Head Guide, Bob Hunt

“It’s home here to me, and to my wife as well. I’ve been here 23 years. I was born in Newlyn and even as a kid my bedroom looked out onto the Mount. My daughter lives here with her husband – he’s one of the gardeners. So my grandchildren are here as well. Living on the harbour-front, my son spent much of his childhood in a boat or in the sea. And now my grandkids are always in the water.

I work in the ticket office, the Change House (the island’s main reception) and also the castle. During quieter times I run guided tours, but in peak season visitors wander through the castle at their own pace and I’m stationed to answer their questions. I enjoy meeting people from all around the world. Some visitors come here to explore their heritage and family origins, and we’ve been able to put some of them in touch with family they never knew they had.

When we’re not working, life here is very much like the life you’d live on the mainland. We have barbecues and birthday parties. We hop across the pub occasionally, or go over and get a Chinese takeaway. We do a bit of gardening in our allotment – we can grow really unusual stuff here like Cape Gooseberries (native to Brazil).”