David Quintavalle

a personal statement

A week in Cornwall

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For florists or nature lovers

If you are not interested in flowers or natural beauty this post is not for you. Beside the sea and the coast the most amazing things we’ve seen have been the fields and hillsides bursting with green, violet, yellow, magenta and orange. I’ve been curious whether any of these wildflowers were originally seeded by some hand or just the winds. Looking up what I recognised as Crocosmia I discovered that the common variety, which is called Montbretia, is actually not native to Britain and is considered invasive. Contractors who excavate on sites that have Montbretia, must follow strict rules to avoid spreading their corms to other locations.

Montbretia (Crocosmia) ‘invading’ a Cornish hillside
Now sharing the space with Queen Anne’s lace (Wild Carrot)

Another non-native that seems to be having a wild life is fuchsia. You will notice that just like in a supermarket bouquet, ferns are always present.

And finally some random pictures of the cliff top heathers and other wild flowers.

A week in Cornwall

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The lay of the land

Panoramic view at Mayon Cliff, Sennen Cove, Cornwall

The first days of our visit—the green, blue and stone call to us. From the stairs to our accommodations a path branches off to Mayon cliff, a National Trust preserve which includes a granite lookout built by the British Coast Guard in the late 1800s. Along the hiking path what is not bare stone is covered in moss or tightly packed ground cover, which feels wonderful on my bare feet. In every direction there are picture-worthy vistas, although I always feel a bit vulnerable not giving full attention the sheer drop at every turn.

Quick walk to the beach

Next day we decide to go to the beach. Someone we meet at breakfast in the harbour said that Gynver Beach was less crowded on the weekend. And for good reason, we find out. Access is either down a steep path from above or from Sennen Beach.

Sennen Cove beaches: Whitesands Beach to the right; Gwynver Beach at the far left

The hike from Sennen Beach to Gwynver Beach is along the cliff, through narrow paths cleared from the carpet of ferns and other wild undergrowth. Wherever the stone rises up, a bit is etched out for us to pass through. The views are spectacular—out to sea and up to the granite crags of Pedn-Men-Du.

After a swim, some sunning—and the walk back—we stop for late lunch and build energy for another climb to the apartment—and bringing coffee for icing when we make it there.

Panoramic view of Mayon Cliff

A bit further

From our trip to Mayon Cliff I am intrigued that Land’s End, the closest spot on the English Coast to America, was only a mile away along the cliffs. So I set off the next afternoon. Once I get to the top of Mayon Cliff it is mostly flat with some dips and climbs.

At Land’s End there is a cafe-shop, The First and Last House. The signs along the edge of the viewing space don’t give mileage or corny references to the lands to the west. Instead they tell about conservation, lichens and coastal habitats—this is England after all—half the programming on TV are quiz shows.

Now I’m ready to sit in the car and go to a restaurant and get off my feet.

A week in Cornwall

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Arrival

Only eight hours drive and we were ready to open the door to our rented apartment and flop down to enjoy the view. The navigation took us to a point at the top of the cliff overlooking Sennen Cove. Our rental instructions said bringing luggage was easier taking the steps down from Maria’s Lane, but we wouldn’t be able to park there. Well we could barely drive there. The navigation said ‘you’ve arrived at your destination’ but all we could see were entrances to private homes and down to the harbour. Our rental was one of a set of apartments. You can see the building in this picture, but we didn’t know that then.

Sennen Heights Apartments from the harbour
Sennen Heights Apartments from Maria Lane

Notice that there are houses above the building and below it, so no driving to the apartment. We walked around on top but all we saw was this view of dense vegetation and the tops of some buildings. No signs except one—To the Beach—>pointing helpfully down treacherous looking, uneven steps.

After some ‘discussion’ we drove back down, around and to the harbour where our rental instructions said we could park behind the public toilet block past the public parking lot. There would be a staircase up to the apartment ‘through the gap between the public toilets and the gig shed.

There are a lot of steps, the worst are the ranges of long, stretched out step that are not flat, but pitch so severely that standing upright I felt myself falling backward. There is a bench about two-thirds up, but when you don’t know how much further it will be, it’s not much comfort.

So luggage would be coming down from the top. It turns out the treacherous steps—to the beach—were where the bags had to travel. Down the steep incline; down the stretch where someone decided, ‘well, heck, there’s an outcrop of the cliff that’s almost flat, let’s skip putting in steps here’; down the steps with no railing but with running water—we got it all there eventually.

While it does seem worth it all for the view and the air I am thinking of just flinging clothing out the windows after wearing, hoping they will land somewhere near the car.

N.B. Just walked up from the harbour after dinner—at night when there is no view it’s harder to justify the wheezing and locked leg muscles.

Roman High Life in 4th Century

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If you want to know how the Romans survived away from Rome in 4th Century Britain, go to the Chedworth Roman Villa in The Cotswolds.

Intricate mosaic floors, running water, underfloor heating, winter and summer dining halls—they had it all. Plus wonderful views.

Now, underfloor heating and heated baths weren’t easy on the servants who had to stoke the fires for the hot air that was forced under floors raised on small columns.

Think Small in The Cotswolds

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The Model Village in Bourton-on-the-Water was devised in the 1930s as a tourist draw. It still is, judging by the number of people in the (larger) village on the cloudy, cool day we visited.

All these pictures are of the 1/9th scale miniatures, even though the plantings make them look amazingly real. It is a model of Bourton-on-the-Water itself, so even the current storefronts and signage is kept up to date.

One small note: in the model village, placed where the model village itself is situated, there is a model village; and in the model, model village there is a model, model, model village, and so on…