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Took ferry to St. Mawes, which was a bit of a flashback since I spent most of a spring-summer term at uni on the old St. Mawes ferry. (it's great when you get to the stage where you're riding for free or you coming haring down the pier, the boat's just about to pull away, they stop just for you and you hurl yourself on, and the passengers are giving you distinctly odd looks because the ferrymen are laughing their heads off at your breathless state) One photography project that was all colour and all aspects of the ferry, got told it wasn't focussed enough, so muttered 'right', and went and took harsh b+w portraits of the passengers, all of which seemed to make them look like proud, arrogant sods which were somehow a million miles more powerful. Maybe it was the angle. I've never figured out how that happens.
Anyway, it was a chilly ride as usual (I refrained from pointing out to some of the tourists that they should try it in November, it's seriously bleak), then went up St.Mawes castle. Which proved once again that audio books are too slooooooow. St. Mawes and Pendennis on the Falmouth side are interesting, since unlike most castles, these were built specifically around cannon useage. (Henry VIII built 'em to cover a rather gaping hole in the south coast's defences - biiiig natural harbour, an estuary and river that you can get an entire armada up - you can see the problems) Round interlinking turrets built to take cannonball bombardment, the walls built with gun sections rather than having to be modified to fit later, holes to funnel away heat and smoke, and a purpose-built powder magazine. Which meant there were almost no modifications made come 20th century when they were put into use for WWI and II. Modifications for cannon on old sea forts are normally really, really obvious, but here, it was already set up. Rest of St. Mawes is almost classic seaside village, where the most there really is is several tourist-shops, a couple of galleries, a post office, a spar, several cafes and hotels and one estate agents. Always deeply sad, as it's obvious that they do all their shopping in Falmouth or upriver.
Now I think I find food.
Anyway, it was a chilly ride as usual (I refrained from pointing out to some of the tourists that they should try it in November, it's seriously bleak), then went up St.Mawes castle. Which proved once again that audio books are too slooooooow. St. Mawes and Pendennis on the Falmouth side are interesting, since unlike most castles, these were built specifically around cannon useage. (Henry VIII built 'em to cover a rather gaping hole in the south coast's defences - biiiig natural harbour, an estuary and river that you can get an entire armada up - you can see the problems) Round interlinking turrets built to take cannonball bombardment, the walls built with gun sections rather than having to be modified to fit later, holes to funnel away heat and smoke, and a purpose-built powder magazine. Which meant there were almost no modifications made come 20th century when they were put into use for WWI and II. Modifications for cannon on old sea forts are normally really, really obvious, but here, it was already set up. Rest of St. Mawes is almost classic seaside village, where the most there really is is several tourist-shops, a couple of galleries, a post office, a spar, several cafes and hotels and one estate agents. Always deeply sad, as it's obvious that they do all their shopping in Falmouth or upriver.
Now I think I find food.
