Week 3: Trenewan to Plymouth
A lot of this week’s virtual journey followed close to the very scenic South West Coast Path, one of the National Trails of the U.K. It seemed like each day, as I checked out the route I’d just run on Google Street View, each little coastal town was more scenic than the next!
One spot on the map that caught my eye is the Wild Futures’ monkey sanctuary in Looe. Since 1964, Wild Futures has been educating the public about why primates don’t belong in captivity, and providing a safe, stimulating environment for animals saved from the exotic pet trade.
There are so many reasons why Plymouth is an important city; it’s been inhabited since the early paleolithic era, and has served as a key port and trading hub since the pre-Roman days of Brittania. But when I think of Plymouth, my mind always wanders to Sense and Sensibility. Part of the plot turns around Edward Ferrars’ having been educated at Plymouth, and secretly becoming engaged to his tutor’s daughter. Much of the truly beautiful 1995 Ang Lee film adaptation, for which Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay (winning an Academy Award!), was filmed at locations in and around Plymouth.
Saltram House stood in as the beautiful home and grounds that the Dashwood women have to leave at the beginning of the film.
Barton Cottage, the modest “cottage” to which the Dashwood women move, is Efford House, on the Flete Estate.
And Barton Park, Sir John Middleton’s estate house, is actually Trafalgar Park.
Other scenes from along the road this week are…
East Looe
Looking back at Downderry, on the way to Portwrinkle.
Portwrinkle, seen from the South West Coast Path.
The medieval chapel at Rame Head, dedicated to St. Michael. Photo by Joe D. at Wikimedia.
Fancy a pint?
Unlike the Naylor brothers, who pledged to “abstain from all intoxicating drink” during their 1871 walk on this route, I’m not at all opposed to popping into interesting-looking pubs along the way. Here are a few along this stretch of the journey:
The Blue Peter Inn, quayside in Polperro.
Built into the cliff by the outer quay of Polperro, the Blue Peter Inn has the feel of the captain's cabin on a galleon – low beams, wooden floors and paneled walls. From the upstairs dining room, there are views of the harbor, and the bar is known for featuring locally made beverages, like Cornish Orchards cider. Online reviewers also note the bar is dog friendly, and praised the vegan black bean & rice chili. I wasn’t able to track down an exact founding date, but this pub was referred to in travelers’ accounts at least as far back as the 18th century.
It’s amazing to think that parts of the Finnygook Inn date back to the fifteenth century… that it’s been welcoming travelers for 600 years. Today, in addition to serving as a local watering hole, the inn lodges many walkers taking on the South West Coast Path…and their dogs, of course. A couple years ago, there was a fire at the Inn, and fortunately the proprietors and their dog all escaped safely. The Finnygook reopened after two years of repairs just in time to be closed down again for the Covid-19 pandemic, but today it has reopened with physical distancing measures in place.
The view from inside the Finnygook Inn, Crafthole.
The Minerva Inn, Plymouth
The oldest pub in Plymouth is the Minerva Inn, founded around 1540. Some of the timbers are purported to have been salvaged from the Spanish Armada fleet, and (as a historic inn and bar) the building is also rumored to be haunted. The pub managers claim that ghostly experiences in recent years have included a levitating spoon, numerous instances of the cellar gas being turned off, the jukebox playing after it has been switched off, and a small figure standing at the bar. Their dogs apparently aren’t keen on that area of the pub, so maybe they sense something too.
Sustenance for the Hungry Vegan
A unique, out-of-the-way cafe housed in old barracks, and offering a small, seasonally driven menu, The Canteen at Maker Heights’ vegan options look delicious and every bit as creative as their options for omnivores.
One reviewer described the location as “off-the-beaten-track and at the top of the last hill on the Rame Peninsula before you meet the River Tamar.” Maker Heights is a campsite / cafe / artist studio run by a conservation trust, to preserve the area’s natural beauty and cultivate local arts and culture. Sounds like a good idea to me!
The Canteen at Maker Heights, from the outside and the inside.
In Plymouth, the Power Plant Cafe is an all-vegan restaurant, bakery, and retail space that offers a variety of bowls, sandwiches, and even a full brunch menu. The cafe just opened in the fall of 2019, in part via crowdfunding. Hope they are weathering the pandemic and will continue to feed the hungry vegans of Plymouth for many years to come!
Also in Plymouth, the Samphire Brasserie serves an 100% vegan menu, and also offers to-go deli options and baked goods. The menu is a mix of American-style “vegan junk food” like “finger lick’n” fried seitan, and a “bac-un mac attack” veggie burger, as well as veganized local favorites like fish & chips. Their cakes look amazing, and they also offer “mock-shakes,” frozen delights with no cows involved.
