One of the Cornish days was just spent around and about Penzance. With a day visit from Lynne (dovegreyreader) we all three enjoyed a lovely sunny visit to Penlee Gallery “The artistic heart of West Cornwall’s history”. There’s a nice cafe where we had lunch before wandering around the galleries.

Next up was a short taxi ride to Polgoon Vineyard just a couple of miles out of town. What a beautiful location! We learned about this venture set up in the early 2000s on a sunny slope looking out to sea and the microclimate which enables the owners to produce award-winning wines and ciders. The tour includes a walk through the vineyard to the grape vines (some nurtured outside and others in poly tunnels) and orchards. A description of the various traditional and modern processes (pressing and fermentation) involved and finally, a tasing of five different wines. I’d tasted the cider in Newquay where the waitress had recommended booking the vineyard tour.

Chandelier in the shop

Apple trees in blossom

We learn about growing grapes

What a view!

Penzance has three bookshops! All three are excellent and we visited them all. The Edge of the World is the main stockist of new books on the main drag – Market Jew Street; Barton Books on Causewayhead stocks art books (art in the broadest sense of the word) mostly new but a few secondhand and is a special delight; Newlyn Books in Captain Cutter’s House on our very own Chapel Street, just a stone’s throw from the Egyptian House, “offers an eclectic collection of excellent quality antiquarian and second hand books in its new premises in Penzance. A traditional second hand bookshop, where you are free to browse the selection of books with everything from art and design, books of Cornish interest and other travel titles to cookery, lifestyle and more. A wide range of fiction is also available.” In the antique mall opposite us I picked up a full set of the Famous British Authors cigarette cards for a bargain price! There was also a very decent selection of secondhand books which might be overlooked by browsers unaware of their existence on the first floor of the mall.