The river excursions from Fowey are full of charm, but so much depends on the state of the tide. The short trip by boat to Golant, a distance of two miles, should not be missed. The village occupies a cleft on the hillside, where the gardens and orchards reach down to the water's edge. Luxulyan, with its deep sylvan valley and large perched blocks of stone, is another favourite spot for excursions.
At the head of the river stands Lostwithiel, with a church whose tower the late Mr. G. Street, R.A., was wont to designate "the pre-eminent glory of Cornwall". Near the church are the ruins of Restormel Castle, while the Fowey and the little river Lerryn are good fishing streams where plenty of salmon and trout fishing may be enjoyed.
For the pedestrian there is a large choice of walks within a moderate distance, to Par Harbour, St. Blazey, and St. Austell, the last with a fine church, on the walls of which is a well sculptured representation of the Veronica. The shore rambles are equally numerous and attractive.
Cornwall may be said to possess three capitals. Launceston the historic capital, Bodmin the town of Assize, and Truro the ecclesiastical and commercial centre. To reach the last named for the purposes of our present journey, the visitor cannot do better than take train at Par Junction. Truro itself cannot be said to possess much in the way of civic beauty or historical interest, although it is an excellent centre for touring purposes. Moreover it has, pending the completion of the fine structure in the course of erection on the banks of the Mersey, the honour of possessing the only Protestant Cathedral erected in this country since the Reformation. The name "Truro" is thought to be derived either from Tru-ru, the three streets, or Tre-rhiw, the village on the slope (of the river). There is a general impression that Truro is on the river Fal, but the truth is that the triangular piece of land on which the city stands, is washed on the east by the river Allen, and on the west by the Kenwyn. Between these two streams lies modern Truro, with its stately cathedral rising high above the houses that surround it. Truro's most eminent son, Samuel Foote, was born in 1720 at the town house of his father's family, the Footes of Lambesso. The house, now the Red Lion Hotel in Boscawen Street, has retained a good many of its original features, including a very fine oak staircase. Foote is generally considered to be the greatest of the dramatic authors of his class, while in power of mimicry and broad humour he had few equals. In late life he lost his leg through an accident in riding, a circumstance that led to his producing a play, The Lame Lover, in which his loss of a limb might be made a positive advantage. In all, his plays and dramatic pieces number about twenty, and he boasted at the close of his life that he had enriched the English stage with sixteen quite new characters.
Truro was also the birthplace of the brothers Richard and John Lander, the explorers; Bode, a painter of some merit; and Richard Polwhele, the historian of Devon and Cornwall.
THE HARBOUR, FOWEY
The cathedral is not entirely a modern building, for it has incorporated with it the south aisle of the old parish church of St. Mary, with its long associations with the municipality. The narrow lanes and streets surrounding the stately pile of buildings differ essentially from the gardens and canonical residences that are the pride of so many of our mediæval cathedrals; but they make a fitting environment for the mother church of a working ecclesiastical centre.