Truro and Falmouth - Cornwall.

l love Truro, it is a lovely small town. The surroundings are pretty and the shops are great. We visited a Cathedral (yes another one). They are trying to raise enough to relate the slate roof.  People could pay £25 and write something on a slate tile. I decided we should make it in memory to Gregs brother Peter. I asked how long the inscription would last on the tile and was told until the Saints come down.

Greg then suggested we catch a train to Falmouth and visit Pendennis Castle which was owned by Henry V111, more of a fortress than a Castle.

Lostwithiel, Cornwall

Where on earth do these names come from????

Drove to this village to see the Restormel Castle ruins once owned by the Black Prince. The castle would have been magnificent in its hey day.

Looe, Cornwall

We took a train ride to the picturesque seaside town of Looe. It a a pretty place with a variety of shops, restaurants and entertainment centres. Ten out of ten for this little town. Much nicer than Weymouth.

Clowance Close, Plymouth

Clown che Close is the cottage GGGrandfather and his first wife and 2 little girls lived when they were alive.

i was able to find the address, even though the cottage has been modernised over the years, the cobblestone road is a reminder of those days.

Ford Park Cemetery, Plymouth

A year after my GGGrandfather retired, he decided to go for a trip back to England to visit his sister. Unfortunately while there he died.

I learnt he was buried in Ford Park Cemetery in Plymouth. Apparently he was buried in a "common" grave which means the cemetery owns the plot and can sell it at will, and sell it they did. My GGGrandfathers headstone was replaced by the Baker headstone and he has had 3 strangers buried on top of him.

Stoke Damerel church, Plymouth

Stoke Damerel Church is the place my GGGrandfathers first family are buried. His wife and two infant daughters all died within 18 months of each other.

It was extremely disappointing when I got to the church. All the gravestones had been moved to the perimeter around the church. Some on the ground, some up against a wall. The area is not cared for. It is impossible to locate a headstone because of the over growth.

Apparently the church sold  land. They removed the headstones but the bodies remained where they were buried.

I felt very sad. Relatives go to all the effort and cost of erecting a headstone in the belief it will be there forever as rememberence of loved ones.

Miniature horses and donkeys - Newton Abbot

When Greg mentioned there was a miniature horse farm nearby I immediately wanted to go and what a delight it was. I saw baby miniature horses and a baby miniature donkey, oh they are sooooooo cute.

They also had baby goats, baby ducks, big fluffy rabbits that must be brushed everyday and a BIG draft horse.

Steam Train - Buckfastleigh

Went for a nice drive through more of the beautiful English country side to Buckfastleigh to have a ride on a restored steam train.

Afterwards we went into the small village and had a very tasty lunch in a cafe operated by a husband and wife. It was such a quiet little place, we half expected Miss Marple to come walking down the street.

Exeter

Exeter is a nice town with the very old and new standing side by side.

Here is a couple of photos near the city area.

Exeter Cathedral

What a magnificent example of gothic architecture. This church is in excellent condition and it is HUGE.

The Cathedral was built about 900 years ago. At the beginning of the 12th century, William Warelwast became the Bishop of Exeter and he decided it was too small and began rebuilding. It took most of the 12th century to complete. There has been additions and alterations over the years, but it is the finish example of gothic architecture in the whole of Europe.

I felt I was back in time when walking through the cathedral. The detail in the ceiling and wall sculptures as well as the wood work can take away your breath.

Powderham Castle

Visited our first castle. This one has the owners living in it, there ancestry goes back 600 years.
Powderham Castle is about 16 km out of Exeter.

Beris Regis

On our way to Exeter, we came by a little village called Beris Regis and visited the 1th century church. It is in amazing condition . In the church yard there are a number of graves, the oldest being 1647. Sadly, it it impossible to decipher most of the gravestones, time has dimished the writing.

Inside the church along the walk through, there are graves of prominent church members. Some of them have the entire family buried beside each other. Writing on plaques in the church is difficult to read, it is written in 3th and 14th. century words and Roman numerals are used.

Weymouth

Weymouth is a very popular seaside town. We stayed at the Redcliffe B&B across the road from the beach. I wasn't overly enthused about Weymouth, it is very busy, almost impossible to get a parking spot anywhere and finding the actual town city is not easy.

After an almost sleepless night on the hard bed and pillows, we had a lovely big breakfast then decided to move on.

South Hampton

After a very pleasant 2 month sea voyage aboard the Queen Victoria, we have arrived in England. Our accommodation is a lovely B&B in South Hampton, it is close to shops, buses and trains, it is called Hunters Lodge B&B in Languard Road.

We picked up our hire car which turned out to be a new Audi. During out time here we have visited St Michaels Church, founded by the Normans in 1070, the Tudor House built in 1492, Romsey Abbey built in 942 AD, King John's House built in the 1200's and believed to be used as a hunting lodge and the Hillier gardens, 1,200 acres of magnificent plants and trees.