I’ve not blogged the last two weeks because of so much going on in the world and the Queen dominating the headlines. The majority mourned, so I respected their quiet time the same way many did. Few criticised or expressed their lack of caring. Yes, she lived an outstanding life to a wonderful age, so on that basis there’s little to mourn, but for those who aren’t royalists in every or any sense of the word, she has been a constant in many lives. Seeing a public display of grief reminds many of us of loved ones gone, so we can empathise with the feeling. That she should die when the world is in such a mess… well, it’s always in a mess, but for some, it’s another unsettling aspect. For me, the strangest thing missing will be ‘the Queen and her corgis’.
I was also away. Although now living in the south-west means we can visit most places for a day, we still have areas where we like to stay. We’ve never stayed in Port Isaac, although our holiday place gave us a wonderful view of Tintagel’s headland from an angle we’ve never viewed before.
Port Isaac is perhaps most famous as the setting for Port Wenn in the Doc Martin series, and if anyone fancies living in there, they may like to know the house (Fern Cottage) used as Doc Martin’s surgery is up for a whopping £1,150,000 and it’s only two bedrooms. Yes, there’s the view, but if I had that kind of spare change, there are nicer and larger homes. And I’m not sure I’d want tourists stopping to click their cameras at my front door every few seconds. Still, the opportunity is there for anyone who wants it.
This picturesque spot was once a busy port, though much of the goods moved by sea fell away with the arrival of the railways, and so Port Isaac has been a fishing village since the 14th century, evidenced by its small harbour and small twisting avenues. Tiny sometimes, such as Squeezy Belly Alley. Nowadays, its largest income may arguably be as a tourist attraction. There’s something quaint and captivating about the scenery, the buildings, and even the small harbour that pleases the visitor no matter how many times they’ve seen it before.
We were lucky enough to be staying at the top of the hill a little way past the visitor’s carpark, so we could leave our car and set out on foot any time we chose. Please respect the village and stop in the carpark, because no one who doesn’t live there should venture down except to drop off/pick up someone with mobility issues. There’s no room in the village for traffic and some of those roads really will have drivers getting into difficulty. Fresh fish is a major attraction, boat trips, coast path walks and the adventurous walker will find many beautiful bays in the area. From here we visited many of the spots we love so well, but next visit we’ll no doubt return to Tintagel.
