This rainy morning, we arrived off the coast of Fowey (pronounced Foy, rhymes with joy). The small port and limited docking facilities meant going ashore by tender (small boats, also rated as life boats). The ship operates an efficient tender service, so it doesn’t require much planning to avoid long waits for transport either from the ship or shore.
Fowey is an old town, dating to the 1400’s. It has been home to centuries of shipbuilders, seafarers and merchants trading in Cornish tin and French wine. Today the Fowey harbor is busy with visiting yachts and boats of all sizes and shapes owned by locals and those owning second homes.
The rain soon passed, making our time ashore perfect for wandering the narrow streets and footpaths. Our walk took us past historic homes and medieval merchant’s houses. The properties are still in use as restaurants, shops and offices.
Walking here requires good hearing, as most of the narrow streets do not have sidewalks. Fortunately, most are also one way, so you need only listen for cars approaching from a single direction and be aware of a wide spot or doorway to escape to.
The coastline is rough, with tall cliffs. The roadways and footpaths provide outstanding views. Add the flowers and it is a glorious outing, especially after days aboard ship. A side note, the rhododendrons were in full bloom. However, they are not a native species. As so often happens, these imported plants love the climate and grow like weeds here – which is how the local population views them. In some of the towns of southern England they are banned and efforts are afoot to eradicate them. As we feel the same way about gorse and starlings, it is hard to argue the point.
Besides a good walk, one of our goals for the day was to try a Cornish pastie. These are sandwiches made with crust filled with meat, chopped onions, potatoes and turnips. The dough is sealed, kind of like an empanada and baked. Originally a hearty lunch for the working man, they are now a traditional meal for all in Cornwall. Meeting our goal was a bit harder than anticipated. Restaurants don’t serve such mundane fare, preferring to lure tourists with nachos, pizza and burgers. When we finally found our pastie it was at a small establishment that did not take credit cards, euros or dollars. With it being a bank holiday and the town full of tourists, the line at the ATM stretched across the small square. Fortunately when sharing our disappointment with a fellow passenger, a Brit no less, we were loaned enough pounds to buy a couple of pasties for our midday repast. They are good, if a bit too much food for the middle of the day, and being Americans, a dollop of mustard or hot sauce would have been a nice addition to the experience.
Next stop Southhampton.
