Just after we realized that we are going to have a really long weekend available to spend around, we bought two cheap ticket to Bristol, rented a car and got excited :).

This was also a good opportunity to meet a friend of mine and use his lovely book Wild Guide South West.

So we packed our backpack as usually, and jumped on that flight. I also used this trip to give a first real use test to the Crumpler Light and Delight Backpack, that I used as a poach for my camera in the main backpack and as a day hike backpack during the trip.

We spent the first day and a half around Bath, where my friend lives. We dined at the Hope Pole Inn were I had a great cheeseburger made with local foraged meat.

Then we head south, following the suggestion of our friend and his book, but first we stopped at Glastonbury (yes, I used to be an avid Marion Zimmer Bradley reader).

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The famous Tor of Glastonbury

We walked thought the nice but quite “turisty” streets, feeling the surreal atmosphere of the town. We visited the nice ruin of the Abbey and searched and found the Gog and Magog. Two ancient oak tree that is supposed to be more than 2000 years old. Before leave we hiked a hill to get to the famous Tor.

The weather turn really bad, so we went back to the car. Driving on the A30 south, we get stuck in a traffic jam, so we escaped crossing the Dartmoor, but the fog, the heavy rain and wind, made any walks really hard. We had anyway the possibility to visit Postbridge and have a walk on the ancient site of Merrivale.

The standing stone at Merrivale
The standing stone at Merrivale

 

After a long and cold day, we stopped at the beautiful Elephant Nest Inn, where with the lovely served food and the warm atmosphere of the fireplace and the company of a funny old dog we restored our energy.

The Elphant Nest Inn
The Elephant Nest Inn
Intrigued by some picture we saw somewhere we stopped the next day at The Lost garden of Heligans, and have a walk in that nice places. The weather was still bad, but we enjoyed the visit.
The Lost Garden of Heligans
The Lost Garden of Heligan
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The Lost Garden of Heligans
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The Lost Garden of Heligans
When we think at Cornwall we think to lovely fishing village clinging to the cliff, so we end up spending some time in slippy Portloe.
Portloe Harbour
Portloe Harbour
We had still some hours before the sunset, so we hiked to the Boscawen-un  stone circle, and we got enchanted by the magical peace of this place.
The path to Boscawen-Un
The path to Boscawen-Un
As we enjoyed this so much we also visited the Marry Maidens circle and the surrounding area.
Marry Maidens
Marry Maidens
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Walking through Marry Maidens


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Field near Marry Maidens
At the end of the day we hike up a hill (search in the suggested book for name and directions 🙂 ) and we got a stunning view over a Cornwall sunset.
A beautiful Cornwall Sunset
A beautiful Cornwall Sunset
We hit Mousehole to spend the evening exploring the small village and looking for some good food and hopefully to rest!
Mousehole
Mousehole
We woke up with a nice sunshine, so we headed to one of the most fabulous beach I ever seen, and we spent large part of the day walking on the shoreline.
A beautiful Cornwall beach
A beautiful Cornwall beach
Then we moved to Carn Euny and Man-a-tor, to go back in time.
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Man-a-Tor
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Carn Euny
It was time to head back to north, so we went to the lovely Port Quin Bay for the night.
Sitting in Port Qay
Sitting in Port Qay
Going further north to the Bodmin moor we had a good dinner at the Sunrise inn.
In the Boodmin Moore
In the Boodmin Moore

 

To add a bit of mystery to this trip we also made a stop at Tintagel, exploring the ruins and the Merlin’s cave.

 

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Merlin’s cave
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Tintagel waterfall

We even found the time to stop and have a walk in Exter, around the beautiful Cathedral.

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Walking in Exter

Finally we reach Bristol, but before leave, a last treat…. A launch at the Ethicurean!!! What an experience, the place, the food, the staff. Lovely.

 

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The Ethicurean

We can’t wait. To come back soon!

 

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