I Heart Doc Martin

Apparently a lot of other people do, too.  When we were in Cornwall visiting our daughter Zoe we HAD to make a pilgrimage to Port Isaac -- Port Wenn in the series. When I asked our guide, County and Parish Councillor Andy Penny for figures on tourists, he couldn't give me precise information. He did tell me that there were 800 people in the village and, last August, the public toilets in the middle of the town were flushed an average of 1000 times a day. Unknown factors: who used their own toilets --  or toilets in local restaurants or hostelries -- and whether some visitors needed the facilities more than once!  The influx of tourists based on the popularity of the TV show "Doc Martin" was, however, probably responsible for the necessity of creating another parking area outside of the historic district.

This shot, taken from the west side of the harbor looks across to Fern Cottage, the building used for Doc Martin's surgery in the show. It's the smaller of the two gray buildings between the white ones.

Here's a close-up -- thanks to my telephoto lens. We didn't walk to it -- it's on a steep hill and my legs were about to give out by the time we got to the other side of the harbor. Wish I had!








The school house where Louisa (supposedly) teaches is on the cliffs on the west side of the harbor. It served as the village school until 1976. Now it's a hotel and restaurant and is used in exterior school shots in "Doc Martin."

They weren't filming while we were there -- they only film every other year -- so the closest we came to seeing one of the actors was this van!

Now that we're back home, we love the program even more having been to the filming location. And I have great respect for the actors, particularly Martin Clunes, when I see them striding rapidly up and down the hills!

After an initial look around, we climbed the steep street back to the top of town to Fresh from the Sea, an absolutely delightful little family-owned, family-run eatery.

The late September day was overcast, but the weather pleasant enough to sit outside. Tracy Greenhalgh and her mom Enid run the tiny restaurant and fish market while Tracy's husband Calum catches the merchandise! While we were eating, Calum came in with the day's catch and visited with me as he put bands on the lobster claws.

You can see why that's a good idea!







Calum catches lobsters and crabs -- and the Greenhalgh ladies turn them in to attractive and tasty entrees like this crab salad served in its own shell.

Later, overlooking the harbor, Andy pointed out Calum's boat -- it's the small one on the far right.

Andy showed us a number of other sites in the village -- there are lots of interesting little nooks and corners you don't see on TV. He also told us the local boys, his son included, love to hide around corners and stick their hands out during filming. I think they get points if the camera-people don't catch them at it!

Councillor Penny is talking to Zoe and both are standing in front of one of the oldest structures in Port Isaac.
I don't have an exact date for the building but there's a good chance it dates back to the 1700s. One of the places Andy showed us was Squeeze-ee-belly Alley, said to be the narrowest public thoroughfare in England.

The harbor is a working harbor, complete with crab and lobster traps

but is also a prime attraction for tourists and artists.

There are a number of shops and galleries in the town but Port Isaac Pottery on the far side of the harbor was one of our very favorites. The designs were unique and beautifully done.

As is so typical in England, we'd spent hours in Port Isaac under a gray sky. Of course, when we walked to the car park, the clouds lifted. This is the view from the coastal path looking toward Tintagel.Ah, well, I guarantee this won't be our last visit and maybe we'll catch the sun the next time.

A Joyful Sound

Zoe's friend Jon Pender sings in the Mousehole Male Voice Choir and he clued us in to this concert. What a treat! It was a joint concert with the Nankersey Male Choir. Both groups sang their own numbers but they joined together for two numbers including this one. The hymn is well-known as "Gwahoddiad" and is popularly thought to be a traditional Welsh hymn. It isn't. It was written in 1872 by an American Methodist minister. The choirs here sing the original English text, "I Hear Thy Welcome Voice."

The Mousehole Choir is over 100 years old -- quite a tradition. Their director is Stephen Lawry -- he's on the right end of the choir wearing a fancy vest. Here the group is directed by the Nankersey director, Elaine Tangye. The Nankersey Choir was founded in 1950 and two of the original twelve singers are still singing with the group.

My video doesn't begin to do justice to the quality of the sound -- it will just give you a little tease. The men were magnificent -- and raised many a goose-bump with their performance.

Afterwards, everyone headed to a local sports club for beer and munchies. And after a few pints, the men sang practically the entire concert all over again -- plus some other favorites. This evening was my idea of heaven!

Rub-a-dub-dub, How 'bout Some Pub Grub?

Welcome to the Bath Inn in Penzance -- that's Pete Shapland, owner, bartender, Pete-of-all-trades. We first visited the Bath Inn a few years ago. Jack was going to a local Rotary meeting and I was on my own.

The Bath Inn was close to our bed and breakfast and looked inviting. The building dates back to the 1700s. I was lucky that visit -- they're not serving food in the off season now -- just from Easter to September. I was there in October and ordered the Ploughman's Lunch -- a specialty. It was properly traditional and oh-so-good. It consisted of a large slab of mature cheddar with lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber, cole slaw, pickled onion and chutney, accompanied with warm crusty bread and butter.


And, like so many places in this civilized and dog-friendly country, well-mannered companions are always welcome.

Close to Zoe and Simon's apartment in nearby Newlyn is the Tolcarne Inn. It dates back to 1717.

We hit this spot more than once. It's hard to resist the wonderful fresh fish and chips -- even if they do have to put peas on the plate!


This is the First and Last, a pub in Penzance. First documented in the 1850s, when a visitor was ticketed for leaving an unattended cart and horse in front of the pub, it probably dates back to 1830. Apparently beer laws were changed then and a number of pubs were established around that time.

We ate here twice on this year's visit. It's a Tuesday regular spot for Zoe and some of her co-workers. Very friendly staff -- they always save a table. The food, while not gourmet fare, was ample and inexpensive -- two requirements for the hungry civil servants! This was chicken curry. I expected something with more heat, but it was tasty nonetheless.


My next visit I had cottage pie with chips and beans. Man, those English sure know how to do French fries!

The definite winner in the Pub Grub sweepstakes was the Sportsmans Arms in Heamoor, just northwest of Penzance. The building probably goes back to the 1800s and has served as several things besides a pub. New owners, Helen Cadman and Paul Odgers, bought the place a year and a half ago and completely re-did it. And they took a spot with a less than stellar reputation and are turning it into a foodie destination.

They make almost everything in house and concentrate on fresh and local! My scampi was excellent. They also offer a number of local artisan cheeses. Simon ordered the day's special which featured three different kinds of local fish, mussels and shrimp and potatoes. What you don't see is the side dish with a variety of veg. Simon filled up on the fish plate and left no room for the veggies. Zoe had a bowl of homemade mushroom soup that was out-of-this-world. I know, because I dipped my spoon in it. Jack opted for meaty ribs with homemade barbecue sauce. They might not win prizes in Memphis or Kansas City but he gave them a big thumbs-up.

We tend to do a lot of cooking in when Jack and I visit but we do make the occasional foray out. Pub grub is usually a good choice, price-wise. Thanks to the puny dollar, everything is pretty expensive there. When we splurge, it's usually at the Taj for Indian food and the Newlyn Meadery is a firm tradition. It's hard to have a bad meal when you're in such good company!

Going Coastal -- Part 2

As you can see, this was an absolutely gorgeous day! We drove west from Penzance to Porthcurno, home of the Minack Theatre. The sun was bright, the sea was brilliant blue and there were swimmers and surfers on Porthcurno Beach.

The Minack Theatre was the vision and creation of one woman -- Rowena Cade. And what a vision it was! Entertainment in Cornwall in the '20s was pretty much do-it-yourself. Rowena organized a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in an open field in 1929. This was followed with another production the next year. Looking for a more permanent solution, Rowena looked at the rocky cliff on her property.

Today's theatre is miles beyond the first rough stage which was lit by battery-powered lights and car headlights.



The theatre season runs from May through mid-September though visitors are welcome throughout the year.

The theatre features plays, musicals, concerts and ballet. Special morning shows for children are offered during August.

"Minack" refers to a rocky place in the old Cornish language.

Above the theatre seating area, the cliffs are planted with plants which can survive and thrive through stormy winters and hot, dry summers.

There may have been swimmers in the water -- but we thought they were crazy! Though the sun was bright, we dressed for cool weather -- and were happy we did.

Garden Heaven at Heligan

Jack and I wanted to come to England in the spring because we love rhododendrons and today we saw some amazing ones. They towered over us -- one was 75 feet across at the crown. We visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan south of St. Austell -- I think it was about 40 miles from here. The day was overcast but didn't look threatening and we lucked out -- no rain while we were there. It was chilly, but we were dressed warmly enough -- in the 50s with only a slight breeze.

The first manor house was built here in the 12th century and was followed by rebuildings and alterations over the centuries. Earliest records of the gardens date back to the 1700s. They grew and thrived until World War I. Though the property remained in the Tremayne family for 400 years, for various reasons, the gardens were neglected following the war. The family now leases the gardens to a non-profit organization whose goal is not only to restore the beauty of the gardens, but to make it a working estate.


The Giant's Head, in the Woodland Walk, was created by local artists Sue and Pete Hill. Though a totally contemporary creation, it was done in the same spirit that Victorian gardeners had in creating features of interest to enhance the enjoyment of the natural landscape.


Although it is getting close to the end of the season for camellias, many of the plants were still blooming profusely.



Garden areas at Heligan range from exotic and wild to formal and utilitarian. These poppies were in the Flower Garden. Other gardens included the melon yard, vegetable garden, apple orchard and the oldest working manure-heated pineapple pit in England (since the 1800s).

Tropical ferns and giant rhubarb plants flourished alongside magnificent rhododendrons in the Jungle -- a tropical paradise in a deep chasm. The rhodies are definitely the stars of the show this time of year. Some of the plants are approximately 150 years old and were brought from Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal by Sir Joseph Hooker.

Pleased to Be in Penzance

After 22 hours of sitting, waiting, changing planes, sitting some more, running for trains, and sitting some more we finally arrived in Penzance. I slept for 11 hours and Jack slept for 12, then we got on with life -- starting with a walk downtown. This is one of my favorite corners in downtown Penzance.

I took Teddy everywhere we went and took lots of photos of him. Please check his blog at www.teddietravel.blogspot.com for more photos. The rhododendrons are just starting to bloom and we tucked Teddy onto a branch to take his picture. The result was a bit obscene so Zoe remedied the situation with a strategically placed blossom. Zoe and I picked up a couple more fallen blossoms and tucked them behind our ears. Look at the size of those things -- the blossoms, not our ears!


After dinner we walked down to the beach across the street. It was a bit chilly but still beautiful.

The swans didn't seem to mind.

The Monastery

On our fall trip to England, we visited Gorton Monastery -- here's that story.

In 1861, three Franciscan priests (two from Belgium, one from Ireland) came to Gorton to serve the few Catholic families there. Catholics had been forbidden to openly practice their religion until 1829. Nearby Manchester was highly Protestant and anti-Catholic. By the time the group had grown to about 300 parishoners, the priests decided to build a church -- not just any church -- a real architectural poke in the eye to their Protestant neighbors.

Architect Edward Pugin was engaged to draw up plans for a massive, Gothic-style building situated on a north/south axis -- rather than the traditional east/west -- the better to be seen from Manchester.

The project would cost 8000 pounds -- money the parish didn't have. Other Franciscans donated 2000 pounds; another 1000 came from general donations. The 4000 pound labor would be taken care of by volunteer builders. The remainder came from begging. Brother Patrick, the talented Irish mason/builder monk begged a penny a brick. Bricks were scrounged from demolished buildings or made on the premises from local clay.

The parish flourished and grew to around 6000 congregants. It provided three schools, youth clubs, theatre and music groups, choirs, even brass bands. The church was the center of community activity.

The parish, however, was not a wealthy one. Surrounding homes and buildings became the target of redevelopment efforts in the 1970s. Residents were relocated as the area buildings were torn down. The members were scattered and the church suffered.

In 1989 the church closed and was sold to developers who stripped it for conversion to flats. This scheme failed and the building fell into receivership.

By 1993, the church and friary were totally abandoned and unprotected. Vandals destroyed altars and windows and stole anything of any value -- marble, even lead from the windows.

In 1996, Elaine Griffiths and her husband formed a group of volunteers to save the building. The building was already a Grade II listed building giving it some protection but, structurally, it was falling down on its own. Elaine made a case for the monastery to the World Monument Fund based on its being the work of Edward Pugin. In 1997, the WMF put it, along with the Taj Mahal and the Valley of the Kings, on its 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World list.

Through grants and fund raising, structural integrity has been restored and the building is again open to the public. Though not a church, nor owned by an ecclesiastical organization, the building itself exudes a sanctified air and areas are being reserved for private prayer or meditation.

From the outside, the building is something of a monstrosity -- like a wedding cake on a card table. Some parts are still in ruins and the whole thing seems to loom over the landscape. But the first reaction on entering the former sanctuary is an involuntary "ah."

The white walls and pointed, clear windows lead the eye to the dark, wooden ceiling almost 100 feet above the floor. Six pedestals on each side of the nave await the return of the statues of saints that once stood there. The statues were found in an art dealer's catalogue and purchased back for 25,000 pounds. The clerestory windows have been strategically placed so that, at certain times, the light falls directly on each statue.

In June, 2007, The Monastery opened as an events center hosting conferences, meetings, weddings and parties. Elaine Griffiths was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to heritage.

There's more work to be done but we were awed by the tremendous effort that has brought this church back from little more than a rubble-filled shell of bricks.

A Proper Cornish Hedge

Cornish hedges are fascinating and intimidating things -- often untidy, haphazard looking, concealing hearts of stone, providing shelter for wildlife and rootholds for plants -- they snake across the Cornish landscape. Check out www.cornishhedges.co.uk/charlist.html for more than you'll ever need to know about Cornish hedges. I found it very interesting. I hope you will, too.