VERY INTERESTING NUMBER 66: CORNWALL

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

CORNWALL

There are so many fascinating facts you may not know about Cornwall, one of Britain’s favourite UK holiday destinations, that we’re eager to share.

For a lot of people in the UK, a holiday in Cornwall is what they look forward to every summer; the long and sometimes grueling car journey with the kids, the ice creams by the sea and the all-important delicacy that is the Cornish pasty.

Whether it’s sunbathing on the beach and building sandcastles with the kids, walking along coastal paths, or daring to brave the waves on a board, Cornwall has something for everyone. There are plenty of reasons to visit, including some very interesting Cornwall facts you may not already know!

Read on to uncover 5 fascinating facts about Cornwall…

1. Cornish pasties are a clever invention

Let’s start with one of our favourite Cornwall facts, and it’s about the humble Cornish pasty! You know they taste delicious, but what you might not know is their very clever, and practical, origin.

Cornish miners needed something hearty and substantial to keep them going, so along came the Cornish pasty, made with a large crust to hold on to as they ate everything around it and then threw the crust away. Mining involved the use of poisonous chemicals, so it meant they wouldn’t be contaminating their dinner – genius!

2. Cornwall has the longest coastline of any county in the UK

With ocean covering three sides of this sunny southern county, Cornwall has the longest coastline in the UK with Ordnance Survey mappers measuring it to be a whopping 1,086 km, and that’s not even including the Isles of Scilly. The South West Coast Path provides you with some beautiful walks in Cornwall, where you can enjoy the sea air and the breathtaking scenery.

3. Cornwall is home to the largest collection of plant species in the British Isles

Cornwall is home to the largest collection of plant species found in the British Isles because of the magnificent Eden Project. Plants collected from all over the world from diverse climates fill the two giant biomes; huge enclosures simulating specific environments for the kind of plants they hold. The large biome is a rainforest environment and the smaller is Mediterranean, so even if the Cornish sun isn’t out, head over to the Eden Project for guaranteed temperatures of 28 degrees!

To top it off, not only is the Eden Project one of the top indoor attractions in cornwall, it is also one of many dog-friendly Cornwall attractions, so you can take the whole family along!

4. Cornwall has its own language

Here’s an interesting Cornwall fact for you – this region has it’s very own language, Kernewek. It is a Celtic language and its use began to decline in the 18th century.

It is widely reported that a lady called Dolly Pentreath, who died in 1777, was the the last speaker of Cornish as a first language, but more recent research says this isn’t so. It is more likely that the language continued to be spoken right up into the 19th century, with claims that the last native speaker passed away in 1914.

Either way, since then the Cornish community has made sure that Kernewek has had a revival and it is now being taught in schools, passing down through generations once more.

5. Cornwall has its own Stonehenge

Fun fact: Stonehenge might be more famous, but Bodmin Moor in Cornwall has one of the densest concentrations of Bronze Age and Neolithic sites in Europe. Pictured are The Hurlers, three stone circles with local legend advising they were men who were turned into stone for playing the ancient game of hurling on a Sunday, a day of rest.