We are back home after spending about two weeks in the UK. Our friends Michael and Sally Oxlade, whom we met way back in the 1980s when we lived in London, took us everywhere. We had the opportunity to visit Devon, Cornwall, and the Scilly Islands of St Mary’s and Tresco.
A portrait of Micheal and Sally Oxlade taken in Dartmoore National Park.The Beach at St Ives
Not to mention staying with them in Barton Stacey, which included the fabulous dinners that Sally made.
Path to the Town Center in Tresco
We had a great time, saw lots of things that tourists would never discover, and then it was finally time to go. So we headed to Heathrow (compliments of a ride by Michael and Sally), and flew home to Virginia.
Sheep Graze by the Side of the Road in Devon
A big thanks to Sally and Michael for showing us all around. Until we meet again.
At first the weather began to clear. But then… it returned with a vengeance. So, we never made it off the island. Because of bad weather the planes couldn’t fly. So now we are back in the hotel. Until Monday. The good news—It’s a fabulous hotel. After all, there are worse places to get stranded. So tomorrow we will explore the island a bit more. And needless to say, the weather has cleared up, but too late to make a difference. Oh well. C’est la vie.
Here are some photos I took while we waited for the bad news.
At the moment we are fogged in at St Mary’s airport. Our flight, which was originally scheduled for 9:40 AM has been rebooked for a 12:55 flight this afternoon. We’ll see how that works out. In the meantime, judging by the reaction of the crowd waiting for various flights out, this doesn’t seem to be all that unusual.
Early in the morning we left the mainland in Cornwall and headed for St Mary’s—one of the Isles of Scilly. Thanks of course to Michael for driving us to the docks in Cornwall so we were able to catch a boat to St Mary’s. .
European Herring Gull
The boat trip was 3 hours long and the sea was fairly rough. But no problem, we made it over just fine. When we arrived, our hotel was just around the corner. (We took a cab anyway.) The hotel (St Mary’s Hall) is just fabulous and it has a great restaurant as well.
Harbor in St Mary’s
When we first arrived we were greeted by a dock where a lot of small boats were moored. And, of course, there were Englishmen and their dogs. It seems that everyone, and I mean everyone, has a dog. And they (the dogs) are regular travelers on the boats.
Man & Dog
After a quick walkabout on the island we had a great dinner in the restaurant. The next day we caught a boat for the Isle of Tresco. It was an open air boat, but the ride was only about 30 minutes. One of the main attractions of Tresco is the gardens of Abbey Farms, which we visited.
A road in Tresco
House in Tresco
On top of the gardens, Tresco, is lush and green, which emphasizes the beautiful scenery on the island. After walking around for maybe 2 hours enjoying the sights we headed back to the docks where we met the boat and caught a ride back to St Mary’s. And oh yes, before I forget—the hotel bar has Tanqueray Gin and they make an excellent pre-dinner G&T. Just in case anyone asks.
It looks like the 19th will be a shopping day in town. The next day we will hop on a flight to Exeter and then get a train close to Barton Stacey where we will meet Sally and Michael again to spend a few more days.
Since our arrival in England, we have seen a great deal of the moorlands – high open country where wild ponies run and farm animals graze. We spent some time in Devon County at Dartmoor National Park, and saw the Tors (rock hills and formations) there as well. Fortunately, the weather cleared while we were in Dartmoor and it was glorious.
In the Country
Driving through the lanes of Devon and Cornwall has been an adventure – there are many narrow lanes (wide enough for one car), bordered by stone walls that are covered with ivy and hedges. Thankfully our friend Michael is an expert driver, and has shown us the custom whereby drivers reverse their progress along these narrow lanes when a vehicle approaches in the opposite direction – very polite although it makes for slow progress at times.
Grazing in the Countryside
After a few days based in the Cornish coastal town of St Ives, we have seen part of the Cornwall coast, lots of beautiful farmland, surfers galore, and lovely old small towns. The weather has been amazing – sun and rain alternating frequently each day.
Yesterday we went for a walk through some fields along the coast, on a traditional footpath. We opened a gate and walked for a while – no problems Then we came to the traditional part of the walk – a stone stile. Took a little energy to clamber up some rocks, sit on the stone wall at the top, swing legs over and descend down other rock steps. I suppose it gets easier with each try but once was enough for me to check the box on that experience.
This is dairy farm country, so cream, milk, ice cream, cheese and dairy products abound here – and are very tasty.
And, this being England, it seems nearly everyone has a dog, mostly very well behaved.
Today we take a ferry to the Scilly Isles off the southwest coast of England. Looking forward to some beautiful scenery.
Another couple of days in Cornwall, and it has been pretty busy. We started off Sunday by going to Mass (and praying for all of you:). Then it was off to breakfast in St Ives, where we missed the rain. Temporarily. The rain eventually won.
St Ives Beach at Dusk
Anyway, shortly thereafter we headed out once again. This time we headed for the Tate Museum. The exhibits were mostly modern art. I should say modern Art, because there was an unmistakeable message. Which had to with the usual routine about gender (and how it really doesn’t matter), sexuality (and how it really does) and the horrors of colonialism.
The Tate Musem
That business aside, the collection was kind of interesting—and there were quite a few art students in attendance.
After the Museum visit, we went for lunch. Michael and I headed back to the house while Sally and Mary Anne went out—shopping. After a few tough hours of resting we went out to a Tapas restaurant. And had a fine dinner.
Lighthouse in CornwallSally & Mary Anne with Coloring Sheets
The next day—Monday (today)—we went out for a walk and then went sightseeing. Among other things , we visited a lighthouse, the Rockpool Pub, and Gurnards Head Pub where we had lunch. Surprise, Surprise, Michael and I went back to the house and Sally and Mary Anne went out shopping.
Well, here we are in Devon, England at the Mill Inn. We had to cancel the first part of our plan which was a Road Scholar trip to Wales. Mary Anne managed to salvage the second part—a visit to see our friends Sally and Michael Oxlade. We have now begun a trip with them through Devon and Cornwall. After that we plan to go to the Isles of Scilly before returning to Barton Stacey where we will spend a couple more days with Sally and Michael.
Baton Stacey is not too far from London geographically speaking. But there is a world of difference between London and and the village of Barton Stacey. I should explain—unlike the US which has big cities, suburbs and rural areas, England can better be described as having large cities and small villages.
Anyway, we are here in Devon, which is mostly a collection of villages and some larger cities.
For the most part it is countryside, and it is magnificent. When people in the States think of Britain, they think of London. This is not like London at all. There are acres and acres of rolling hills, grass and farmland. And there are plenty of sheep and some wild ponies.
Sheep and Wild Pony
We saw quite a few sheep, cows and magnificent vistas. And that was before we had lunch at one of the surfing beaches we stopped at along the way. While we were having lunch there was a torrential downpour that lasted all of 10 minutes, and then everybody was back on the beach.
Church of St Pancras
Not a surprise, but everywhere we go there is a building, often a church, that is, round numbers, 500 to 1,000 years old. The buildings are in excellent shape. And they are magnificent.
A Very Old Catholic Church
Among other things on the way we also went to a surfing beaches, and to a lighthouse by the English Channel.
Lighthouse: Smeaton’s TowerWatergate Bay
We finally made it to our hotel for the evening, which was of course, excellent. We bunked in for the night, had an excellent dinner and breakfast the next morning. Then it was on our way to Cornwall, where we will stay for a few days.
