Storytelling in Cornwall
Ramblings
BBC
4.5 • 768 Ratings
🗓️ 23 February 2012
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the third in a series of inspirational walks for Ramblings, Clare Balding is in Cornwall where she is joined by writer and storyteller, Anna Maria Murphy. Inspired by the story of Mary Kelynack, an 84 year old Cornish fishwife who walked from Newlyn to London in 1851, Anna decided to walk all over Cornwall meeting people along the way and gathering stories to inspire her writing. Using ancient routes and seldom used footpaths, Anna set off with a notebook and pen and describes her journey as possibly the single most inspirational thing she has ever done in her life. Today, Clare joins Anna to walk from the small coastal fishing town of Looe to Polperro, the village where Anna was born. Although this route usually forms part of the popular South West Coast Path, Clare and Anna choose to head inland following woodland footpaths and the 'roads less travelled' of Cornwall before heading to Talland Bay where they pick up the coast path for the last section of the walk. Who will they meet along the way?
Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I want to tell you why I love podcasting. Hi, my name's Tommy Dixon, |
| 0:06.3 | and I make podcasts for the BBC. I'm a big fan of stories, always loved a good book. But when I started |
| 0:12.0 | commuting for my first job, I discovered podcasts. I was blown away by how a creative idea and the right |
| 0:17.8 | mixture of sounds could take you into a whole new world full of incredible stories. You know, the type that make you go, wow. And that kind of inspired me to |
| 0:25.2 | give it a go myself, which, to cut a long story short, led to a BBC training scheme and a whole |
| 0:29.9 | new career giving other people that exact same feeling. So if you want to hear amazing stories |
| 0:34.1 | that make you go wow, like I did, they're just a tap or click away on BBC sounds. |
| 0:42.4 | This is the Coast and Country podcast from the BBC. You can find that terms and conditions on our website |
| 0:48.8 | at BBC.com.com.com.com. Today you can hear Ramblings with Claire Balding. |
| 0:59.8 | Today on Ramblings I've come to the south-east coast of Cornwall. |
| 1:03.6 | It's very off-season. |
| 1:05.3 | We've got a very mild day for winter. |
| 1:08.1 | A little bit of humidity in the air. |
| 1:10.4 | It did rain earlier, but it's cleared on through, |
| 1:12.3 | and I think we're going to be safe for the length of our walk, which starts in Loo, a harbour village |
| 1:18.0 | with East and West Loo and a hairdressers that I just love, because it's called Village Gossip. |
| 1:23.2 | And that almost, I suppose, sums up the purpose of my walking guide today, which is Anna Maria Murphy, |
| 1:30.8 | a poet and storyteller. And you have told the stories of local Cornish people through short stories. |
| 1:38.4 | I've read some of these and they're heartbreaking. |
| 1:40.2 | I know. |
| 1:40.8 | So much lost love or unrequited love. |
| 1:44.7 | Well, I always think the best stories are based on truth. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

