England/Cornwall September 2019 – James Schupp
Karen and I have been to England/London several times and it keeps drawing us back. This particular trip, unlike others, had a specific purpose.
You see, we became hooked on the Public Broadcasting show called ‘Poldark’. Poldark takes place in the late 1700’s into the early 1800’s. It’s roughly based around copper and tin mining within the Cornwall area and the family dynamic of their clan. Cornwall is the far South Western tip of England bordered by the Atlantic ocean.
We began in London which is our favorite city in Europe. There is so much to do and it’s easy to get around on the underground (The Tube) and it’s also very walkable. I had the great fortune to realize a bucket list item on our visit to Wimbledon – it was all and more than I expected. No one was playing but we were able to view court ONE and experience the history and feeling there. The museum was fantastic as well. Fun to see the old clips of John McEnroe and Jimmy Conners screaming at each other!
We spent 6 days in London then caught a train to Oxford. It was in Oxford where we rented a car and the ‘excitement’ began. I definitely scared Karen more than once as driving on the ‘wrong side’ of the road takes some practice. Oxford was very close to the Cotswald’s which we took advantage of and also where we visited the Crevanage House. In the Poldark series this house is featured prominently and called the Trenwith House in the Series (ancient family home). We had a 4 hour visit there. It’s a beautiful and ancient home which has had several English movies filmed there. It was fantastic. Our last evening in Oxford included a ‘Punting experience’. Our young lady navigator was great.
From Oxford we drove to Bath which was a wonderfully easy city to navigate and take in the beauty. A full day of river cruise experience and a classic English Pub meal. It’s a vibrant and beautiful city.
From Bath we drove to Truro which was a full day of driving. Truro is considered the major city of Cornwall. For the next 9 days we explored different areas mostly related to the Poldark Series. Karen is a great planner, as well as navigator, and our adventure with the backroads of Cornwall began. Every single day we drove one-way roads with high hedges on each side making driving somewhat terrifying.
We would visit different beaches and estates where Poldark was filmed. Karen, being Karen, had the theme song to the show on her phone so she would play that as we embarked on a long hike or visiting one of the sites.
The beauty of these areas was epic and every day we would take a moment to reflect and appreciate our great fortune to get to learn and visit these places. I was surprised at the color of the ocean and if I didn’t know I was in England I would have thought it was Hawaii. You’ll see this in the ocean photos. England has a great system called the “National Trust” which helps to fund and manage these precious and ancient properties. There is so much I could say but suffice it to say the journey was more amazing then we ever imagined. I’m hopeful these photographs will help you to understand and appreciate this beautiful spot on earth.
If you have specific questions please contact me through the website: acornridgegallery.com
Enjoy! James