Travel, St. Michael's Mount

Language Level: Basic

Standard: British Accent

Source: SPEAK UP

St Michael’s Mount

      Cornwall is a Land of myths and legends. St. Michael’s Mount is a small, beautiful island five miles east of Penzance. The island known as “the jewel in Cornwall’s Crown” is a magical place that has attracted pilgrims and other visitors for centuries.

      The island is connected to the mainland town of Marazion by a granite causeway and visitors can walk across to the mount when the tide is out. The 500-metre-long causeway is completely submerged at high tide, but it’s just a short boat ride back to the mainland. It’s a short, but steep, walk up the pebbled streets to the castle and it’s chapel at the top of the mount. Legend has it that a crowd of people saw a vision of St. Michael above the mount. In any case, the Frenchman Bernad of Le Bec, Abbot of Mont St. Michael in Normandy, built a monastery on the site in 1135. King Henry V seized the island in the 14^th century as England fought against the French and he transformed the monastery into a castle. In 1651 the castle became the family home of Colonel John St. Aubyn, the island’s last military governor.

      Marazion is itself a historic town and offers bed and breakfast accommodation, restaurants and bars. There are also sandy beaches where you can enjoy windsurfing and sailing and birdwatchers are welcome at Marazion Marsh nature reserve.