COUNTIES

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Top Facts About Cornwall

1. Pasties were invented by miners

The yummiest memory you’ll have from Cornwall is the simple Cornish pasty. It’s said necessity is the mother of invention and we couldn’t agree more.

One of the Cornish facts I feel most of us could spout, is that pasties were invented by the miners to keep their stomach full and heart happy. They are thick-crusted filled with minced meat; the miners ate the pasty and got rid of the crust to avoid any harmful substances going inside the body. If this is not pure genius than what is!

As time went on the crust went down the gullet too, and flavours evolved. Delicious!

And let me tell you another important fact about Cornish pasties, that I learned off the Great British Bake Off – a true Cornish pasty must have 20 pleats in the crust. I’m going to count them next time I’m there!

If you know your pasty from your pastry, have a go at our England food quiz and see how many your score.

2. Kernewek is the native language of Cornwall

Kernewek was a Celtic language widely spoken in Cornwall in the 70s, its usage was substantially reduced after the demise of Dolly Pentreath, the last known speaker of the language.

Recently, it was discovered that the last traces of Cornish usage was found in the early 90s. Now, it has come into the hands of the Cornish community to save the relics of Kernewek and it’s been made a part of the local schools’ curriculum.

3. There’s a huge variety of marine life

Cornwall has a diverse range of marine life from dolphins, sharks, seals, and sunfish. You can often see the Whale Sharks swimming but there is nothing to be scared of, these sharks only feed on plants.

You can go deep-sea diving or snorkelling in Cornwall and enjoy the stunning views of the corals, sponges, and seaweeds or explore rock pools. Or, join one of the many boat trips out to have someone point out the amazing marine life to you.

4. Basing sharks exist in Cornwall

We know this relates to our third fact about Cornwall but this Cornwall fact deserves a whole point to itself.

Growing as long as a double decker bus, the basking shark is the world’s second largest fish (after the whale shark), weighing up to seven tonnes and living for 50 years. They are also completely harmless, swimming along serenely with their giant toothless mouths open to hoover up plankton and other microscopic organisms which they feed on.

You can go on boat trips to see these fellas, leaving from Penzance. Go between May and September for the best chance!

5. There are over 385 types of plants in Cornwall

Cornwall lies on the south coast of the British Isles and thus is a home for a variety of plants thanks to the relatively balmy weather. Autumn season witnesses the growth of different types of plants, mushrooms, ferns, and stinkhorns and puffballs here.

The majority of flowers like bluebell, cowslip, and mesembryanthemums are found near the Lizard Peninsula because of its fertile soil and geographical location.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking