Cornwall
After a very windy drive, Tom and I arrived in Polruan, an adorable fishing town that is stuck to the side of a steep hill overlooking the harbour. Everyone in this town must have legs like the Hulk; just going to the parking lot or the pub means a trek up and down a 60 degree incline. We shuffle stepped down the hill and into the harbour view cottage that Ruth and Trevor had rented for the week.
We spent the week doing various short walks around the coastal path, a 1014 km route that encircles Cornwall. The path has you walk along the lush greenery of the cliffs, a few metres from the steep drop to the blue waters. Most days, there wasn’t even a horizon, the blue of the sea runs seamlessly into the blue of the sky. The path rises and falls with the seaside hills, finds its way down to a beach or climbs up to beautiful vistas where you can see the land and sea for miles. I found a special enjoyment in watching the water break over the rocks, something about seeing all the shades of blue turn to white waves. Every new summit had a new gorgeous view to photograph.
A few of the nights, we took the ferry across the harbour to Fowey, which had a few more shops and restaurants. We wandered around the meandering cobblestone paths, by all the quaint touristy shops, and along the harbour walls where we watched the boats gently bobbing in the pools of light from the town across the water.
Elizabeth Gadd is one of my all-time favourite photographers. Her landscape photography is absolutely stunning and how she uses herself in the frame brings a beautiful sense of scale and colour theory to her work. I’ve always wanted to create something with a similar feeling, showing a sublime landscape with me in it, and with the crashing waves as a background, I made a solid attempt. Tom was a very patient and encouraging - if slightly soggy by the end of it - photographer. I came away with a lot of photos that I’ll play around editing but here’s a sample of what we made.
The air around the coast is thick and heavy. Even before the hikes I’d feel sticky, like there was an extra layer to my skin. Thankfully, the ocean is so close, and even though we didn’t have very sunny weather, the feeling of the crisp cold water on your body feels amazing.
Well, Ruth and I thought so anyways, the menfolk we a little less keen on the whole idea. They took some convincing, but they did eventually get in the water as well, though not without some very amusing facial expressions. The look of cross concentration on Tom’s face brings a smile to mine every time I remember it.
(Unfortunately, there’s no photo since I was already in the water.
Next time.)
One of the days, the four of us went to Charlestown, a harbour town where there’s been a lot of filming for 18th century naval dramas. We were going on a schooner for a 3 hour trip along the coast. It felt like being on a much more complicated Bear, but I skilfully retained my ability to pull on a rope when instructed. There was barely a breath of wind, so we put the masts up for decoration and then motored along the coast. And of course, it wouldn’t be a British sailing trip if they didn’t provide tea and biscuits.
It was a beautiful end to the summer holidays and I’m about as rested as I can get for my first school year ahead.