Articles in ‘Cornwall’

Wild Cornwall cottage

August 17th, 2009

The Landmark Trust describe the location of their secluded granite cottage in strangely compelling terms - it’s for “those who worship the woods and the water and are prepared to be dominated by them.”  It sounds like a challenge, but suggests that those who allow themselves to be submerged in the exuberant Cornish nature will be richly rewarded. Frenchman’s Creek, made famous by Daphne Du Maurier, is a side creek of the Helford river, and its tidal ebb and flow are a constant reminder of the proximity of the sea.  More information

Portuguese Man O’ War reach Cornwall

July 29th, 2009

A group of eight Portuguese Man O’ War were found strewn on Tregantle beach near Whitsand Bay. Experts say they expect more to be brought in by prevailing winds. Daily Telegraph. These creatures, which are not actually jellyfish but a species called siphonophores, live in warmer waters than those around the UK but global warming is believed to be pushing them further north - ever closer towards Britain. They can in extreme cases provoke a cardiac arrest and death in particularly sensitive persons.

It is also interesting note that  Portuguese Man O’ War have also been seen increasingly more often on the coasts of Spain.

Note the English and Spanish etymology comes from the creature’s air bladder, which looks similar to the triangular sails of the 15th.century Portuguese man-of-war Caravela latina.

Dolphins killed by Navy exercises

June 17th, 2009

Exercises by the Navy may have led to the stranding of 26 dolphins on the Cornish coast last year according to  a scientific report published today.
The Independent