The August bank holiday is one of the most popular weekends in the United Kingdom for ‘getting away’. It falls at the end of summer (and the school holidays) and is often seen as a last hurrah before Autumn’s cooler, greyer days arrive.
When Adam and I realised my dad, mum and brother would be in England at the same time we decided to organise a weekend away involving our two families. So early last Friday morning, 20 people, plus Frank the Corgi made our way to Cornwall.
We managed to cram a lot into our long weekend, so I’m looking forward to sharing some of what we did over the next few weeks. Today though, we’re off to vast expanse of the Bodmin Moor…
The moor is the highest point in Cornwall, so even on the nicest days it always feels a little cooler than the surrounding countryside. A few grey clouds had rolled in when we arrived, but rather than being disappointed a few of the female members of our group pointed out that is was rather perfect weather for spotting literary/television character, Ross Poldark!
We based ourselves at Minions, a tiny village made up of stone cottages and buildings, that’s capitalised on its name being the same as a well known series of children’s films.
There are a number of stone circles, known as the Hurlers on the moor. Walking through them is really amazing – the moor, being so high is rather exposed, so you can understand why people may have been attracted to gathering in the area. It feels powerful and sacred. Just you, mother nature, no other distractions.
If you continue walking across the moor you come to a stack of giant rocks called the Cheesewring. It sits on the edge of the former Cheesewring quarry and the views of the surrounding countryside are nothing short of breath taking.
Just up the slope, on Stowe’s Hill, you’ll find more stacks of rocks as well as dozens of cairns made by fellow walkers on their journeys.
We potted around the top of the hill for almost an hour – taking pictures, climbing rocks and building a cairn or two, before making our way back to Minions. It was a spectacular start to our weekend away!
Wattle and Ash 