It’s hard not to fall in love with Cornwall. For some it’s the happy memories of a childhood seaside holiday. For others it’s the brief fling of a teenage summer. For most it’s a passionate affair that lasts a lifetime...so let the affair begin!

Where is Cornwall?

Located in the far west of Great Britain, Cornwall is almost completely surrounded by the sea and has a magnificent 300 mile coastline. It is also the location of mainland Great Britain's most southerly promontory, The Lizard, and one of the UK’s most westerly points, Land's End.

What’s so special about it?

There are lots of things Cornwall is loved for; the dramatic coastline with its captivating fishing harbours; the spectacular beaches and the pounding surf that provide a natural playground for a variety of water sports; and of course the Cornish pasty and cream teas.

Expect the unexpected

But there are also lots of things about Cornwall that may surprise you. For instance, the wilderness of Bodmin Moor with its panorama of big skies. There's also the dynamic art scene found mainly in West Cornwall, inspired by the naturally stunning landscapes. More recently, Cornwall has become known for a food scene to rival London and beyond.

History and culture

Cornwall also has a tremendous history based on its Celtic roots; its Celtic Cornish culture; the warmth and friendliness of the people; and the Cornish language that can be seen in the village names. Cornwall is truly unique.

Why not visit some of Cornwall's most iconic experiences. From towering castles, beautiful gardens and places steeped in legends and history, you'll be spoilt for choice. Here are a few to get you started.

Trebah Garden - near Falmouth

One of the great gardens of Cornwall and rated among the 80 finest gardens in the world, discover the magic of this beautiful Cornish valley garden with over four miles of footpath.

Lanhydrock - Bodmin

Lanhydrock boasts a magnificent late Victorian country house with gardens and wooded estate. Discover two sides of Victorian life: those 'below stairs', and those ‘upstairs’.

Geevor Tin Mine - near Penzance

Geevor tin mine is one of the largest preserved mine sites in the country and a Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. Housed in two acres of listed buildings, Geevor’s collections and guides bring the story of Cornwall’s rich industrial past to life.

Worker bees are between 8-19mm in length. They are divided into three distinct parts; head, thorax, abdomen. They have an almost completely black head, a thorax that is golden brown and black with patches of orange, and yellow bands can be easily seen on the abdomen. At the front of the head are two antennae for sensing their environment. They have four single wings. The largest are called forewings and the smallest hindwings. The hind legs are specialized for collecting pollen - each leg is flattened to form a pollen basket near the end of each leg.

Love them or hate them, we need bees to pollinate many important food crops, including most fruit and vegetables. Bee pollinated crops are important sources of vitamins A and C, and minerals like calcium. By pollinating attractive wildflowers like bluebells and poppies, bees also help support the natural environment that people love – benefitting us culturally and economically, as well as ecologically. Calculations from the University of Reading show that £510 million of annual total crop sales in the UK are pollinated by bees and other insects.

What would happen if there were suddenly no more bees to pollinate these crops? This is a question being asked by farmers, beekeepers, and scientists because bees are now dying in their millions and they want to know why.

It’s widely recognised now that changes in agriculture are the main cause of bee decline across Europe. For example, hay meadows, which are full of many different plant species, have declined by 97 per cent since the 1930s, removing an important source of food for bees.

This has happened because of the trend towards growing the same crop (monocultures) over large fields. This has reduced the diversity of flowers available and resulted in the removal of hedges. Species that have more specialised food needs, like the Shrill Carder Bee, have been particularly hard hit. It is now listed as an endangered species.

With less hedges bees find it more difficult to move between feeding and nesting sites. This is because hedges act as corridors for bees to move along, but with less hedges movement becomes more difficult.

Pests and diseases are also a major threat to honey bees and other managed bees. The Varroa mite is thought to be one of the main causes of native honey bee loss. The impact on wild bees is harder to assess but ‘spill-over’ of diseases and pests between wild and managed bees has increasingly been observed.

Climate change has an affect as it can alter the timing of plant flowering, or the time that bees come out of hibernation, which means bees may emerge before there is enough food available.

The world entered its first information revolution when the first printing press was built in 1450. Before this, typical ways of recording information were to carve words onto clay tiles and bamboo, or to write on parchment or papyrus. Fast forward to the digital age, the second information revolution, and it has now become possible to self-publish, have books printed in paperback or as an e-book, and some books are even free!

Digital warehouse

Long gone are the days when every book was printed before there was a buyer. Why print thousands of books only to find out that very few people want to buy them? Now it is possible to work with a printer in a process called Print On Demand (POD) and only print a paperback when you have an order.

To do this a printer has a digital warehouse with every book stored electronically. Once an order is placed, the printer has all of the electronic data necessary to print and deliver the book to its intended destination. Every month money is sent to all of the authors that have sold books that month.

Giving your book to the printer

Once written, an author can send his book electronically to the printer in the form of a PDF file or as a hardcopy that can be scanned and digitized by the printer.

Processing fees for all services from a printer are minimal but allow you to have access to large distribution networks of not only online bookstores but also the bricks and mortar retailers. These people may not buy your book but your book will be in their catalogues and they will order from the printer if someone asks for it.

Two Concerns

Speed is not the only priority for the printer, they are also concerned with quality and have 10 quality control checks on each book before it is shipped.

Sharp graphics and crisp text make it virtually impossible to distinguish a POD book from the more traditional offset copies. As technology continues to improve this can only get better.

As an author, it is possible to choose the type of book you want; paperback, hardback, or e-book (now the most popular form of book), the size of your book, type of paper, and type of cover (laminated, cloth or jacketed for hardbacks).

Originated in India in the 15th century. Slow-paced, gentle, and focuses on breathing and meditation.

Introduces beginners to yoga with basic poses and relaxation techniques.

Relieves stress, provides physical exercise, and improves breathing.

Beginners wanting to learn the basics of yoga.

Similar to Hatha, basic poses and breath-synchronized movements. Stresses the Sun Salutation, 12 poses where movement is matched to the breath.

Links the breath with movement, builds lean muscle mass throughout the body.

Helps improve strength and flexibility, tones the abdominal muscles, and reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.

Beginners and advanced yogis alike seeking to strengthen their bodies.

Metaphorically focuses on eight limbs. Fast-paced, intense with lunges, push-ups.

Helps improve one’s spiritual self.

Relieves stress, improves coordination, and helps with weight loss.

Fit people looking to maintain strength, stamina, and spirituality.

Covers all eight aspects of Ashtanga yoga and focuses on bodily alignment. Standing poses are emphasized, and are often held for long periods of time.

Strengthens and brings the body into alignment.

Helps improve balance, speeds up recovery from injury, builds up body strength.

Beginners who want to learn the correct alignments in each pose and those with injuries, balance issues, and chronic medical conditions like arthritis.

Practiced in a 95 to 100 degree room. A series of 26 poses that allows for a loosening of tight muscles and sweating.

Flushes out toxins and deeply stretches the muscles.

Speeds up recovery from an injury, enhances flexibility, and cleanses the body.

Beginners, advanced yogis who want to push themselves and those with injuries.