After a nice lazy start to the day we set off about 10.30 am for a day out exploring Bodmin Moor and surrounding area………it’s definitely the right time of the year to be in Cornwall, it’s quite quiet, with not too much traffic on the lanes. Driving the Cornwall lanes is not for the faint hearted…they are very narrow with passing places every 50/100 yards or so, steep sides, which although are very pretty, they don’t allow you any chance of seeing oncoming traffic. The locals know the lanes and travel at high speed looking surprised when tourists crawl towards them.

We set off towards Lostwithiel and then turned up left heading for Bodmin town. The hedgerows were really colourful …not just the wild bluebells, bright green ferns,campions, and cowslips but also some purple and pink rhododendrons, pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, and yellow bougainvilleas, pink and orange Azalea Japonicas and even a bottlebrush in flower… what a horticultural show.

It appeared that we were definitely on a ‘Jackson’s Mystery Tour’ , or as John called it today a ‘lost in the middle of nowhere tour’!!! It’s great when you come across small caring communities.

Arriving in Bodmin we went to the preserved railway station. We didn’t intend to go on a steam train today as we had done it the last time we were down…but we did intend to have a wander around the station but there was absolutely no where to park, so we gave it a pass

…..more about it at the end of the week when I’ll post a page of sights and things to do.. We drove up to the Keep which houses The Cornish Army Museum.

……..it looked interesting and we hadn’t been before but once again the parking defeated us and as it was just starting to drizzle we didn’t fancy the town car park and the quite long walk…so on we went….John routed us through more little lanes, small communities before we arrived up on the moors.

They were absolutely beautiful…the yellow gorse, lambs, sheep, highland cattle, calves, and a few ponies all wandering wild…what a picture.

We stopped at Colliford Lake for Coffee, before meandering on. A while later we returned to the lake for our picnic lunch.

With the gale force wind it was not the sort of day to find an big bush!!! so John very obligingly routed us via Jamaica Inn located high on Bodmin Moor by the A30 about midway between Launceston and Bodmin.

The Inn is a traditional inn which was built as a Coaching Inn in 1750, and has a historical association with smuggling. It has been made famous when it became the setting for Daphne Du Maurier’s 1936 novel  Jamaica Inn which is about the nocturnal activities of a smuggling ring. She evidently was inspired into writing it during her stay at the Inn in 1930. Many of her books were set in Cornwall She died from heart failure in her sleep on 19 April 1989, aged 81, at her home in Par, Cornwall.

Jamaica Inn is also referenced in “Jamaica Inn”, a song by Tori Amos…. she is said to have written it while she was driving along the cliffs in Cornwall, and was inspired by the legend she had heard of the inn. Today the Inn includes a gift shop, farm shop, hotel and restaurant…..it’s name has certainly made it into a very viable business. John treated me to a new Teddy to add to my collection…. We have called him Will, after the Duke of Cornwall !!!!

After leaving Jamaica Inn we headed back to Par, only managed to get lost once….again a lovely day out, seeing some new, old and unexpected sights and scenery. Another night in today…I’ve had to move ‘Stirfry Monday’ to Tuesday this week !!! And yes for once I did remember to bring the wok!!