During a week’s family holiday in Polzeath, North Cornwall, we enjoyed a six-day heatwave (yes, a high pressure system sat over us). I slipped away from the beach-lounging for a couple of days of clue-hunting walks. It was a bumper harvest of signs. I could list well over a hundred decent ones from those short warm explorations, but here are my favourites.
10. Which Way Are We Looking?
Let’s start with a pretty photo and a pretty easy question: which direction are we looking in this photo?
9. Hedge Barrier
It doesn’t take long to recognise a hedge barrier when we see one.
There are a few reasons that hedges are laid in open areas. The first is to conceal something ugly. Companies and councils will often try to conceal ugly developments like sewage works behind hedges. But there is another good and more traditional reason, to protect something. The clue within a clue here is that this is a hedge of tamarisk trees. Tamarisk is one of the few trees that specialises in enduring harsh salt-laden coastal winds.
Behind this wall of hedges lies the church of St Enodoc. It dates back to the 12th Century. At some point during that history, the clergy and churchgoers decided that their chances of seeing a few more centuries would shoot up if they shielded themselves from the elements.
8. Gravestones at St. Enodoc’s Church
This is what I found inside the tamarisk hedges.
Oh go on then, let’s make this a question as well. Which direction are we looking in both of these graveyard photos?
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