Carnglaze Cavern
The morning got off to great start when Joel walked in on an old man on the toilet.
It was a gentle reminder to us all to always lock the toilet door. Occupado!
You’ll find Carnglaze Cavern on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor, halfway between Bodmin and Liskeaard and just off the A38. Alternatively, you’ll find Carnglaze Cavern at the end of your journey when you type it into Google Maps/Waze.
The Caverns consist of three man-made caves formed as part of a slate quarry, back in the day. Admission to the cavern is £8 for adults – so about the price of a Cornish pasty. A one-way system has been introduced to combat Covid, and hard hats are required.
I also went with my yellow hoody for extra visibility. It’s dark in there! It’s almost like being blind! ……… (one for the Father Ted fanatics)…
We plunged into the belly of the earth to look at rocks and crystal clear waters.
The underground lakes reminded me of the lake in the cave in Half-Blood Prince; translucent and still like glass.
The lights are nice but, if I’m honest, it looked more spectacular on TikTok. God, look at me referencing TikTok like a bloody teenager. Still, it was nice to get out of the heat.
Nowadays the upper cavern is used as music venue with a capacity of 400 people. Now THAT would be interesting to experience, with a proper light show and music reverberating off the cavern walls.
Truro
We weren’t sure what to do after the caves but we eventually decided to drive the 35 miles to Cornwall’s county town and only city. We parked in the city centre and headed for a pasty.
Warrens Bakery claim to be the oldest Cornish pasty maker in the world. What is certain however is they do a good Cornish pasty. Mmm mmm mmmmm.
As Joel, Andy and Taras went shopping, Brendan and I went for a wander to see the beautiful Truro River.
Complete with traffic cone and shopping trolley.
Tbh we’d come at a bad time. Despite being miles and miles away from the English Channel, the river is still tidal and at this time, the water was out. Alas.
When the other lads joined us we made our way through the twisting, narrow streets to Truro Cathedral.
It’s big.
Entry is free though as with most places like this, they ask that you leave a donation. Andy doesn’t like being forced to take off his cap for a God he doesn’t believe in to see something that he doesn’t care about, so he waited on a bench whilst Brendan, Joel, Taras and I entered.
It’s probably better I show off some of Brendan’s work now rather than my shitty phone snaps.
Let me hit you with some Truro Cathedral FACTS.
- It was built in the 1880s – it purposely looks more ancient as it was designed in the Gothic Revival style.
- It was the first ‘new’ cathedral to be built in Britain for 800 years.
- The old 16th Century church that used to stand here was only partly demolished – the remainder serving as the cathedral’s Lady Chapel – in which I saw an actual service taking place with a solitary Christian in the pews. Take from that what you will.
All religioned out, I left a small donation and exited.
We made our way back to the car, but not before Andy stopped by Sports Direct and bought himself a child’s England t-shirt for the following day’s game against Germany. As England would eventually get further in the competition, I would grow more and more regretful that I did not follow Andy’s lead in buying a cheap £9 England t-shirt. Bloody steal.
Godrevy
It was time for another drive across Cornwall, this time to see Godrevy Beach on St Ives Bay. It’s run by the National Trust as is among surfers, nature watchers and those who fancy a bit of a sunbathe. So I’m pretty sure we took a wrong turn somewhere on our way.
Nevertheless, we arrived with our bodyboards and swim trunks at the ready. It was 4:30pm but still it was a little strange to see so few cars parked up. Were we about to have a near-empty beach all to ourselves?!
YES. What a blessing.
But wait…
Swimming was not advised due to CSO discharge. AKA: sewage.
Dunno about you, but I see this as a red flag.
Well, I was well and truly put off, so my clothes stayed on. Joel, Andy and Brendan decided to risk getting hepatitis and went in anyway.
Sun, sea and sewage.
I settled on the sand to sunbathe. Sadly, the clouds and tide had other ideas and soon we had to move to avoid the latter. Brendan went onto a rock to clean his feet and don his shoes and was then trapped by the incoming water.
OK, maybe “trapped” is a strong word. He didn’t want to get his shoes wet.
We retreated inland. Joel, Andy and I found a park bench to sit and play with Andy’s Lion King playing cards. Meanwhile, Brendan and Taras walked up the cliff to take photos of Godrevy Lighthouse.
For tea we headed back along the Bay to a town called Hayle, where I had booked us into the Grameen Tandoori.
This is Cornish cuisine, right?
It was a great meal tbf. I enjoyed it so much I accidentally stole a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Belly’s full, we headed back to Redruth – our long day of driving around Cornwall complete. I decided to really treat Andy and Taras with a night out at Aldi.
Redruth ALDI
No visit to Redruth is complete without a visit to the local Aldi store. It boasts a wide variety of produce, Mexican food and chicken thighs (that a couple of days later I had to return and swap as they had gone funny). In the alcohol section you’ll find a wide variety of beverages, including some locally sourced ales such as St Austell’s Proper Job – which I do enjoy consuming.
With famously low prices, it is an essential shop for all out-of-towners who want to fill up their B&B cupboards and be reminded of the North where prices aren’t so bloody inflated.
It’s safe to say, the lads had a great time.
#VidOnTour 