March 23rd the weather was grey, the wind keen, but our happy band of walkers soon warmed up, setting off from LESNEWTH Church, via footpaths to St Juliot church at Hennett. Thomas Hardy met his future wife, Emma Gifford, the rector’s sister-in-law here. Detailed etchings on the glass window.
We back tracked a little to pick up a lovely trail through the woods alongside the River Valency which eventually took us into Boscastle. Sunday afternoon the bakery, other shops and pubs were open and a good crowd milling around. We watched some ducks on the river then climbed up Forrabury hill to St. Symphorian church, perched high above the town, and went even higher as Peter lead the way up ladders in the tower onto the roof. Just one bell here to chime. Were there plans to have more? Folklore says maybe … the infamous Rev. Hawker, of Morwenstow, wrote a poem “The Bells of Forrabury”.
We were told that when Dawn French visited whilst filming she donated the 2 angels. Urgent repairs are needed to the roof, plaster is falling from the ceiling and a mesh with netting is strung up so the church can remain open.
We stopped at the site of Bottreaux castle, from which Boscastle gets its name, the settlement here predated any harbour settlement and those homes with 1/2 door entrances.
Back into the woods past Home Farm to Minster church, in the 12th century it became a monastic site, bats have taken over the tower now and are well protected. Leaving the church grounds via the woodland track we saw the gravestone to Joan Wytte, wrongly accused of witchcraft at Bodmin, Gaol died 1813.
We dropped down to the river again, over a footbridge to Newmills, another footbridge back over and a steep incline up to the entrance to Trafalgar, track to Treworld and lane back to St Michaels at Lesnewth. TOTAL 8 Miles.
