The ‘loveliest seaside village in England’ that nobody is aware of the best way to pronounce | UK | News | EUROtoday

The most celebrated poet in Wales, Dylan Thomas, described this picturesque fishing village in Cornwall as “the loveliest village in England” while on his honeymoon. You only have to walk down to the harbour to see that it really is impossibly pretty. In fact, its stunning scenery is pure poetry.

Dylan and his wife, Caitlin Thomas, spent their honeymoon in Mousehole (Pronounced Mow-zel, who knew?) in 1937, having married just a few miles west in Penzance. The village is also said to have been an inspiration for Thomas’s most famous play, Under Milk Wood.  The Ship Inn in Mousehole was a favourite pub of Dylan Thomas, who liked a drink or two, and part of the bar is still called “Dylan’s Corner.” The 2008 movie Edge of Love, starring Matthew Rhys as Dylan, Sienna Miller as his spouse and Keira Knightley as his childhood sweetheart, data his romantic inclinations, little question impressed by this Cornish bolthole.

Literary connections apart, Mousehole is residence to probably the oldest pier in Cornwall, courting again to as early as 1266. And, whereas a small patch of sand on the western finish of the idyllic harbour isn’t an apparent seashore vacation spot by Cornish requirements, it may be an excellent household spot when it isn’t too busy. The city and harbour wall shelters you from the wind, whereas the ocean within the harbour is secure to swim in and hotter than past the wall. In early November of every 12 months, timber beams are laid throughout the doorway to the harbour with the intention to defend the village from the worst of the winter storms. On a powerful southerly wind, waves can nonetheless be seen breaking over the harbour wall at excessive tide.

Mousehole developed across the fishing commerce, showing in file books as a serious fishing port approach again in 1266. Legend has it the final fluent native speaker of the Cornish language lived in Mousehole. Some accounts say Dolly Pentreath was the final one who spoke solely Cornish, whereas others say she realized English on the age of twenty. According to journey guides, as you stroll in the direction of the harbour from the automobile park, you’ll go the home the place Dolly lived. It’s marked by a plaque.

For a tiny village, Mousehole has a reasonably large historical past. It was attacked by Spaniard, Carlos de Amésquit, in July 1595 and other than one home, all the village was burnt to the bottom. After burning the city of Mousehole, Amésquita and his males launched into their galleys and sailed for 2 miles, after which they disembarked once more, conquered and burned the fort of Penzance down, Newlyn, and Paul.

The epitome of Cornish tradition, Mousehole is infamous for its historic roots. Mousehole was as soon as very wanting meals within the 16^th century after storms stopped the native fishing boats from leaving the small fishing harbour. This went on till the day earlier than Christmas Eve, when Tom Bawcock determined to courageous the stormy seas and take his boat out to fish. He landed an enormous catch of fish regardless of the storm and battled his approach again to the harbour, the place the villagers of Mousehole warmly greeted him. The individuals had been so hungry that they positioned the fish they caught complete right into a pie, with the heads and tails protruding by means of the crust. This is the well-known “Stargazy Pie”. The individuals of Mousehole maintain a particular celebration on twenty third December yearly with a particular serving of Stargazy Pie within the Ship Inn and lantern processions.

Another Mousehole custom is The Good Friday Walk, when nearly all of the native inhabitants would stroll to both St Michael’s Mount or Lamorna within the hope of discovering a husband or spouse. After arriving in Lamorna, individuals would benefit from the surroundings of the cove and have picnics. Some would additionally go along with their mates to a neighborhood pub known as the Lamorna Wink. If you discover a pub in Cornwall known as a “wink”, this implies it was as soon as an unlicensed beer store and sometimes a spot the place individuals offered smuggled items. The “wink” identify comes from the truth that should you wished a number of the smuggled items, maybe brandy or tobacco, you’ll secretly wink on the landlord, who would then know what you wished. People nonetheless take the stroll each Good Friday, and the cliff pathway across the bay continues to be full of individuals having fun with the Easter vacation.

Mousehole’s biennial Sea Salts and Sail Festival (subsequent one is July 2026) additionally revives previous traditions and celebrates the heritage of West Cornwall’s most well-known fishing village, offering a day trip for all of the household. From Friday afternoon, scores of historic and basic vessels begin to seem on the horizon after which steadily assemble in and across the picturesque harbour, typically rafted a number of deep. Local bands present dwell music all through the pageant, and there’s a well-stocked meals and beverage tent. Sea Salts and sail may be very a lot a household pageant, so there’s loads of leisure for the youngsters. There’s poetry, storytelling, wooden and stone-carving to maintain the youngsters entertained.