Tag: National Trust

Milky Way Over St. Michael’s Mount

Are there some places you would like to go to or things you would like to do, but haven’t because you want to do them with another adventurous person? One such experience I tried this summer was getting a photo of the Milky Way over St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, England.

St. Michael’s Mount at low tide.

St. Michael’s Mount is an island that can be reached at low tide by foot. There is a castle and medieval church on the island. The site is maintained by the National Trust. During the day time, one can walk over and see some of the rooms inside the castle. At high tide there are boats that can ferry you across. The St. Aubyn family live in the castle.

Tour

I would never never attempted to do this alone, even if I had stayed in Marazion, the Cornish town on the other side of the causeway. Instead I completed a day tour with Photograph West Cornwall. Ken Whalley took me to scenic spots on the Cornish coast by day, then later at night we attempted to get these shots at St. Michael’s Mount. Ken is a outstanding landscape photographer who leads tours in Cornwall in villages south of Port Isaac. He is knowledgeable about the time tables for tides, events in the sky, and weather. He informed me long before I arrived this may be a possibility if the sky cooperated. The added bonus was Ken and his wife treated me like an old friend.

If you are interested in seeing Cornwall south of Port Isaac through the eyes of a landscape photographer, book a tour with Ken Whalley and Photograph West Cornwall.

For more information look here: http://photographwestcornwall.com

To see some of his work, this is the Facebook page for his business: https://www.facebook.com/Photographwestcornwall/?eid=ARDnpqg1FH1Z_9FJl7n9hpMLWiY1rwqqq6cJbdlM_GAms6Yy_R9fC8WNOgHeg07My1ngT6Tow8kFVluQ&timeline_context_item_type=intro_card_work&timeline_context_item_source=100004050793544&fref=tag

Culross

Culross, Scotland is one of those places that hits two birds with one stone. It is a filming location for Outlander and quite a pretty little town.

Filming Location

Culross appears as the fictional town of Crainsmuir in Outlander. It featured in both season 1 and season 4.

The Merkat Cross (Market Cross) was the center of Crainsmuir. It was the location in Outlander where Geillus was sentenced to burn for being a witch. It is also the location where Claire and Jamie rescue Tammas Baxter, the tanner boy. The Merkat Cross also features in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). In Captain America Culross stood in for a Norwegian town. In season 4 of Outlander, Bree is rescued from the cold by Laoghaire near the Mercat Cross and she discovers she is Jamie’s daughter.

The town has lovely cobblestone streets.

Laoghaire’s house for outside shots is also near the Mercat Cross.

Other movies filmed in Culross include 39 Steps, The Little Vampire, and Kidnapped.

The Town

Culross is a very well preserved 17th century town. It has buildings that are being maintained by the National Trust. There are many beautiful spots within the town. I was on a tour, so I had limited time to spend. If you are staying in Edinburgh and have access to a car it is about 25 miles away. It is around 33 miles from Glasgow.

They do have a few nice little shops and restaurants. We ate at the Biscuit Cafe. I had a nice soup and a friend traveling with me had flatbread pizza. Both meals were very tasty.

I recommend stopping here for more than just an hour or two. The cobblestone streets are not busy with cars. It is a charming location to walk around and take in the 17th and 18th century architecture.

You can walk up this path to get stunning views of the village from above.
Views from above the town

Godrevy Lighthouse

Sometimes I like to tick off two boxes at once when I travel. When viewing wildlife it is also nice if the area you go to has a lovely view. If you are like me you may want to visit the area near Godrevy Lighthouse. Not only can you view seals, but you also have gorgeous views as well.

Godrevy Lighthouse is on Godrevy Island in the Atlantic Ocean off Cornwall, England. A stone reef stretches from Godrevy Island towards St. Ives. Many vessels shipwrecked it that area prior to the lighthouse being constructed in the 1850s.

Seal on Godrevy Island taken from the tour boat Little Mermaid.
Seals and Other Wildlife

There are a variety of animals to view in the area. Grey seals are around in the summer, however, the numbers increase in fall, and in winter you may see close to one hundred. The island and area boasts a variety of seabirds including pipits, oystercatchers, gulls, and cormorants. Occasionally a dolphin or basking shark may be viewed.

Seals swimming onto the rock. We were told the darker ones were young ones and the lighter ones were older ones.
Enjoying the sun
Godrevy Island and Lighthouse taken from the Little Mermaid tour boat.
Viewing

There is more than one way you can view the lighthouse. Godrevy Beach is run by the National Trust and they provide parking areas. Another way way you can view it is to board a tour boat from St. Ives. More than one company presently takes people around the island. I took the Little Mermaid from St. Ives and I also viewed the lighthouse from the National Trust property.

Close-up of the lighthouse from the tour boat.
A third way to get to Godrevy? We saw some paddle boarders make their way over to Godrevy. This paddle boarder took his dog. You can see a seal popping his head out of the water on the right. With the rocks around the island I am not sure I would recommend this.
Literary Ties
View of Godrevy Island and Lighthouse from St. Ives

It is said Godrevy Lighthouse was the inspiration for “To the Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf. Woolf spent many summers in St. Ives. You can see Godrevy Lighthouse from there.

Filming Location

Godrevy appears to have been used as a filming location or backdrop for TV and film. Blue Juice, a 1995 British surfer film staring Catherine Zeta Jones and Ewan McGregor was shot there. It also appears the lighthouse may have been used as a location for the TV show Doc Martin in series 9 Episode 1. Pictures of a boat in the Hayle area with the characters Doc and PC Penhale aboard appeared online in April 2019. My tour guide, a local, said the rumor was Martin Clunes was flown out by helicopter to the lighthouse island to shoot scenes.

The coast of Cornwall is stunning and you really can’t go wrong visiting its many seaside villages and hotspots. By boat or by land this area is worth a stop.