In a comment to my post on Porthleven Sidney Wood says that I stirred memories of a walk he had in that area. This is a talent I didn’t know I had, but I am glad that he enjoyed my post. You can see part of the coast path in the picture with his destination, Porthleven, in the distance on the extreme riɡht.
His walk started at Prah Sands. This is an alternative, and I think older, spelling of Praa Sands. The pronunciation of the name is a trap for non-locals. It is preɪ not prɑː. In 1331 the name was recorded as Polwragh, which means “witch cove”.
Also in the picture is one of the mine engine-houses that Sidney talks of. One of the mines is called Wheal Prosper, but that turned out to be a misnomer. It started production in 1860 and closed in 1866.
Inland from this part of the coast there are a couple of places whose names have caught out many an upcountry person. The first is Germoe. It’s ˈɡɜːməʊ not ˈdʒɜːməʊ. The second is Breage — briːɡ or breɪɡ not briːdʒ or breɪdʒ. Both of these places are named after what an article on Cornwall in last weekend’s newspaper called “dubious Celtic saints.”
My thanks to Mrs M, who took the picture.
A very nice picture indeed. It looks like a painting.
Cornish placenames are a minefield. The one safe rule is look them all up. You can see Ludgvan is going to be a trap before it even gets over the horizon, but who’d imagine you’d stumble at Falmouth?
I knew about Breage, but Germoe caught me. How about an r in Germoe – aren’t they still rhotic there?
We had a distant cousin about 150-200 yrs ago, a clumsy carpenter, who appeared briefly at Germoe. He married into an enterprising family of fishermen and boatowners near Penzance, was given charge of a boat carrying ore to Cardiff and bringing back coal. He managed to sink it of course. He ended his sad days in and out of Bodmin police station, a little too fond of the bottle. Just a glimpse of what went on at Germoe, where he was probably already more concerned about his bottle than his hammer.
PS. Thank you Mrs M. Perfect.
@Beatrice & Sidney
I have conveyed your appreciation of the photo to Mrs M.
@Sidney
Yes ˈɡɜːrməʊ, or to get even more Cornish ˈɡɜːrmɔː, would have been more accurate. I guess I was GB-ising a bit.
To Mrs and Mr M:
Mind your steps while walking along the cliffs!