southwest - right at the end of the land. Lands End, the most westerly point of England, was just around the corner from us, no distance at all but a 2 hour walk for those with a head for heights and a lot of energy - the coastal footpath has spectacular views, fantastic rock formations and hidden coves and my family even discovered a wrecked ship rusting in one small cove.


Sennen Cove Harbour

I love the changing light and weather in Cornwall - the photo above was taken one day and the one below on the next day, of the harbour just to the left of our house as you looked out to sea.


The sloping ramp is for launching the lifeboat. This wasn't a rough or windy day - winter storms there are dramatic!

more updates to come :>)

links: surfcam with frequently updated images http://www.camvista.com/england/other/cornwall_sennenbeach.php

and for daily pictures of the cove and the harbour http://www.sennen-cove.com/today2.htm

Cornwall is my favourite place - where is yours? and why?

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Comments

Robyn Sinclair said…
Looks glorious, Vivien. I'm looking forward to more.
Kari Gibson said…
Superb pictures! Looking forward to seeing what art comes out of your holiday.

My favourite place is the west coast of Scotland, Applecross in Wester Ross, I'd say, although the Isle of Skye certainly does it for me as well.

I am lucky enough to live very near the Scottish equivalent of Cornish fishing villages, The East Neuk of Scotland, it is heaven.

Hope you are feeling wonderfully refreshed and healthy after all that lovely sea air!
vivien said…
thanks Robyn - there will be more!

Kari - I used to live on the north east coast of Scotland too - at Findhorn on the Moray Firth. It was beautiful and though I never got to the isles, I did get to Mallaig and north and the light and scenery were wonderful. I always wanted to get to the isles

You are so lucky to live where it's beautiful - it's 100 miles to the coast for me - and that's not a wild Cornish type coast but sand dunes and salt marshes. Nice but not as nice!
Jeanette Jobson said…
When I lived in the UK, I used to visit Cornwall, as the landscape/seascape would remind me of Newfoundland. Both are very similar in terms of rough terrain, rocks and surf.

I don't know if I could pick a favourite spot as each little cove has its own charm. I always love the sea and being near it. I think I would be lost if I couldn't view the sea every day.
dinahmow said…
Welcome back! I hope the break has refreshed you? Ah!But how could it not.Cornwall "does things" to us, doesn't it? (Some of my mother's family came from the Truro/Bodmin area.)
vivien said…
thanks Dinah - Bodmin wasn't too far from where we used to live - we used to go to the cinema there sometimes and Truro is a lovely place with a ferry trip to Falmouth along beautiful wooded creeks - the softer side of Cornwall

Jeanette I envy you living in scenery like that < sigh > whatever the weather it's beautiful

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