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Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick

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The Dramatic Cornwall Coast

I just finished filming a TV show about Cornwall, in the far southwest of England. And when the sun is shining (as it does off and on most days in the summer here), it’s hard to imagine a more dramatically beautiful place in the British Isles. The constant wind made the scenes even more strikingly beautiful, as the entire coastline came with a lacy border of crashing waves.

In filming this clip, I’m quite exhilarated because I had just sat on the edge of a cliff, looked into the camera, and opened our show by saying, “Set on a rocky peninsula, Cornwall is a fascinating land. It’s a pirate’s punch of Celtic culture, legends of smugglers, and mining heritage. It has a rugged appeal that makes it a favorite among English holiday-goers.”

Tin mining was long the dominant Cornwall industry. This evocative coast is dotted with 19th-century Industrial Age ruins. The two desolate engine houses you see in this clip once pumped water out so they could mine a half-mile down — and then, under the sea bed, far out to sea. Below me, the ground is honeycombed with mine tunnels. At its peak, there were hundreds of tin mines in this part of Cornwall. (The PBS series Poldark is filmed right here and features the tin-mining culture of Cornwall.)

This is Day 78 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

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Cornwall’s Dramatic Minack Theatre

Filming our Cornwall episode in southwest England, we enjoyed a play at the amazing Minack Theatre. Here’s how our script describes it:

The big draw here is the Minack Theatre, carved out of rock high above the surf. This open-air theater — with 700 seats — is gorgeously landscaped and set in a rocky cliff with a terrace stage perched hundreds of feet over the sea. A visit by day lets you marvel at the garden-like setting and the story of Rowena Cade, the visionary theater lover who created it.

If the weather’s fine and you’re here at lunch or dinnertime, get a Cornish pasty and a bottle of elderflower pressé (a local herbal drink) and grab a grassy seat at the high end of the theater for a memorable picnic. Watch the gannet birds dive for a fresh fish lunch. They hit the water at 70 miles per hour. (Sadly, many of their children follow their parent’s lead and dive for a fish before they understand how to do it safely…and later wash up on the shore with broken necks.)

This is Day 77 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

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Brooding Tintagel Castle

I always find Tintagel Castle, on the rugged coast in Southwest England, evocative and brooding…especially in gloomy weather. It’s amazing to me that way back in the sixth century, people could have chosen this godforsaken bluff on a desolate coastline, so far from anything, to build a mighty castle…but they did. Was it the legendary King Arthur? We’ll never know. But it’s fun to imagine. (BTW, we’ve had a string of rainy days, and one thing I’ve noticed is that English vacationers don’t let a little bad weather get in the way of their fun. I’ve nicknamed them “armadillo tourists.”)

This is Day 76 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

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Video: Canyons of Hedges — Dartmoor’s Single-Track Roads

One of the memories anyone driving through southwest England brings home is the extremely narrow roads. Here’s a quick POV on a lane where it doesn’t really matter if you’re driving on the left or the right side of the road. The hedges are so high, you often have no view. And when even a bike comes by, you need to find a pull-out to be able to pass. While distances are short, it can be slow going — especially in areas popular with tourists on summer weekends.

This is Day 75 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

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Video: Dip Your Pen into the Cry of the Birds…and Write

The desolate Scorhill Stone Circle in Dartmoor National Park is a special place for me. It was here, as a college kid, that I decided, “I need to be a travel writer.” We just re-revisited this pristine spot, and the experience is as inspiring as ever. While not as intact as Stonehenge, it’s a far more rewarding place for your soul. Have you had any close encounters with the wonders of England’s prehistoric past?

(Wind is a steady companion on the moors — sorry for all of the buffeting noise.)

This is Day 74 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.