Cornwall 2022 – 8. Frenchman’s Creek, and the Minack Theatre

Tags

Daphne du Maurier, Frenchman's Creek, Helford, Helford River, Herring gull, Kestle Barton, Minack Theatre, National Trust, Ordnance Survey, Penarvon Cove, Philip Pullman, shelduck, The Firework-Maker's Daughter

Friday, 1st July. As I was to be out that evening, I made plans just for the late morning/early afternoon. I had seen a walk on the National Trust website that rather appealed, not least for its (lack of) length.

But first just a couple of photos from my patio.

Shelduck

The Canada goose chicks. Its very easy to understand that birds evolved from dinosaurs…

But this bird, no doubt my previous visitor, obviously thinks he’s a human being. While I was having my breakfast he actually tapped on the windowpane several times!

Before setting off for my walk, a further visit to the very convenient Marks and Spencer was required. I had noticed the day before that my trainers were starting to come apart, in a manner which could be dangerous given my plans for the day. I found a pair not ideal but at least satisfactory. (The ones I liked most were only available online.) I would definitely not have chosen pure white had there been more possibilities.

The walk started at the village of Helford and took in a large stretch of Frenchman’s Creek.

Sadly the tide was out, so the Helford River was not looking its best.

But the estuary was pretty.

From Helford village, the walk went to Penarvon Cove and then across country to Frenchman’s Creek. (I must read Daphne du Maurier’s novel again.)

Penarvon Cove

The mouth of Frenchman’s Creek as it joins the Helford River. Not much creek, nearly all mud.

Because the tide was out, the creek was indeed very narrow

There remained more cross country walking to return to Helford. I was dependant on only a description of the NT walk, with no plan, so I was very pleased to have downloaded the relevant Ordnance Survey map to my phone, which, as it tracked my path, enabled to to confirm where I was. (I can really recommend the latest generation of OS maps, which give this right to download permanently when you buy the paper map. I had hesitated, thinking that looking on a small phone screen would be useless, but it’s quite the opposite and you can zoom right in to see detail which would be difficult for aging eyes on the paper map. Or you can spend £25 a year and have the whole country’s maps on your device for the year.)

The instruction was to cross the yard at Kestle Barton. It did not mention an apparently very recent addition – the possibility to buy icecreams and cake there. (There was an honesty box. I did not have change – so I bought both and enjoyed consuming them in the lovely garden there. That was my only lunch.)

The final stretch of the walk was described as very muddy, and it certainly was. At some points it was possible to ‘rise above it’, as in the picture below, but not at others. My ‘lovely’ new white trainers, not to mention socks and trousers, got pretty messy. I was very glad not to be wearing my leaky old trainers, and pleased to reach my car.

A backward look at the Helford estuary

The evening’s outing was a visit to the Minack Theatre, which I had seen from the air two days previously. I had booked my ticket from home, and the day before had seen this poster for the opera I was to see at St Erth station. A programme had been helpfully sent digitally the day before, and I had downloaded it to my phone.

Making our way down to the seats

A friend had told me that, when she went, she had seen dolphins while waiting for the start. No such luck this evening. Perhaps the chilly wind (note the sea below and the ribbons!) put them off. I certainly wished I had even more warm clothing with me.

It’s filling up behind me

The instrumentalists, mainly woodwind and brass, were in a tent just to my right. At times, they drowned out the singers. Catching the words in opera is tricky enough at times, but I knew theme of this ‘children’s opera’, and the spectacle and music were good.

Just five singers taking multiple parts. I felt so sorry for them – they must have been really cold!

The singing White Elephant and his keeper

Just look at those ribbons!

During the interval, I was privy to a delightful episode right next to me. A party of 12 was there to celebrate the birthday of a two-year-old. They sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her, and cut a Colin the Caterpillar cake. The little girl was as good as gold throughout the full-length opera.

In the second half, three dancers from a local dance school were involved

Minutes from the end, a few fireworks – essential given the title of the opera, ‘The Firework-Makers’ Daughter’ (based on a story by Philip Pullman)

Singers and instrumentalists take their bow

There just remained all those steps to negotiate.

Cornwall 2022 – 4. A third aerial ambition realised

Tags

Canada goose, Cornwall, Herring gull, Isles of Scilly, Land's End, Little egret, Minack Theatre, Mute swan, Newlyn, Penzance Helicopters, Scilly Isles, St Michael's Mount, The Old Quay House, Tresco, Tresco Abbey Gardens

Wednesday, 29th June. It promised to be a reasonably fine morning. As the sun came up, it caught the feathers of the birds as beautifully as the setting evening sun did.

But I couldn’t hang around, I had to be at Penzance Heliport by 9.30.

I had booked to go to St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly by helicopter in 2021, but that had been cancelled because of fog. A helicopter trip would have completed my trio of aerial ambitions. I had been in a glider in 2009 on an incredibly hot day,

Poitiers Airport – I was living just minutes away at the time

and in a balloon exactly four years ago today (blog post here). So a helicopter trip would complete the trio, and Penzance to the Scillies would do nicely. This time, I had booked, with Penzance Helicopters, not to St Mary’s but to Tresco, because of the lovely Gardens there.

Our helicopter arrived and, having disgorged its incoming passengers, refuelled.

Still inside the building, we had a safety briefing. In due course we were directed to seats inside the aircraft. I was fortunate and had a window seat. (Given that there were 12 passengers in three rows, that was a 50/50 chance.)

We were off! But I had no camera. It was in my small backpack, which I had had to surrender to the hold. (It really was sardines inside the copter, and of course I was the only one wearing a mask – an FFP3 one.) But I had grabbed my phone, which took this outward series of pictures.

As I recall it, we really were at this angle early on. I think we were banking.

Newlyn

The horrible defacement that is Land’s End

Penzance to Tresco is just 15 minutes, so the first of the 145 (five inhabited) Isles of Scilly soon came into sight.

Tresco

Its heliport

First impressions of Tresco at 10.30: cold, windy, and spitting with rain

Within ten minutes, the copter was off again. Basically it’s just an aerial bus service.

I spent almost all of my time on the island in the Tresco Abbey Gardens, which will be the subject of my next post. (The weather much improved and I had a lovely time!)

I had to be back at the Heliport at 3.45 pm, one hour before take off. (It did seem to be an awful imbalance of time – a whole hour passed waiting for a 15-minute flight!) But half an hour before that I was (stuck) on the other side of the heliport, and saw the flight before arrive and take off. I did take a video of the latter, but had not reckoned on the enormous buffeting I would receive from the beast, which rendered the video useless.

After that hour, and another briefing, we were guided to the helicopter, and again I had a window seat.

They check that you have fastened your four-point seat belt properly

Lift off.

I was able to recognise points of the island now as we flew away, the round lake I had not been able to get near, a larger one I should perhaps have headed for rather, and the bay I had visited, and of course the sheltered dark green mass of the Abbey Gardens.

We flew at 1000 feet/300 metres.

The captain helpfully pointed out that we were to pass the Minack Theatre – something I had not expected to see, and certainly not from this angle, for another two days.

Neither had I thought to see my car from above – the small one, fourth along,in the near row of eight vehicles.

And I was pleased see, as I happened to look up, St Michaels Mount. (Actually some miles away, but I zoomed in on it.)

Back at the ranch (The Old Quay House, Hayle), I caught up with the wildlife – that’s The Causeway behind.

I took a cup of tea out on the the patio, and was joined by a Herring gull. To cut a long story short, over fifteen minutes or so he came and went three times, and I suspected his motives.

A firm but not shouted ‘No’, such as I use on the cats when necessary, was sufficient to stop him breaking and entering. I think he must have found booty inside on previous occasions.

But the cheekiest was, he attempted to lift my mug up!

The gang’s out again

The swan is still babysitting the young shelduck

My verdict on the helicopter part of my trip to Tresco? Well, I’ve completed the trio of experiences, but this was all rather prosaic. Outstanding by far was the balloon, and the glider flight was wonderful. (If only it hadn’t been 30 degrees C. That, along with the fact that the pilot had to do a lot of circling to catch the thermals, meant that my tendency to travel sickness had kicked in.)

I’m fantasising about having a holiday in the Isles of Scilly. Should it come off, I shall go by boat, not least for environmental reasons.