OVER THE WALL AND FAR AWAY...

This was the scene yesterday as the westerly gales swept over the harbour wall at Lamorna Cove in Cornwall. (Click on photo for larger image.)

Lamorna is another of my favourite places in the ancient Kingdom of Kernow. It`s a bit hidden away down a narrow lane which follows the Lamorna valley down to a cluster of houses, a cafe and the harbour, which was built for the transportation of granite quarried from the cliffs along this part of the coastline.

It`s very different in summer, of course. The car park gets pretty busy, although we`ve never really had a problem finding a space. Apart from the scenery and the `atmosphere` of the place, Lamorna`s greatest attraction has to be the cafe, which serves the most formidable cream teas imagineable. I had one once, but had to admit defeat. The cream tea won.

A word about the photographer. Charles Winpenny lives at Pool, which is half way between Redruth and Camborne, under the lea of Carn Brea. Almost every day of the year, he ventures forth to take photographs of Cornwall and post them on his excellent website - http://www.cornwallcam.co.uk/ . Here`s another one he took of Lamorna yesterday, showing the aforementioned cafe, deserted in the winter storm:-

(click again)

The notice containing the Government Health Warning about the cream teas seems to have been taken in for the winter. I`m sure Charles won`t mind me nicking a couple of his photos but, just to show what Lamorna can look like in the summertime, here`s one I took a couple of years ago:-

(and again....)

An idyllic scene, so different from the stormy days of winter. And yet, given half a chance, I would have enjoyed being there yesterday, feeling the power of nature, breathing in the bracing air and maybe, just maybe, being grateful that the cafe remained closed.