I visited Cornwall this week several days in a row, specifically the central part near the south coast where Daphne du Maurier lived and situated some of her stories. I was close to finishing reading her novel Castle Dor, which actually is a book completed by du Maurier but started by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. The book has a magical realist element to it, in that the Medieval legend of Tristan and Iseult (originating from Cornwall) is transplanted to the 19th Century. The past bleeds into the novel's present, and past dramas have to be relived....
A good yarn it is, although the prose does improve where (near imperceptibly) du Maurier takes over. Regardless of whether one buys into the romanticism that people see in all things Celtic, Cornwall has a stunningly historic landscape, and on my trip I visited the ancient hillfort of Castle Dor of course, believed to be the site of King Mark's castle. The first day of my trip had been incredibly wet, so I walked to the fort on the second day. Still got drenched by a heavy shower though! The second day also saw me discovering the stunning viewpoint of Helman Tor (including the "Logan Stone"), just when the sun was getting low, and rain had cleared the skies. I took some wonderful pictures, some of which I hope to turn into paintings soon.
I also found an old straw-filter cider press still in operation at Hay Farm, near Polruan (strong sweet cider...) and revisited pretty Polperro. But Helman Tor has now become my favourite spot in Cornwall.
