April - Cornwall Tour

Cornwall Tour - Day 1

Departed from the Beacon Centre Chippenham this morning .. Little do my fellow travelling companions know it's been over 20 years since I was last allowed to drive a minibus!

First stop on the M5 at Exeter service station for Coasta coffee, then on to Indian Queens to find a little known early Methodist preaching pit. Opened in 1850 as "The Indian Queens united Wesleyan Sunday School Amphitheatre" - bit of a mouth full but certainly worth the visit and a great place for lunch even if the wind has picked up.

Onward after lunch to meet the rest of the group who came down last night to Truro

Indian Queen's Preaching Pit

Who is Billy Bray? is the question, a quick visit to the last remaining chapel of three that he built for the Cornish Bible Christians. This one at Baldhu. A tin miner who was converted after reading John Bunyan's book, "Visions of heaven and hell" in 1823. A local preacher for over 43 years, he was a poor singer but believed that God liked him to sing, much to the dismay of his congregations!

Billy Bray Chapel

Gwennap Pit is next, these Cornish lanes are not meant for such large buses.. How do coaches get here?

Gwennap Pit

John Wesley was good at many things, but I suspect Maths wasn't one of them, as he reckoned that 32,000 people came on one occasion to hear him preach... I can't see how they would all fit into such a place. His journal records that on the 6th September 1762 "the wind was so high that I could not stand" - now that I can believe.

Final visit of the day to find Gwithian Chapel near Hayle...

No this is the correct way according to "Jane" my new SatNav Guru.. No sign of the Chapel, but we found a delightful tea room and share hospitality over tea and cake, Good job our Church Parish Nurse is sitting on another table... More tea Vicar!

Gwithian

Still can't find the Chapel, never mind tomorrow is another day...

Strange was that a Pirate in the car park?, surely not, no must be seeing things, No it was a Native American Indian! It seems that our hotel has in our short absence been over run with Indians and Pirates.. Maybe Peter Pan has arrived.. what adventures are awaiting us?... You will have to wait for tomorrow's post to find out.