6th - 11th July - Devon and Cornwall

We had booked an apartment in Carbis Bay for a week when I knew I would be retiring at the end of June.  To break the journey we also booked a hotel for the Friday night before we were due to take up the apartment, this was to break the journey down almost to the tip of Cornwall.

I had picked out a spot on Dartmoor where there was the possibility to see High Brown Fritillary, but didn't foresee the A38 that goes south of Dartmoor closing due to an accident.  This meant that the many sat navs were in overdrive finding alternative routes around the narrow single drive lanes of Dartmoor and Devon.  At one point we had to find space to allow a huge Poundland articulated truck go past, heaven's know how it managed to find its way along the road.

Frustrated by the traffic we pulled over and walked to the top of Hound Tor. We had been here before in 2020 when it was in the middle of the Pandemic and staycations were the order of the day and it was covered with people.  Today it was empty aside from a group of school children.

The views from the top of the tor were impressive, made all the more spectacular in black and white.

Back in the car we finally managed to reach the original destination, a car park at Newbridge.  From here we were able to walk through large groups of bracken.  I did managed to see several High-brown Fritillaries, but they never put themselves in a position where I could photograph them.  It will mean having to come back again.  We came down the slope and crossed to the river, passing under the road bridge that spans the river Dart.

The river was lined by trees and bramble and with them came many more butterflies, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were the most numerous, but there were also some larger butterflies.  This White Admiral.

And several Silver-washed Fritillaries.

The River Dart.

A small tree growing on a rock in the middle of the river.

We stayed the Friday night at a hotel just outside Tavistock, the rooms overlooked fields and some lovely gardens, after dinner there was a beautiful sunset.

We awoke to a rain shower on Saturday morning and we left under cloud.  Our first stop was Polperro, a village that has a special place in the family, my parents having owned a cottage there in the eighties and early nineties.  Once a pretty little fishing village today it came over as shabby and tired.

It was a shame as we have so many memories from the village and it will always have a special place in our hearts.

Next stop was Helman Tor on Bodmin Moor.  It is said that on a clear day you can see both the north and south coast of Cornwall.  It was not possible today but the tor was still very spectacular.

A big surprise was finding this pair of Wall Brown.

The Wall gets its name from the characteristic behaviour of resting with wings two-thirds open on any bare surface, including bare ground and, of course, walls! 

The basking behaviour of this butterfly allows it to benefit from the full warmth of the sun whose rays shine directly on the butterfly, but also get reflected back onto the butterfly from whichever surface it is resting on. This habit allows the butterfly to raise its body temperature sufficiently high for it to fly. In particularly hot weather, however, such basking is avoided and the butterfly may even retreat to a suitably-shaded spot to avoid overheating.

This species was once found throughout England, Wales, Ireland and parts of Scotland. Today, however, is a very different picture, with this species suffering severe declines over the last several decades. It is now confined to primarily-coastal regions and has been lost from many sites in central, eastern and south-east England. 

From Helman it was on to Penzance for some shopping and then to the apartment in Carbis Bay.  Entering the penthouse apartment we were greeted with this wonderful view across the bay to St Ives.

And in the evening a wonderful sunset.

First thing Sunday morning there were showers about but also plenty of sunshine, the showers passing to the north of St Ives.

The many different colours being created by the clouds and sun.

Storm clouds passing away to the north east.

Black and white emphasising the magnificence of the clouds.

We walked the coastal path into St Ives and after spending some time walking around the streets we took some time in at the beach.

The walk back was still in glorious sunshine.  Here the view looking towards St Ives.

And then east across Carbis Bay.

Clear skies meant a different sunset tonight.

Monday saw a trip to the Eden Project, here are some iconic views of what is an impressive place, but not somewhere I would feel the need to return to. WE were lucky that while inside the two biomes there was some heavy rain.

From the Eden Project we drove to Padstow where we had dinner in Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant.  Padstow like Polperro came across tired and shabby and packed with so many people.

The journey back to Carbis Bay was in heavy rain and the rain continued into the evening but finally clearing about an hour before sunset.  As the cloud cleared we were treated to an aray of different colours across the sky and sea.

The clouds clearing to the north west of St Ives.

Gaps in the cloud low in the sky started introduce fiery skies.

The sea took on a deep purple hue.

Then spectacular skies

Where the colours and clouds continued to change.

The next morning it was full cloud and drizzle.  We spent the morning in the Lost Gardens of Heligan and after an overcast start, the skies cleared and we decided to spend the afternoon on the Lizard peninsula, walking to Kynance Cove where we enjoyed a cream tea and a view of the sea crashing into the rocks.

Back at the apartment I spent some time photographing the passing Herring Gulls and a couple of Swifts.

Evening views of Carbis Bay.

And the pastel colours of the sea and beach.

A final view of Carbis Bay, this time in black and white emphasising the beautiful sand and the distant clouds