Friday, October 07, 2016

ENGLAND 2016: Cornwall's Roche Rock and Parish Church


So, now I start a new set of posts on our 10 days in England, from September 23-October 2.  There will be no rhyme or reason to it...just what strikes my fancy for the time allotments I give myself each week.  I may even post irregularly, just to get it done.  HA!

Our main base while there was with Lisl and Michael in Bath, with whom we have myriad memories.  But in between their bookends, we spent 4 days in Cornwall with other mutual friends, Pauline and Chris (like last year).

Today I start in Cornwall with the village called Roche, just 2+ miles from where Pauline and Chris live.   Roche means "rock" in Norman-French and gets it's name from the outcropping of rock we went to visit that day.

OMG!  You see the Roche Rock from the road, just sitting there, 20 meters high (66 ft).

At the top is a ruined chapel dedicated to St. Michael.

To get the lay of the land, this was where we walked to get there, just off the side of the road.

And then we walked around it, taking in its various faces.

When we discovered you could actually climb to the chapel, yup...up she went!

Not to be outdone, of course, I had to follow suit!
(Thanks to Pauline below who documented the veracity of the event, both up and down.)

But at least I was smart enough to not follow Astrid to the upper level,
where she was able to take in these breath-taking views.
Once at the first level, I wasn't too proud to admit my legs were shaky.  HA!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Once down off the Rock, we drove into the village to visit the parish church dedicated to St. Gomonda. 

The 85 ft. tower is medieval, 15th century, but the rest of the church was rebuilt in 1822.

You know I always want these big views of the nave first.

And then come the details, the impressions.

The cushions in particular keep my interest in the English churches/cathedrals, large and small.

But what Pauline most wanted us to see was the "pulled tongue" on the ceiling (bottom-center).
Can you imagine that up there in the middle of a church service, staring down at you???

Short and sweet, Roche...the Rock and the Church.
But what a memory to start off with, right?!


16 comments:

  1. You are brave souls to climb that ladder! It's hard to imagine how that chapel was built there.

    It's as if the sculptor sent a raspberry on through the centuries! Love it!

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    1. These things just astound me, Marie...all of them. It makes it so fun to share!

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  2. Cornwall and Bath are so on my list for a visit one day!! Thanks for sharing...and so impressed with your climbing skills!

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    1. England has become our best second country, Robin...well, at least one of our top best second countries. HA! So glad to share it with you. One day you may decide to check it out, and if so, you have my blessing. :)

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  3. What a place to visit and going up there was a great experience. For some strange reason I never felt shaky or anything. The wind was not too bad and the view was grand. Once up on the rock I could see where a floor used to be and the roof. Can you imagine living there??? It was a wonderful experience. IHVJ and I think you are brave to follow me on the stepladder... HA hurray for the new knee....

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    1. Maybe my age is finally catching up with me? But at least I did what I did and am glad I did it. I'm also glad you were able to go to the top. If I had waited a minute, I would have gone, too. HA! We are so lucky to have been there. WOW.

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  4. Brave indeed, and worth the climb I think!

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    1. Definitely worth the climb, Ruth...just to say I did it, of course. HA!

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  5. A perfect portion to take in at one sitting. Roche Rock is definitely my kind of place. I spent 8 hours last Saturday exploring and photographing at Scranton Lace Works in PA. I climbed to the clock tower, but, like you, I refused to duck inside the clock movement and climb the ladder to the bell tower above it. Always good to know your limits. Today I climbed Cobble Mountain with my daughter and grandson, and he positively skipped down the rocky, leaf strewn trail on the way to the car as Melissa and I helped each other carefully down rock crevices and outcrops and over slippery leaves to the bottom.

    Cornwall is one of those places I’d really love to return to. We were on a schedule and spent much of our Cornwall time in a traffic jam on the tiny coast roadway.

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    1. It is, indeed, good to understand our limits these days, Ted. We're not spring chicks anymore (I guess you were never, ha!). Cornwall has become a place of special charm for me, now two years in a row. I will want to go back as often as possible. But I also feel the same way about all of England. It is a place set apart, Brexit or no Brexit.

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    2. I agree about England and especially the West Country. This morning I found myself down in the mill town talking politics with three Trump supporters. I was outnumbered. One lady was clearly troubled about voting for him. Ah, Brexit! Ah, Columbia! What’s next?

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    3. I can't imagine anything "next" being as bad as this, Ted. It's getting worse by the minute!

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  6. The photos are fab, I am so glad you had a good time on your trip to England.

    I would have wimped out on climbing the ladder. I am glad you didn't :-)

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    1. Thank you, Cherry. I've never been a wimp in my life, but I did have sense to not climb the last level where Astrid went. My shaky legs were a message I heeded to leave good enough alone. HA!

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  7. Cornwall is very intriguing to me. During my late teens and early 20s when I devour romance novels most of the men live in Cornwall. I wanted so much to see Cornwall, I might find my knight in shining armor there :)

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    1. HAHAHA! It is definitely a charming place, Maria, but but an area of the country that is flourishing economically. I would love to see more of it and am hoping we can do so, year after year.

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