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Boscastle. The tiny Cornish
village
of Boscastle
remains to-day very much what Boscastle has always been; a very small
pretty unspoilt fishing port. The village is
situated in a very narrow ravine in an conservation area on the wild
and beautiful North Cornish coast. It was in 1584,
that a certain Sir Richard Granville: captain of Queen Elizabeth 1st
ship HMS The Revenge, ordered the building of a harbour wall that had
the effect of narrowing the entrance to the harbour Thus
protecting ships, from not only the fierce winter storms that ravage
the Cornwall coast, but also from any maraudering French raiders.
Boscastle has a
long and intresting history, for in the 17th and 18th cenutries,
Boscastle was one of the many places on the Cornish coast used by
smugglers to land their illicit cargoes. The village being fairly
isolated was of
course a natural smugglers lair, away from prying eyes. Strolling along
the harbour wall to-day, it
is easy to imagine the smugglers luggers, with their cargo of
contraband tying up to the harbour wall, and the illicit cargo quickly
being spirited away to well concealed hiding places. As you walk around
Boscastle today it is hard to concive that this picturesque little
village was once a busy trading port, and trade took place with Wales,
Bristol, and the South of England. How-ever with the coming of the
railways in the late 19th century, most of this trade was taken by the
emergence of Bristol as the regions premeir port. Today Boscastle still
has a small fleet of
fishing boats operating, a reminder of when fish was king.
Boscastle is situated in a lovely scenic valley, which
meanders
inland. And it is here one will find a
path
that will lead one to several hidden, historic little
churches, including the church of St Merthiana, and the
church
of St Juliot. In 1872 the famous west country author Thomas Hardy was
staying The Old Rectory in the village. Hardy was engaged in
his capacity as an
architect on the restoration of St Juliot Church. It was while
out walking on the cliffs that Hardy met his
future wife Emma ( Nee
Emma Lavinina Gifford) the Rector's sister- in- law. This chance
meeting was said to have inspired Hardy to write A Pair of
Blue Eyes.as well as some of his finest potetry
Boscastle like most of Cornwall is
steeped in folk-law, and legend. And therefore it is no surprise
that in Boscastle there is the
Witchcraft
Museum, with a ghoulish mixture of exhibits. This museum
was
severely damaged in 2004, by the horrendous flood
that almost destroyed this little village. But I am pleased to say, the
Museum is now up and running once more. There is also a pottery in the
village, which manufactures traditional Cornish pottery, and deserves
to
become as famous as Troika, and there are
several gift shops, that sell the pottery alongside, other
crafts, arts, and souvenirs
If one follows the footpath to the left of the quayside, it
will take you to the
Lookout, which is a most wonderful
vantage point,
from were you can see the wide expanse of the rugged,
majestic,
Cornish coastline. The National Trust owns a lot of
the land in and
around Boscastle. Which in my opinion is not a bad thing. For
under
their stewardship
we can rest assured that the unique character of this quaint village
will remain the same for future generations to enjoy. If one
heads in the direction of Camelford, one will find
historic Bottreaux
Castle, the castle is believed to have been
built
in- between 1154-1189, and was built of a stone mottle, and
bailly fortress. And at the top of the Valency Valley, set in a
tiny copse is the historic church of St Merthiana: St Merthiana, who
was a Welsh princess (Madryn ) settled here in 500 AD, and she
gave hope, and succor to the inflicted by both prayer, and
holy water. St
Merthiana, the name by which we know her today, died here and is said
to
be
buried in
the chancel of the church.
There are some lovely walks, both inland,
and along the rugged Atlantic coast. If you head North along the
Coastal Path you will come to
the aptly named
High Cliff, the highest point on the Cornish coast.
Boscastle, boasts some nice traditional public houses, such as the
Wellington Hotel, which hosts a traditional folk music night on a
Monday,
and singers on a Wendsday night, so if you can warble pop along and
have a go. The Napoleon Inn, has live music on a Friday, followed by
the
Cobweb Inn, who have live music on a Saturday night. One can also take
a
boat trip from Boscastle, down to Long Island where seals can be seen,
and if it is the sea bird breeding season, one will see Razor bills,
Guilimots, and Puffins. For the fishermen amongst you, one can hire
boats, that will take you 5 miles off shore to sunken wrecks, for a
great
days sea angling..
In August 2004, disaster hit Boscastle, when after very heavy
rain the worst flood in living memory happened. The rain cause the
river to overflow, and a huge torrent of water
surged through Boscastle destroying buildings, and carrying cars to the
open sea, but thank heavens with no loss of life. To-day Boscastle has
dusted it's-self down, picked it's-self up and once again welcomes
thousands of visitors to this beautiful part of Cornwall. Yes all in
all, one could not choose a nicer place to spend a holiday. For here
the beauty,
romance, and history that is Cornwall awaits you
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