My guess is that for quite a few centuries the villages of Newlyn and Mousehole (pronounced mowzel) would have looked and felt pretty similar. The 19th and 20th centuries brought change. Somehow Newlyn managed to hold on to its fishing industry and remains one of the largest fishing ports in England, whereas Mousehole lost many of its quaint old cottages to the tourism industry as holiday lets and second homes. We walked along the coast from Penzance in bright winter sunshine, stopping for lunch (crab sandwich, and homemade soup) at the lovely Rock Pool Cafe. Most of Mousehole’s shops and cafes and galleries were closed. The only buzz of activity was the various works being done to buildings – bits of scaffolding here and there with painters and builders at work. We walked around the steep narrow lanes and sat in the sun by the harbour before getting the bus back to Penzance.
Flat Two 