The sad decline of Lands End..

[tomble22]

I hate living in the soulless s**thole that is Redruth, bloody nightmare (my cat hates it too, she was trying to jump out of that window!!)

[Zetec-S]

It might not be highbrow, but there's plenty of tackier places around. We were down a couple of years ago, but parked up in Sennen and walked the coastal path to Lands End. Nice to wander around and grab an ice cream

Missed out on the Minack Theatre as it was getting late and we got a bit lost, not quite sure how

Loads of great places to visit in Cornwall, definitely need to go back. Seal Sanctuary (who allow dogs ), St Michael's Mount, Tintagel, Port Isaac (where they film Doc Martin), Boscastle....

[Tycho]

xeny said:

Antony Moxey said:

Minack is well worth a visit, we went last year. Stayed in a campsite a couple of miles away and booked a taxi for there and back. Took a picnic and a bottle of wine and had a great evening. Far better than the tack-fest that is Land’s End which is probably the only properly spoilt bit of the far end of Cornwall.

If people are vising Minack, then remember the Porthcurno Cable Museum is literally a stone's throw away.

Agreed, the Minack is great if you can get a show in but also a good place to visit to see how it was built and the views of Porthcurno beach are amazing. We saw basking sharks in the bay a couple of years ago.

[bloomen]

superlightr said:

locations are locations - any location can be grim - it depends who you are with.

If you are with good company anywhere can be fun.

Well, last time I was waiting for a bus surrounded by the slag heaps of St Austell I had to murder my companion just to cheer myself up.

[BigBen]

I visited Land's End as it was the start point of a bike ride to John O'Groats. Imagine my surprise and delight after travelling all that way to find out that JoG was pretty much identical in terms of both architecture and stness.

[Aloysius]

I fancy a trip to Devon and Cornwall having never been, not sure now!

The only two things we have in mind are Eden Project and those gardens at Heligan.


I`m up for any other suggestions of what to do and where to go while we`re down that way.

[superlightr]

Aloysius said:

I fancy a trip to Devon and Cornwall having never been, not sure now!

The only two things we have in mind are Eden Project and those gardens at Heligan.


I`m up for any other suggestions of what to do and where to go while we`re down that way.

seriously ? read the thread a couple of places keep cropping up as not to miss......even have pics of the location.

[SHutchinson]

Yeah, that Minack theatre was a bit rubbish. I was expecting something a bit more impressive if I'm honest. Even the delicious pastie I bought on the way in was so piping hot that I burned my lip a tiny bit.



Don't think I'll go back, until next time I'm staying in St. Ives again, which I do often because it's ace!

[Halmyre]

BigBen said:

I visited Land's End as it was the start point of a bike ride to John O'Groats. Imagine my surprise and delight after travelling all that way to find out that JoG was pretty much identical in terms of both architecture and stness.

JoG at least has the dubious pleasure of being free, unfortunately this means that, unlike Land's end, I've actually been there. And it pongs, horribly. Dunnet Head is a better location.

[Tycho]

Aloysius said:

I fancy a trip to Devon and Cornwall having never been, not sure now!

The only two things we have in mind are Eden Project and those gardens at Heligan.


I`m up for any other suggestions of what to do and where to go while we`re down that way.

I was disappointed with the Eden Project, it was rammed with kids and pretty average. The Minack is worthwhile if you can get a show in though and I'd like to go to Heligan as well.

[bloomen]

Aloysius said:

I fancy a trip to Devon and Cornwall having never been, not sure now!

The only two things we have in mind are Eden Project and those gardens at Heligan.


I`m up for any other suggestions of what to do and where to go while we`re down that way.

Anywhere but the Eden Project basically. It's a total non happening.

[TheFlyingBanana]

SCEtoAUX said:

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, beats the bakelite museum here in Somerset though: https://www.bakelitemuseum.net/ - Weird does not begin to describe it.

I agree. A real translucent plastic gem of a place.

The owner is often about, and he's a character well worth a chat with.

[sidicks]

bloomen said:

Well, last time I was waiting for a bus surrounded by the slag heaps of St Austell I had to murder my companion just to cheer myself up.

Presumably you are referring to the China Clay tips?

[sidicks]

BigBen said:

I visited Land's End as it was the start point of a bike ride to John O'Groats. Imagine my surprise and delight after travelling all that way to find out that JoG was pretty much identical in terms of both architecture and stness.

There seem to be plenty of organised bike rides from Lands End to John O’Grotes but very few going the other way.

I’d want to be ending up at ’home’, with the incentives that provides when it gets tough, not cycling away from it!

[jmorgan]

Aloysius said:

I fancy a trip to Devon and Cornwall having never been, not sure now!

The only two things we have in mind are Eden Project and those gardens at Heligan.


I`m up for any other suggestions of what to do and where to go while we`re down that way.

Active as in walking?

[abzmike]

John O'Groats has nothing to recommend itself for either - With the possible exception of the year round Christmas shop, which is there for no apparent reason.

[Riley Blue]

abzmike said:

John O'Groats has nothing to recommend itself for either - With the possible exception of the year round Christmas shop, which is there for no apparent reason.

I can think of a good reason, it's as far away from me as possible - 'year round Christmas' FF'sS...

[BigBen]

sidicks said:

BigBen said:

I visited Land's End as it was the start point of a bike ride to John O'Groats. Imagine my surprise and delight after travelling all that way to find out that JoG was pretty much identical in terms of both architecture and stness.

There seem to be plenty of organised bike rides from Lands End to John O’Grotes but very few going the other way.

I’d want to be ending up at ’home’, with the incentives that provides when it gets tough, not cycling away from it!

The Cornwall day was the toughest riding of the trip so best done at the start and in theory the prevailing wind favours a South to North route.

That said there are trips in the other direction but I agree far fewer.

[e30m3Mark]

Butter Face said:

bloomen said:

Much of it is really rather grim. It does of course have a lot of lovely spots but inland you can feel your spirit wilting in many a place.

I will of course respectfully disagree with you there.

The vast majority of cornwall is beautiful, unspoilt and fantastic. There are the odd spots that are not the most pleasant, but having recently visited Birmingham again, I’d rather live in the grimiest squat in Cornwall than go there

I'd rather live here than anywhere else in the UK. Camborne, Redruth etc have been starved of investment for years but there is a wealth of potential there. I've often sat at traffic lights and glanced up at some of the beautiful original facades on buildings like the old fire station. It's sad that they've been allowed to decay in the way that they have. Both Camborne and Redruth were incredibly wealthy areas and the richest tin mines in the world, though you'd never think so today. Were those same buildings in, or around, London they'd be Grade 1 listed and have money thrown at them to bring them back from being nigh on derelict.

Camborne was also the location for the world's first self-propelled passenger carrying vehicle!

Unfortunately, so many people want second homes here and in doing so, lots of villages are desolate places out of season. My family all hail from Portscatho and something like 45% of property there is holiday lets. There's no village shop (well there is but it's tiny and doesn't stock very much), no butcher, no greengrocer, no post office. Come summer though and the place is rammed with people laying claim to 'their little bit of Cornwall'. A bit where they didn't pay any council tax for years or contribute anything to the village they bought a part of.

Right now it would appear there are hundreds of homes being thrown up as housing estates appear all over Cornwall. Goodness knows who's buying them, as they're certainly not what one might call affordable. What they are though, is poorly designed and cheaply built and I certainly wouldn't want one. You'd think that having so many new homes would call for investment in Cornwall's infrastructure but no, we already have 1 district hospital and that will have to do. I mean yes, I know it's woefully inadequate, overstretched and short staffed, but we're getting a new football / rugby stadium!

[jmorgan]

Heard that about Portscatho. Very postcard though, St Mawes around the corner. Houses are cheap there as well.......