tamar valley news

I only show again this unusual picture of our beloved river Tamar looking unusually blue to provide an opportunity to advertise a BBC programme on the valley which manages to capture some of the essence of the beautiful place we live in (minus the mispronunciation of the place names) and which lies at the heart of this blog. The village of Gunnislake mentioned in the programme lies across the ridge at the top, and Cotehele is the building below the woods to the left of the picture. I am not sure if visitors from outside UK will be able to access the film but if you can it is well worth watching.

link to BBC programme

the view from Cotehele

 we were very lucky today to be taken up the North tower at Cotehele. The roof is reached via a very narrow steep flight of stone steps, and has a view towards Calstock and far across the Tamar valley. This is the same view as before (see link) but taken from a much higher vantage point and it includes the tudor roof of Cotehele itself.

meadow fritillaries

Fritillaries growing at Cotehele. For one moment I thought they were wild but one of the gardeners told me that they were planted (ours never flowered!). My flower book describes them as being "gregarious in damp meadows" which seems to fit them well. Below are some very large and bold marsh marigolds growing near Cotehele Mill.

Cotehele

 Up very early this morning to take some pictures at Cotehele. It was a misty morning and the light was very difficult being both bright and dull! This photo shows Calstock viaduct in the background running across the Tamar, with the magnolia in the gardens at Cotehele just coming into full bloom.

the bridge at Cotehele with crab apple blossom

steam gets to Cotehele

steam arrives at Cotehele this morning ... parking outside the pub of course (well, tea room now).

cotehele - traveller's joy

the Tamar at Cotehele (a few miles south of home), and below, traveller's joy (or old man's beard), a wild clematis, with a soft vanilla scent. The name is reputedly relatively recent (John Gerard in 16th century) but it is such a striking plant I find it difficult to think it did not have earlier names. The dry winter stems were smoked (hence boy's bacca and shepherd's delight). It had no use in herbal medicine and seems to have been valued for its habit of climbing through hedges by the side of roads, and providing shade.