Today’s highlight was a trip to a steep rocky island that is connected to the mainland only at low tide, named after St. Michael, and has a church on top – no, it’s not the one in France, it’s St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall.  Local legend also has it as the home of Cormoran the Giant killed by young Jack.  (A cobblestone in the path up to the castle is reputed to be his heart, pickled in brine by Jack until it shrank to a stone.)

We started with a tour of the village by Bob, one of the 26 residents who maintain the island from firefighting to gardening to occasional midwifery or sea rescue.  The castle on the hill has been inhabited by the St. Aubyn family since the 1600s (and still is) but they allow tourists to tour the upstairs rooms and take in the vistas from the terraces.  The extensive gardens are designed to be viewed from above.

On our way to the island, the tide was low and we were able to walk across the causeway, but by the end of our visit, waves had covered most of its length and the only option was to leave by ferry.  The ferry service uses several different piers as the tide rises.

We caught late afternoon train out of Penzance en route to Fowey where we arrived at the lovely Trevanion Guest House.  The town is picturesque, nestled on the banks of a river harbor overlooked by hills – a charming destination.

(Fowey)