Cornwall- Land's End

We finished out the February school break with a few more days in Cornwall. This is the far south western peninsula of England. Admittedly, we were out of season. Cornwall is renown for its slightly warmer climate and palm trees, wonderful beaches, and small winding roads. There is one 4 lane highway in the whole county. This makes Cornwall a popular and incredibly crowded place to visit in the summer. Time was running out on our tenure in the UK and we still had a great time.

Our first full day we spent driving to Land's End. You may wonder how big the outlet mall is- but it is literally the End of Land. The furthest west you can get on the Island. It is 874 miles from John O'Groats in the far north-eastern corner of Scotland.

On the way to Land's End we stopped at the British St. Michael's Mount. It was quite different than its more famous neighbor in France, but equally memorable. In low tide a footpath is available to walk to the Island Castle, but in high tide the use 'Ducks'- boats with wheels. The ride ended up being free (probably since it is the off season) but it was a really fun little ride. On the way back we even saw some real dolphins playing in the distance!

The castle has been owned by the same family for a few hundred years. About 20 years ago they donated it to the National Trust (no more tax on its value and help in keeping it maintained). The family took out a 100 year lease and still 'own' and live in a big portion of it. The larger rooms are open for public viewing. Some really unique and fascinating architecture.

The little chapel was lovely and inspired Emily to read John 3:16. The appeal of this intimate worship settings gets us every time we come to a stately home or castle.

Even though it was winter you could tell the gardens were amazing on this rugged little island.

After the castle we stopped for lunch at Penzance. There is nothing particularly interesting about the city and I wondered whether Gilbert and Sullivan music was lauded or banned there. I did look for Pirates the whole time with no luck.

Here we are at actual Land's End. A bit bleak and anticlimactic, although I'm not sure what wonders we expected to see- it's just another bit of rocky coast.

All in all a fun day out even with rain sprinkling down off and on.