Autumn on the River Fal

For centuries a Ferry has crossed the beautiful River Fal. The King Harry Steam Ferry has been in operation since 1888, although steam has not actually been used to propel the ferry since 1956 when conversion was made to diesel electric propulsion.

It is a well established fact that there has been a ferry at King Harry Passage for centuries. There are conflicting stories about the name of King Harry. One being that King Henry VIII spent his honeymoon with Anne Boleyn at St. Mawes Castle, and signed a charter for the ferry on this site.

The King Harry Ferry is 1 of only 7 remaining chain Ferries operating in England. The present ferry (No. VII) was launched at Falmouth, Cornwall in April this year. The inaugural crossing was made on 9th May 2006.

It is a vital link between Feock and the Roseland, which, in itself, is a major tourist attraction.

Obviously we went across, and it was a unique experience.

Above left: My son getting to know the Ferry-Folk. The old guy in the hat wasn't much of a talker though. | Above right: On the ferry's bridge, looking back to Trelissick with The Lookout central in the background.

Above left: Another of the mysterious maritime statues that has found a home here. My son decided to call this guy Albert, since he was reminded of Buster Merryfield in "Only Fools & Horses". | Above right: The ferry under way (Insert - Our car, onboard and in holiday mode)

Above left: A 16th century water mill on the Roseland | Above right: Jacky, waiting for lunch.

Below left: Jacky exploring on the Roseland | Below right: Lost in the rainforest!

After the storm - a rainbow. Ending (apparently) right behind Trelissick House! Trelissick Gardens are quite literally a stone's throw away from the Lookout.

On the river

It was a fairly wet week, in more ways than one! We had nearly 3 days of warm clear weather though, together with the use of the boats belonging to our hosts. The opportunity to explore the area by boat proved the high-spot of the holiday, and there's no doubt we'll be returning in pursuance of our nautical ambitions.

Left: (rear) The Josephine. A Drascombe Lugger with (at the time) a temperamental outboard. Didn't fancy sailing on the day, so she didn't go far. In front is the Lady Julia, a high powered cruiser owned by the King Harry Ferry's MD. We were lucky enough to get a trip out in her when the engine failed on the lugger - many thanks to Geoff from KHF for that, it was a rare treat! | On the right is the Lady Lydia, a Plymouth Pilot which was at our disposal for much of the holiday (weather permitting). She provided us with many hours happy voyaging, and proved an ideal vessel to explore the mudflats outside a local pub .

Below left: Geoff and me fetching Josephine from her mooring.

Above right: Josephine's motor wouldn't behave, so Geoff gave us a trip in the Lady Julia instead! Just approaching the pontoon to pick up the rest of the gang here.

Below left: Cruising in the Lady Julia. | Below right: Suzuki 4-stroke - around 25 knots in open water! Sadly, the limit here is 8 knots.

A trip up the river to Smugglers Cove.

Below: Pete Pugwash on the tiller.

Above: 1st sight of the Windsor Castle

The Windsor Castle (originally Fingal). Previously a lighthouse tender, the Windsor Castle has been "laid-up" on the river Fal for around 7 years. Said to be owned by the hugely rich and eccentric Bamford family, it is reputed by local people to be a "floating gin palace". We'd have been more than happy to go aboard and dispel that rumour, but unfortunately no one dropped us a rope (or even a G'n'T).

Above: The Smugglers Cottage. A unique and ancient establishment serving cream teas, lunches and etc. beside the river Fal. It was closed for the season during our visit, so we cheated by having a flask of tea and a scone in the boat, whilst enjoying the location.

The trip south to Restronguet Point.

Below left: Preparing Lady Lydia for the voyage. | Right: Connor and me getting our sea-legs.

Below: A loose salute from 1st mate Scallywag.

Below left: Me and our salty dog Gus, settling down for the trip.

Above right: Final destination, Pandora's Inn, a 16th Century pub on the waterside at Restronguet Point.

Below: The visit was a little longer than we planned - no sooner had we tied up the boat when the tide went out and left us "marooned" (see insert). I'd thought pontoons were designed to stop that happening, but Cornwall is full of surprises. As you can see, there are worse places to be stranded! Thanks again to everyone for not laughing too loud (at least not while we were listening!) when we eventually returned.

A great week, and one of the best holidays we've had in the UK!

Many thanks to all concerned from

Pete, Jacky, Connor &
Gorgeous Gus the greyhound.

And in 360 degree panorama

Our Autumn Holiday