Cornish Past-tease

See what I did there? ;-)

Had a wonderful trip to Cornwall last week, and yet again have not had time to download photos from trip. We did so much, I can hardly remember it all - and thankfully managed to avoid most (if not all) of the rain that fell on this sunny country last week. A quick run-down...

We spent several days on various beaches in and around Padstow - including Harlyn Bay, Watergate Bay (I managed kayak surfing in both those places!), Trevone, Treyarnon and Porthcuthan. The kayak surfing was a bit of a revelation to both of us - Mark bought a sea kayak before we left, and after much persuasion I actually had a go. LOVED it the first time I gave it a go (much to Mark's surprise), and played on it for well over half an hour before capsizing and getting a lung full of sea water, which put me off a little for the rest of the day. However, my next attempt later in the week at Harlyn Bay caused much pouting - even more than the Widow Twanky accommodation debacle in Romania (if you don't know what I mean, you may have to read back a few months)... Mark said that my bottom lip may have caused a solar eclipse in some parts of the world (did you see it Jen?). The waves were ENORMOUS, and I felt extremely out of my depth, in all senses of the phrase!

We spent a rainy day at the Eden project, which was simply stunning. Words cannot convey the surprise at rounding the corner and being met with the sight of the biomes in that valley - an enormous and stunning place! Unfortunately, we visited this on the one day that it poured with rain, precisely so that we could stay out of it. Unfortunately, we didn't bank on half of Cornwall having the same idea, so it was less relaxed than I would have liked! Parts of the tropical biome were like Oxford Circus on the Saturday before Xmas!

We also had a lovely bike ride along the Camel trail, which runs from Padstow out past Bodmin Moor. We went to Wadebridge (cute little town), and then right round the estuary to a place called Rock. We then caught a ferry back to Padstow - which was a lot quicker and easier than the outward journey! Particularly since my hire bike had broken gears!

All in all a fab break. The Camp site at Dennis Cove is well worth staying at - lovely facilities and just a short walk into Padstow itself. Padstow is one of my fave places ever - the shops there sell all of the surfer type clothing I love, and the restaurants and cornish pasties/fish and chips/cream teas there are amazing! It sure beats Newquay, which had my first visit this time - what a dump?! It made Great Yarmouth look like a classy resort! Not my scene at all... although the beaches near there are pretty spectacular! I even managed to take my running gear, and got up early on three mornings whilst I was there, and ran a few miles along the Camel Trail each time... just me and all the lovely sea birds etc... in the estuary. Lovely! We also had a nice visit from Robert and Emma one morning - they were camping in Cornwall too, and stopped to bring us croissants and have a cuppa with us on their way to St. Ives.

On the way home on the weekend we stopped off at Wookey Hole nr Glastonbury; a beautiful cave complex (although has been made into a rather cheesy tourist attraction, in more than one sense). The posters and attractions were very bizarre and extremely eighties in design - a big plastic King Kong greeted you to a garden area, and there were huge caves of Cheddar Cheese undergoing the 'cheddaring' process!

Anyway... am back to Earth with a bump. Got lots of work to do, have the Race for Life this weekend (gulp) and lots of family health stuff going on... (Mark's Dad has cracked a couple of ribs, Mark's cousin unfortunately committed suicide, and Nanny Brown is back in hospital). On a much brighter note, I have to pass on congratulations to Jane and Jamie, who are expecting their first child in the New Year! Very exciting! Also congratulations on their house move - and Jen, am very excited (although also a little sad) about your impending move too! I have fond memories of your little blue house :-(

Anyway... MUST get my photos up soon.
Much love
Hayls
xxxxxx