Day -2 Lost Gardens to Mousehole

Woke to the 7 o'clock peal of bells from the church next door. Then an early breakfast before heading out for a morning at Lost Gardens of Heligan. What a magical place! We seemed to have the place to ourselves for the first enchanting hour - just us and the early morning birdsong. 

Then back to St Austell for the final leg on the train to Penzance and a walk along the coast path in bright sunshine through Newlyn to Mousehole. 

A poignant visit along the way to the Penlee Lifeboat stations - both new and old.

Having heard Radio 4's dramatisation earlier this year, commemorating the loss of the lifeboat "Solomon Browne" with all her crew it's quite moving to visit the actual station from which she was launched on that fateful night.

Interestingly, an inscription on the commemorative plaque is in Welsh "Cyfeillion am byth..." Friends for ever - we both found it very moving.

Then on to Mousehole where we visited The Ship Inn and raised a glass to the landlord Charles Greenhaugh and crew members who lost their lives that night. 

Mousehole was very pretty in the evening sunshine. Apparently Dylan Thomas had his wedding reception here and described it as 'the loveliest village in the whole of England'.