About two years ago I started watching the television show, “Doc Martin,” and vowed that one day I would try to visit village of Port Isaac, which features prominently in the storylines of the grumpy Doc, his beautiful love interest, Louisa Glasson, and a colorful cast of characters.
We left early Sunday morning, expecting to perhaps drive for 4-5 hours to the Cornwall countryside, and thought after one wrong turn, we would be well on our way.
Alas, we found ourselves in a massive traffic jam several hours out of London, and completely came to a stop for two-and-a-half hours. When finally we got to a rest stop, we found out there had been a horrible accident with a small convertible and a semi truck, and there were many casualties.
All in all, it took us seven hours to get to our bed-and-breakfast, a quaint farmhouse on a real working farm. As far as I can tell, we are the only guests.
Tregellist Farm
For dinner we ate in a nearby pub, the St. Kew Inn, and the fish I ate, hake, was absolutely delicious, not the stereotypical pub food at all.
In talking with several of the guests, apparently we are all here for the same purpose: to see Port Isaac, the fictional Portwenn where Dic Martin is filmed.
One of the guests showed us a picture of his wife with Bert Large aka Ian MacNeice, with whom they had a chance encounter.
In the morning we will embark on an eight hour custom tour of Cornwall, with the aim of seeing as many of the Doc Martin filming locations as possible.
I lived in England for four years, how I remember the English countryside – so beautiful and individual to the UK. It is always so green – and the sheep are so friendly! I did a walking tour through the Lake District and will always remember that.
[…] In love with Cornwall […]
I realized in looking over my archive of posts about Port Isaac, that I never posted the review I wrote about “Home, I’m Darling,” featuring Katherine Parkinson, formerly of the Doc Martin television show. I saw the show in London, just prior to visiting Port Isaac.
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I attended a play called “Home, I’m Darling,” starring Katherine Parkinson which was absolutely brilliant, both the playwriting as well as the acting of the entire cast.
Parkinson formerly played “Pauline,” the receptionist of “Doc Martin,” and surely showed off her acting chops with a wide range of emotions—I laughed and cried along with the rest of the audience.
At first you think the play is set in the 1950s because of the set, the costumes, the hairdos and the action, but when Judy (Parkinson) pulls out a laptop and talks about buying 50s memorabilia on eBay, you realize that the couple lives in the present but artificially in the past, with her a stay-at-home housewife while her husband is the sole breadwinner. Themes of pay equality, sexual harassment, and political correctness are explored in both a comedic yet emotional manner.
I absolutely loved the play! But what was so extraordinary for me was seeing and hearing in person a character I’ve only seen on television. I am so glad I came to this—which I decided to attend only a few hours before the matinee.
We heard that the filming of Doc Martin may be on break because of the Easter holidays—If by some chance we only see the scenery and venues of “Doc Martin” and not the actors, I will still go home satisfied.