Porthallow, Cornwall. September 2014.

Tom's parents have a cottage in Cornwall and, since we are very hard working PhD researchers, we went to stay there for a week.  We ended up just working a lot so there isn't much to tell, but there are a lot of pictures!

First up, the drive.  We took Tom's mom's dog, Moss, with us.  She was a great help acting as navigator.

Moss, navigator. 

We would have missed quite a few exits without her.  To be honest, on the drive back she slept and I was navigator...we got lost.

She worked for belly rubs.

The view from the end of the terrace of cottages.

We took a walk on the coastal path about the village.

Don't let the adorable look on her face fool you.....actually, no.....SHE IS PERFECT!

The house is upside down.  You enter onto the first floor (ground floor for you Brits), where there are two bedrooms and a bathroom.  On the second floor (first floor in British) is the kitchen and...

...living room.

We worked.  She slept.  She got the better deal.

This is Moss' favourite spot, keeping an eye on the beach.

She was keeping an eye on the swans.

The house has no internet or 3G service, so Tom used his beach time efficiently.

The village we stayed in is called Porthallow. Its tiny, maybe 30 houses and a pub (The Five Pilchards) at the end of a road in a cove on the Lizard peninsula (sadly, it is a pretty reptile-scarce place).  The nearest village (or it may be a town) is St Keverne.  It was a nice 20 minute walk away.

St Keverne's church.  

Sunrise in Porthallow.

The village seen from the beach at sunrise.

There are a lot of old roads that are now walking paths, like this one. 

The pub.

This one is for you grandma.  Hydrangeas grow wild down here.  The climate of Cornwall is amazingly warm.

This is an old bridge covered in moss.  I wonder how old it is.

Inside St Kevern's church.

And again...

And the south porch.

Tom trying to talk Moss into helping him with his research.

We took a drive to a tiny village called Gunwallow (I think I misspelled that).  There is a nice little cove and an old church over-looking the beach.

The view from the churchyard.

I am VERY glad I did not turn the corner of this church and find this statue at night!

We also went to Helford, a town on the Helford river estuary.  It was very pretty and a nice surprise.

Helford!

Helford selfie!

A pub, with a great view!

Back to Porthallow.  This is the view from the roof deck on the cottage.

Another one for you grandma.  I figured you'd appreciate the color scheme.

St Keverne.  There was a group of older people sitting in the square painting the church.

Moss 'Why are we stopping, there is so much that needs smelling!'

I actually went swimming.  In the sea.  In England.  In late September.  It was warm!

'Shut up and kiss me, you fool!'

There is a village nearby that has a B&B where you can stay in weird little cabins, tree house or...GYPSY WAGONS!

A view of the sea from that B&B.

Guard Moss!

Another example of our relationship.

Moss looking at me disapprovingly after I got us slightly lost.  'We weren't lost on the way down here, I seem to remember.' she said.