Our Life in Medellin Colombia: Cornwall England

Tintagel

Historians have had difficulty explaining the origin of 'Tintagel': the probability is that it is Norman French. If it is Cornish then 'Dun' would mean 'Fort'. Oliver Padel proposes 'Dun' '-tagell' meaning narrow place in his book on place names.

The name first occurs in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 'Historia Regum Britanniae' (c. 1136, in Latin) as Tintagol, in early Middle English, the name is rendered as Tintaieol.

The modern-day village of Tintagel was always known as Trevena (Cornish: Tre war Venydh) until the Post Office started using 'Tintagel' as the name in the mid-19th century (until then Tintagel had been restricted to the name of the headland and of the parish). The village also has the 'Old Post Office', which dates from the 14th century. It became a post office during the 19th century, and is now listed Grade I and owned by the National Trust.

Old Post Office

In Geoffrey's Historia, Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, puts his wife Igraine in Tintagol while he is at war. Merlin disguised Uther Pendragon as Gorlois so that Uther could enter Tintagel and impregnate Igraine while pretending to be Gorlois. Uther and Igraine's child was King Arthur. In the Tristan and Iseult legend some events are also set at Tintagel.

Camelot - King Arthur's Castle

Sir Silvia - knight of the Round Table

Sir David - Knight of the Round Table

Shame 'Free House' does not mean free beer

Camelot Castle Hotel and Restaurant

Coastal view of the Atlantic Ocean

Sunset

Elegant meal in the Camelot Castle

Boscastle

Flood of 2004

A flash flood on 16 August 2004 caused extensive damage to the village. Residents were trapped in houses as the roads turned into rivers: people were trapped on roofs, in cars, in buildings and on the river's banks. and the village's visitor centre was washed away. Two Royal Air Force Westland Sea King rescue helicopters from Chivenor, three Royal Navy Sea Kings from Culdrose, one RAF Sea King from St Mawgan and one Coastguard S61 helicopter from Portland searched for and assisted casualties in and around the village. A total of 91 people were rescued and there were no fatalities, only one broken thumb. Around 50 cars were swept into the harbour and the bridge was washed away, roads were submerged under 2.75 metres (9 ft) of water, making communication effectively impossible until flood-waters subsided.

St Ives

St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial emphasis, and the town is now primarily a popular seaside resort, notably achieving the title of Best UK Seaside Town from the British Travel Awards in both 2010 and 2011. St Ives was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1639. St Ives has become renowned for its number of artists. It was named best seaside town of 2007 by The Guardian newspaper.

The Harbour

A Rainy day

You can rent these small rooms close to the beach

Mussels freshly harvested today

Whole fresh white-bait fish

We bought some great whisky here

A little bit windy

This is a 2-way road with a 60 mph speed limit

The old fish market

As you can see the sea was a little rough

A very eclectic fisherman's cottage

A typical side street

A historic chapel on the hill

Lands End

Polperro

Polperro is a large village, civil parish, and fishing harbour within the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall, England. Its population is approximately 5,820.

The River Pol passes through the village, which is 7 miles (11 km) east of Fowey and 4 miles (6 km) west of the neighbouring town of Looe and 25 miles (40 km) west of the major city and naval port of Plymouth. It is a noted tourist destination, particularly in the summer months, for its idyllic appearance with tightly-packed ancient fishermen's houses which survive almost untouched, and its quaint harbour and attractive coastline.