Ty on Ty Pennington's Great British Adventure

Had you heard of Portreath or the county of Cornwall before making this series?
The most I’d heard of anything Cornish was a Cornish hen, which in America is a very small chicken!

How did the locals of Portreath take to you?
They were all absolute characters - it was like something out of a novel! The kids were phenomenal - they were screaming and yelling my name, and flocking around me in a Pied Piper sort of way! The older people were a bit more sceptical, but the more I got to know them and talk honestly with them, the more they opened up and saw me as a regular person.

Did you understand the Cornish accent?
Absolutely not! At first I didn’t understand a word they were saying, but equally I don’t think they understood what I was saying! Next time I’m going to bring a translator!

Were there any interesting characters you came across?
I met an old guy who was a real character and had lived to be 94. I asked him what the most important thing in life is, and he said Cornish Pasties and potato cakes. But then I pushed him a bit and he said, ‘a content mind’ - all I could say was wow.

Can you tell us about any funny moments behind the scenes?
I had a VW van to drive around in and obviously I started driving it on the wrong side of the road. I immediately clipped someone's wing mirror – and yes they did get it on film!

I also met a guy who was a miner and went down into the granite mine with him, and I’m not going to tell you everything but let’s just say there was a moment when it looked like I might not get out of there alive...

Portreath has some pretty impressive history behind it, signs of which are still scattered around the town like the old mining tram roads. Coming from America, did that completely blow your mind?
It's really crazy how old that town is! There’s even a petrified forest that you can see at low tide - you actually see where the forest used to be, which has now all turned to coal.

Speaking of the coast, did you manage to go surfing in Portreath?
Yes, and I almost died several times! I didn’t have a surfboard with me so I had to go out on a kneeboard - something I’d never tried before. I finally caught a wave that slammed me bang onto the surf break and I narrowly escaped the board that was coming right for my head.

Now you've experienced a bit more of the country, do you have any plans to come back?
If they’re that crazy in the south, what are they like in the north?! I tell you, I'm heading up north!