The Queen is dead, Long Live The King - Friday 9-9-22
Arriving at The Engine Inn around 11am we popped in for a coffee and asked if it was OK to stay the night in their carpark, which was no problem.
There is a bus stop right outside, so we hopped on a bus to St Ives for the day. St Ives is a great place, but parking is a complete nightmare, so we normally avoid it. However, the freedom of an OAP free bus pass is great, and the bus services in Cornwall are brilliant. We had a cream tea (for lunch) and wandered around the town for several hours before taking the bus back to the pub.
The Engine Inn has a fantastic bar, made from old furniture, the centrepiece being a huge map chest. Unfortunately I could not ge a photo of it because that part of the bar is quite narrow.
We met some locals and spent a fantastic night with them. Some time in the evening, the lady behind the bar came into the part we were in and exclaimed loudly, "The Queen is dead, Long Live The King", to which many raised their glasses and repeated "Long live the King". Then a lady got up and sang the Cornish National Anthem, My Cornwall!
It was such a great night we arranged to stay another night and do it all again.
We got up the next day, and caught the bus to Penzance for the day, and then had another great night at The Engine, which I have to say is one of the best pubs in Cornwall.
The Fabulous Engine Inn
A stormy St Ives
A cormorant at Penzance