Lighthouses – Travels with Ali

After checking out of our cute B and B in Hope Cove,Devon and saying goodbye to our dear friends and also Storm Eunice we headed off to Plymouth. Not before walking straight into Storm Franklin though! Below is a little video selfie on the seashore trying to get to the car.

The drive is just under an hour to Plymouth and we had planned to spend the morning there before driving onto Bath for the night. I can’t say I ever remember going to Plymouth so didn’t have any expectations. We were both pleasantly surprised by this wonderful little town so full of history and quaint cobblestoned lanes brimming with pubs and shops.

There is a dramatic looking Royal Citadel in Plymouth where we would loved to have had a wander, but we didn’t have the time to take in all the glorious detail of this gothic piece of architecture. Built in the late 1660’s to defend the coastline against marauding ships and pirates.

Above are photos of the streets and alleyways that we walked through.

Old and quirky buildings

This mural fascinated me as I could see it would have been quite stunning when first painted. It is located where the The House that Jack Built is and it is over the entrance to a wonderful selection of shops and cafes. I did some research on this mural and apparently there was one underneath this one that caused quite an outcry, showing 88 naked bodies. The mural today depicts “The Last Judgment” and “Dante’s Inferno” by an artist called Robert Lenkiewicz who has since passed away.

G and T anyone?
The Book Cupboard
Artistic Street names

I really enjoyed walking up and down these streets that didn’t seem to have changed for hundreds of years. The brickwork of the houses were so unusual.

As it was another dreary day we headed back to the car and drove out to look at the lighthouse and Drake’s Island.

Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse, originally built on the Eddystone reef in 1759, but was taken down in early 1880’s due to erosion. Most of the structure was moved stone by stone to where it stands today. It stands 72 feet high and is open to the public on weekends.

Looking over the wall down below stands the Tinside Lido. An art-deco style structure built in 1935. Apparently voted in the top ten of Europe’s outdoor pools. Only open during the summer months and is fully accessible to people of all needs. I have to say I was surprised about this little nugget of information as to me it looks quite derelict and in need of major renovation!

Drake’s Island currently uninhabited and has been since 1989. It was to open again in 2020 as a luxury holiday resort but due to Covid this has been put on hold. There is a wealth of knowledge about this island available at Drake’s Island. I would love to visit one day and soak up hundreds of years of history.

Plymouth is definitely a place I would come back to and maybe spend a night or two, have a walk around the Citadel and enjoy dinner in one of the many restaurants we passed by.

Off to Bath next!

For the next few days we would be exploring Launceston and some of the surrounding areas. George Town and Low Head were the destinations for today. We travelled along the East Tamar Highway alongside the Tamar River. Low Head is a suburb of George Town and sits right on the peninsula with a lighthouse at the top.

The above photo is of the Windmill Point Tree Sculptures. Depicting the workmen hauling ashore the telegraph cable that linked Tasmania to the North Island. Carved by chainsaw artist Eddie Freeman from macrocarpa trees.

One of the Tamar River Leading Lights

Low Head

Onto Low Head to have a look at the lighthouse and historic site that is up there. There is a carpark just below the lighthouse and after parking we made our way to the top. Constructed in 1837 by convicts, originally made of rubble with a coat of stucco. It was decided to build a lighthouse after a dozen ships were wrecked over the previous years.

Walking down the hill the to the sea, I could see some black and white birds on a rock. It said there were penguins nesting around so I had a look through my Canon Powershot and sure enough there were a “huddle” of penguins on the rocks.

I had to balance the camera on one of the rocks to keep my hands steady, I was very happy that they didn’t come out blurry.

I felt like I’d had a good workout by the time we got back to the top and into the car. Stopping again in George Town for a delicious lunch in a waterside restaurant called The Crazy Duck. We still had a few hours left before Laurence and Maddy were arriving from Melbourne that evening, I looked at the map to see if there was anywhere worth seeing on our return to Launceston. Deciding on Lilydale Falls we drove half an hour east away from the river.

Lilydale Falls

After parking the car we made our to the first waterfall which was around 15 minutes and then saw a path to the much bigger one. It did have a warning for this part of the walk to say there were no handrails and it was quite a way longer. I’m glad we made the effort though, not that it was an effort for hubby only me! There were huge trees and ferns all around and so peaceful. There were a few other people walking the trail but not enough to hold anyone up.

Getting back to the hotel around 5pm, I had just enough time for a rest before Laurence and Maddy arrived and then it was straight out to dinner.

Another walk to the restaurant called Cataract on Paterson. Wonderful lively restaurant with a great menu and friendly staff.

And then it was back to our prison block as hubby called our hotel! Actually it was a very nice hotel “Balmoral on York” but housed in a plain brick utilitarian building. Conveniently located with a super host and great reception staff. There was a cute breakfast room serving continental and cooked breakfasts. The rooms were perfectly fine with extremely comfy beds.

Tomorrow we would be heading to Cataract Gorge which was going to involve lots of walking!