Cornwall with Helen Kachellek
Set on a rugged peninsula at the southwest tip of England, Cornwall is classically Celtic. This wild and uncultivated landscape — sprinkled with evocative ruins and quaint seaside villages — has an edge-of-the-world feel, and British guide Helen Kachellek takes us on a thrilling tour of Cornwall’s best. We explore Tintagel Castle, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur, and (when the tide goes out) cross the causeway to the dramatic rock island of St. Michael’s Mount. After refueling with a Cornish pasty, we dive deep into Cornwall’s tin-mining heritage (dating back to biblical times) and salty tales of fishermen and pirates.
– Best of South England in 13 Days Tour: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/england/southern-england
– Rick Steves England Guidebook: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/england-guidebook
– “England’s Cornwall” TV Episode: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/england-cornwall
– National Trust Web Page for Cornwall: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall
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– Upcoming Monday Night Travel Shows: https://www.ricksteves.com/mnt
– Tours 101 Information Session: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/101
– Get up close and personal with the cliff-hugging castles and picturesque fishing villages of Cornwall on our Best of South England in 13 Days tour: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/england/southern-england
– Maximize the pleasures of Penzance, the Penwith Peninsula, and much more with help from the Rick Steves England guidebook: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/england-guidebook
– Watch Rick’s full “England’s Cornwall” TV episode for more sweeping views of rugged Cornwall and peeks at Cornish culture: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/england-cornwall
– Learn more about Cornwall’s stately homes on the National Trust website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall
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4 Comments
The sea wall protecting the railway to Penzance has been damaged in a recent storm (again) at Dawlish (after being rebuilt over years as it was washed away in 2014) so bear in mind if visiting the train may be disrupted in winter in heavy seas as repairs can take weeks sometimes.
The tour guide shown in the photo of King Edward Mine is my husband. He said they were a lovely group to show round as they were genuinely interested. It's great to have KEM included on this tour, as it's not a big or well known attraction, but it's full of interest for anyone who wants to learn about Cornwall's mining heritage. So good to see a tour that looks beyond the coastal scenery and harbours.
50:58 some versions of pasties also have a little pastry divider in the middle and you'd fill one half with meat & potato & veg, and the other with something sweet liked stewed apple or rhubarb so you could have a main meal and a dessert in one!
Throwing the crust away also acquired a ritual significance in the mines – the miners of old believed that the crusts were eaten by the "Tommy knockers" – underground creatures/pixies which, when properly fed by the offering of the crusts, would warn miners of imminent collapse by knocking on the walls or on support beams etc to give the miners time to evacuate.
51:38 whilst it's entirely true that a ploughman, along with most other agricultural workers, throughout a large proportion of history in many nations (including the UK) would have eaten bread, possibly with cheese, for lunch, the idea of it as a set meal with specific ingredients dates from the 1950s and was dreamt up by a Government-associated cheese marketing board who were trying to promote the uptake of various foods after food rationing ended post-WW2. They wanted to promote the purchase of British Cheese (hence the Cheddar) to stimulate the economy, so marketed this as a good food for pubs to serve for lunch, and it took off from there.