articles/Nature/malteseinvadecornwall-page3

Maltese Invade Cornwall - part 3 of 1 2 3 4

Published 01/04/2010

We walked down the 100 metres to Portwrinkle beach and a tiny cove. Waves were crashing in over the jagged rocks and the tiny breakwater that curves out into the wild waters. Tripods were quickly set up, weighted down and we were soon clicking away.

Next stop was the delightful harbour town of Looe, with its dainty houses perched on the terraced sides of the river, and colourful boats and yachts resting in their cradles at low tide. The wind was really blowing through the valley here and at one point I had to help an elderly lady cross the bridge spanning the river.

After a hot tea and a delicious Cornish pasty at a riverside cafe we drove off to the picturesque fishing village of Polperro. We immediately fell in love with this place. A narrow winding harbour, with boats high and dry at low tide, leads to two small breakwater arms, then to a sandy cove and finally a narrow channel between jagged cliffs to the open sea beyond. 'Had us all thinking of smugglers!

Somewhere along the way we met two English, fellow photographers who suggested a visit to Talland Bay which was only around a 45-minute drive away. We were not disappointed. A beautiful wild bay (at least in winter) with a pebbled beach and rock outcrops. Sloping into the bay down to the water's edge is a beautiful, smooth rock formation, magenta in colour. We could have done with some extra light to be able to pick out this unusual feature but we were quite happy with what we had in the bag.

By now it was getting late and we decided to call it a day. So after a short coffee stop in Looe, we headed for the cottage. A quick shower and it was time for dinner. Our landlord had suggested a restaurant just up the road called Finnygook. A name derived from the ghost of a murdered smuggler who supposedly still roams the narrow streets of the vicinity at night. An open fireplace was crackling inside and the steak was one of the best I've tasted.

On Wednesday we woke up to a gorgeous sunny day. Clear blue skies with not a single cloud in sight. We must have rubbed off some Maltese weather on the Cornish coast! The plan for the day was to drive for a couple of hours to St Ives, stopping at Carbis Bay, and then proceed to Land's End. Of course, there were several stops along the way as photo opportunities presented themselves in this beautiful and varied landscape.

St Ives is another delightful harbour town with an extensive sandy beach. Very popular in summer, we were told. The low tide presented numerable opportunities to capture abstract and semi-abstract images, kids playing on the wet sand and colourful boats adding to the chromatic spectacle. We spent quite some time here before heading west towards the Penwith Peninsula.

• Maltese Invade Cornwall page 1
  
• Maltese Invade Cornwall page 2
  
• Maltese Invade Cornwall page 3
  
• Maltese Invade Cornwall page 4
  

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