annhig

hi will,

i'm afraid that I am not such a mine [get it] of info when it comes to the boconnoc area. The Cornwall Garden society holds its spring show there [early April] do I have been once or twice, but I don't really know the area. Looe and its surroundings are a bit of a closed book, apart from Liskead which I would advise avoiding at all costs.

We do know neighbouring Fowey quite well and recently wandered into this gem:

http://www.thefoweyhotel.co.uk/fowey_hotel.php

we had walked past many times but never been in. the views and situation are lovely and there was a big expresso machine in the corner of the bar! but you will find decent coffee in most places, I think.

i will look on your profile for your contact info. i won't hold your being a banker against you!

regards

Ann

Good_Will

Hi Ann

As for being a mine of information which you are, do you use the term "tinny" there ? I guess the meaning I derive from my parents generation is "prone to good luck".

The Fowey Hotel / Restaurant looks great but the set/image reminds me a little of Basil and Cybil - not run-down but similar.

Having been immersed in the detail of the Family's Cornwall genealogy today it is clear that we will have to focus on our tourist objectives and revisit in a year or two to spend a lot more time and also to visit the Melton Mowbray town of Harby where Sue's convict ancestor came from.

The food at the Fowey looks good. My Beefsteak and Burgundy Group would find it more than acceptable. The Fricassee of Fowey River Mussels sounds like something my ancestors would have been very familiar with ! So can we expect mussel pots with frites in Cornwall to go with our Belgian style ales ?

We look forward to sending you a copy of our itinerary and then you will be forewarned as to how mad we are. Notwithstanding that, these trips tend to take place every five years with wedding anniversary benchmarks.

Best wishes

annhig

hi will,

I'm not sure about the resemblance of the Fowey Hotel to Fawlty Towers as we just had a drink on the balcony and didn't stay there. i think you may be doing them a bit of an injustice, though some of the clientelle we saw could well have been straight off the set of a few sit-coms.

the other main hotel in Fowey - Fowey Hall, is another very "up itself" establishment - Cream teas at about £12 each, and last year, they wanted, and did not get, about £11 for a set lunch which was really no more than egg on toast.

you will find mussels in quite a few places, but never yet served alla Belge, unfortunately. [we brought back one of those great pots for cooknig mussels from our trip to Brittany last year and we haven't sued it yet]. they tend to get served with bread rather than those delicious frites that the french and belgians specialise in.

I'm looking forward to seeing your itinerary - expect much sucking of teeth and shaking of heads as we are definitely rather more the slow travel end of the spectrum.

regards, ann

Good_Will

Didnt mean to knock Fowey Hotel. First thing that came into head was the visual image of FT from the outside. Only drink tea when playing cricket and we try to avoid cream at all times. The frites are dangerous but an occasional treat - the infusion of flavour from the animal fat is the secret I think.

Just found the church in Boconnoc where ggg-granfather was christened John (rather than Jan of previous generations. It is here http://www.boconnocenterprises.co.uk/history.html

This trip is rather conservative compared with the last 5 years back. With the tyranny of distance one needs to make best use of ones frequent flyer points. Look forward to receiving email address and will write and attach itinerary.

annhig

well done with your researches - Boconnoc is quite away from here - at least an hour on a good day - so it might as well be the other side of the moon, as we get terribly parochial.

for thoughts about cream teas, see the other post in the lounge. whilst we were out today, i saw a poster that claimed that Betty Stoggs [a Skinner's brew] was awarded "Britain's best bitter 2008"! so no being sniffy about skinners, please.

and I got to have mussels today, at the "Idle Rocks Hotel" in St. Mawes, whence we repaired with my SIL. lovely and fresh, served with quite fat chips, and a large glass of SA chenin blanc. [sorry to say I prefer SA wines to Aussie ones,at least the ones I've had so far]. they have a lovely terrace overlooking the beach and a very impresive expresso machine we didn't get to try out. another option there is the Hotel Tresanton, which is vey swish, and for its position, facilities, and standard of food, not unreasonable.

my e-mail is [email protected], or for a wider view, try www.trefula.com.

regards, ann

Good_Will

Hi Ann

The wines of Stellenbosch and other SA regions are very good. Must have been our Dutch influence. INHO I believe we have an overall higher standing in Australia and NZ but there have been many mistakes made here. The big UK chains and in particular Tesco have drawn our attention to the fact that our modern wines carry too much alcohol into the bouquet and beyond. Wine sales to the UK have been down. We will bring a few bottles and I am hoping that the liqor shop in Curzon St near to where we are staying have some additional supplies we can draw on.

The Fowey is very interesting because the ancestors took their boats further inland than achieveable today. Similar story in Devon.

Thank you for the mussel tips. we have a few Belgian beer cafes here but nothing near as good as we experienced in Bruges 5 years ago.

We will be in touch. Best wishes

annhig

Also Falmouth, Will - the port was originally further up-river at Penryn but it has silted up over the years. Carrick roads is/are the 2nd deepest port in the world, so you get great hulks moored up awaiting destruction etc. right up by the King Harry ferry. sometimes they have been seized by customs or other authorities and the town fills up with russian or other sailors needing help from the townsfolk.

do your tastes stretch to whiskey? in which case you should hi to the village of Constantine near the Helford river and seek out the post office [it won't be difficult, there's only one street] which has the largest selection of whiskies this side of Bristol, roughly 200, and some fine wines too. more difficult to find is the terrific Trengilly Wartha Inn just outside the village where they do great food, and have a really good selection of wines by the glass. shame you're not staying 4 weeks, instead of 4 days.

regards, ann

annhig

here's the link to and article about the post office:

http://www.whatsonsouthwest.co.uk/article.php?id=6381

and here's one for trengilly wartha:

http://www.trengilly.co.uk/

Good_Will

Thank you Ann. You are right. We underestimated the variety of things to do and places to go in Cornwall and would have been much happier with at least a week to ten days. Fortunately for us the exchange rate has improved considerably so if you can hold it that way for a while we will be back sooner than we know.

We drink whiskey and have a few pure malts in the cabinet. The Athenaeum Hotel in London where we are staying is also known for its extensive whiskey collection. Good whiskey in Australia now to and particularly from Tasmania. Will probably need some in Cornwall as our winter temperatures here still exceed your near to summer temperatures there.

I am still wondering who King Harry was. I didnt think Canute's kids were active around those parts of Cornwall. Now a week to go. Thanks again

aussiedreamer

Hi Good-will (& annhig....remember me???).

With out jumping into this seemingly 'private' chat you have going on , can I just put my two cents worth in? We did the whole Rick Stein experience this time last year in Padstow and decided it was worth 'every cent'. Loved it. Also we stopped into the Portminster Cafe for morning tea as I was a fan of the tv series here (although it was called The Beach Cafe) with the Aussie chef.

Enjoy Cornwall, with Annhigs help, we sure did.

aussiedreamer

ps. we saw Jersey Boys in London LOVED IT, we're off to NYC in October, may see it there.

Good_Will

Hi aussiedreamer. I think we belong to the same dreamers club except that I dont think I can hang three full meals a day. Still trying to stay young and mobile

I will search out the coffee roaster near Padstow though - will need fresh coffee beans and you know how spoiled we are here in OZ with great fresh coffee. I need good crema.

Tried to get some bites from either side of the Atlantic on which was the better Jersey Boys production. We still havent locked in theatre/shows yet.

I think this thread is winding down, as we will go live next week and poor Ann has to do some work after taking much time to provide such a wonderful education here.

You may have sold us on Jersey boys in London rather than NYC.

Best wishes

aussiedreamer

Your welcome and happy and safe travels. (ps. not sure of your theatre thoughts, but we just rocked up on the afternoon and got great seats to Jersey Boys, Lion King and Billy Elliot. Cheaper and easier than TKTS were offering.)

Yep coffee is a real concern, better in the UK than the States though. Off to Melbourne on Wednesday....always good coffee.

Good luck

Good_Will

aussiedreamer, You are probably right about turning up to the theatre. Our well informed Fodorite friend C_W made the same suggestion. He explained the Leicester Sq. official and unofficial sales outlets. i.e spruikers v passive sales

I dont think they all realise that coffee is absolute top in Australia. Our Italian friends of course brought the great culture here to Australia and then we upgraded it with over 80 roasters in Sydney and Melbourne alone to replace the stale imported packaged product with fresh.

Search my profile name and the word Orvieto for light entertainment on the subject of Stateside coffee

Now back to the subject of Cornwall. I have a couple of Radio Tuner Sites on my Desktop so just tuned in to Atlantic FM Cornwall. I can rport that today the temperature in Cornwall is well into the 20's C. BBQ sales are booming and I am looking forward to more daylight hours.

Enjoy Lygon St et alia.

aussiedreamer

Very funny read. I have to say one of the best 'Italian Cappucino' (not to be confused with Australian cappucino) I've ever had was in a little coffee shop right by the Pantheon in Rome. But as stated it may have been the location and the locals I 'stood' at the bar with! And it was literaly outside our door. PLUS I just saw it in Angels and Demons......... so it must be good ha ha.

Alas, don't believe we will go to Lygon st this time. We 'discovered' Hardware Lane last trip so will take friends there this time.

On the BBQ sales are booming quote...... we were gobsmacked in the UK last year, that once the temp. reached about 22+ all the talk on the radio was of 'dusting' off the BBQ, quote funny. (I'm in Brisbane!!)

Good_Will

I think I have been there to near Pantheon after one of my visits to Giolitti. For me the ultimate coffe culture experience is standing at the bar just inside the door at Cafe Greco on Via Condotti - it is the original and predates the espresso machine which first appeared around 1901 in a rudimentary form.

A bit cooler in Cornwall today but absolutely miserable in Sydney and predicted to rain every day to and including departure. Will get the seeds tomorrow Ann.

annhig

Hi A/D [of course i remember you] and G_W

"cooler in Cornwall today" - don't you believe it. the east wind we've had for the last 2 days or so has dropped and today was a scorcher. 25'C outside and goodness knows what in the polytunnel. we just had to get our runner beans in and it was sweltering in our rather sheltered veg patch. it was a pleasure to do the watering in afterwards.

hope it lasts. G_W.

if you are on the look-out for local radio, try Pirate - it's what most locals listen to - those of us who aren't wedded to the BBC in its various forms.

regards, ann

alya

I always loved the King Harry Ferry - as a kiddie it was the highlight of my trip. It was always my ambition to live in one the house overlooking the river.

Although I can only imagine how hard it would be to get home at the end of the day.

Good_Will

Sweltering indeed We do that here at about 45C.
2 days to lift off . No time for radio. Have been challenged by seeds. We will see if we can get some waratahs tomorrow. they may work in the polytunnel.

annhig

alya,

those houses are to rent, or some of them. friends of ours stayed in one about 25 years ago. I'll do some more research if you are interested.

the ferry is bigger now so less waiting time, we still had to wait both sides on our most recent trip to the Roseland though.

GW - dont' worry about the seeds - just concentrate on the rest of your packing list.

regards, ann


regards, ann