Churchtown Farm Gwithian Cornwall

  We set off early on Saturday morning - 5 am!  This, of course, meant that we missed most of the traffic although we both commented on how much traffic we did see.



   Dawn was pretty non-descript as it was so cloudy.  Once we got past Okehampton and almost to Newquay, we stopped, stabilised the caravan and got in.  We tried to sleep but we were in a layby alongside the A30 and the traffic was getting busier with the increasing light.  The traffic was so busy and noisy that sleep didn't come.  It was also rather cold.  so we got up and made bacon butties and coffee. 

   We stayed there for a few hours then set off for our final destination - Church Town Farm CL.


Blue skies at last

   Setting up was a little traumatic as driving the caravan onto the levelling block, it came off the top edge causing it to tip up and wedge itself against the caravan floor  We practically had to dig it out. (there were plenty of rabbits to blame the hole on - we did fill it in)  We persevered with the levelling as we are here for a week.  Also got the porch awning up then sat down for a well-earned cup of tea and a biscuit or two.
   Afterwards we set off and did some shopping at Morrisons in Pool near Camborne and then stopped off for a pint at the Red River Inn in Gwithian before returning to the caravan..  A bit of a kip then a read before a slow dinner of tapas.  Mmmmm. and of course a glass or two of vino!
   After dinner and before the light went, we walked around the local nature reserve.  It wasn't that big and not much to see but good to get out. Washed up, bed up then early to bed.  Zzzzzzzzzz

Sunday

   A slow, lazy start to the morning.  Thought about cycling to St. Ives but after looking at the map, we reckoned that it was about 10 miles one way.  So we decided to take the car.  Glad we did as there were quite a number of hills and we also saw a sign saying "Day visitors ignore satnav".  We learnt why later in the day.  The car park was right at the top of the hill behind the town.  There were buses for a £1 to take you down into town but we decided to walk down and get the bus back. (in the end we walked both ways)

   St. Ives has some interesting shops but also some run of the mill ones also.  There is a beach and harbour there with small side streets to wander down.
  We did see a very large camper van get stuck down by the harbour so we bought a couple of ice creams and sat down and watched.  Surprisingly, it was also towing a trailer with a jet-ski on it!  We are still wondering whether it got out as the police have had to reverse lorries out of the town before when they've been following their satnavs.

Makes you think of Robinson Crusoe

   On returning, we decided whether to go for a pint but in the end we went down the beach as the weather was ok.  It was rather blustery with an onshore wind.  I don't know how some of the surfers were in the sea with the wind chill factor!  There were plenty of people surfing and the majority had wetsuits on.  It would still be too cold for me!  We started walking around the headland but it looked too far so decided against it.
   Back at the caravan, we had a bit of a relax.  That's when the aching started, so glad that we didn't carry on walking.

Monday - Bank Holiday

Lobster pot making

The Newlyn Fish Festival was one of the reasons we came down to Cornwall so we set off early and got to the car park at around 10am.  Again the car park was at the top of a hill.  The walk down and back wasn't as bad as yesterday though.  It was £5 each to get in to the festival which was staged around the quays of the harbour and inside the fish market.  There were plenty of stalls lining the quays selling all sorts of wares, paintings. mosaics, clothes, sweets and of course food.  There was to be a raft race at 2 pm but we didn't stay that long.   We saw the contestants for the gig race.  It brought back some memories seeing each one row past. 


A proper Pirate of Penzance (Newlyn really)

I ensured that I had a sardine roll whilst I was there and surprised myself that I enjoyed it!  Mike 'saved himself' for a pasty later in the day.  We went back to the car around 1pm and encountered cars waiting to get into the car park field.  It was so full that it was 'one out then one in' The queue went on for around 2 miles.  I think that there were a few frazzled tempers that day.

  

   We then went on to St. Michael's Mount.  Parking in Marazion was £3 for the day and again there weren't many spaces.  We walked across the causeway to St. Michael's Mount and soon became aware of lots of little pirates.  There was a Pirate Day on the island.  It was great to see them all.  We then had some tea and cake (or pasty in Mike's case) and then noticed the tide coming back in.  Luckily there were boats on hand to ferry people back and forth.  We had a bit of a look around and decided not to visit the castle as it was £7 each!  We caught the boat and saw there many people trying to wade back to the mainland even though the water was up to their chests!

   Back on the beach, we saw some professionals doing sand sculptures and families were taking part in a competition.  It was great.  Apparently, they do it every year.  It would be lovely to bring Amy, Dave & Josh next year for our 'un-birthday' celebration.
   Again another full day but a good felling of exhaustion.  Evenings are spent eating, drinking and generally playing games or chatting.  We have some good evenings!

Tuesday

Hell's Mouth

   Woke up late and then suddenly realised I had to contact the hospital to cancel a MRI scan that I was booked in for that day!  I only got the letter telling me of the appointment at 6.15 on Friday evening and as it was a bank holiday weekend, I hadn't been able to cancel it.  No signal on the mobile, couple that with a very bad hair day and I'm not in the best of moods!  Mike suggests that we go out for breakfast & at the same time find a signal.  Consequently, we leave in a hurry, bad hair and all.  I phoned the MRI department and I got the impression that they weren't pleased.  We went for breakfast at the Hell's Mouth Cafe - with a free car park.  Not many of those in Cornwall.  Mike had a fry-up and I had scrambled egg & smoked salmon.  Mmmmm.

   After breakfast, we took a short walk to the cliff edge and looked down into Hell's Mouth.  Sheer cliffs make for impressive scenery.

We drove on to Portreath which had a lovely beach and some caves but apart from that, not very inviting at all.  It's probably a working village.  It even had some houses which fronted on to the sand but not the beach.
   Drove back to the caravan and then took the bikes out to Godrevy beach cafe and had tea & cake and read the papers.

Wednesday

   Went to Falmouth and caught the Park & Ride into the town.  You could also take the Park & Float but it was much more expensive.  Whilst waiting at the bus stop, we saw 'Tim's Weather Forecasting Stone" and noted that the weather was sunny with chance of rain! 
   We got off the bus at the top of the High Street and so walked downhill into town.  It's a nice place with varied local shops.  Had tea at Dolly's Tea rooms which I'd read about in the Cornwall Today magazine. 
   Mike spied a sale in a Millets shop and I got a new pair of walking boots.  They were in the sale but found  they were even cheaper at the till.  Bargain!!!  I wore them around the town and were probably comfier than the boots that I had been wearing.
   We also found a pneumatic jockey wheel for the caravan - £18.95.  Another bargain!  We had actually gone into Trago Mills to find the games Yahtzee & Uno but couldn't find either only the electronic versions.  What is the world coming to?
   We then looked for somewhere to have lunch and fancied a water front pub.  We eventually found one on Custom House Quay - the Front Bar and was the 2011 Cornwall Pub of the Year so we had to go there!  They didn't serve food but did have a sign that read "We've got the Pub, you bring the grub!"  So we got a pasty each from a family run shop opposite and went in for a pint.  Well, I had a coffee.  We walked up & down Falmouth looking for the games.  Falmouth is quite spread out, so we were pretty exhausted when we finally found the Park & Ride stop to return.  We were originally going to visit Penjerrick Gardens after Falmouth but decided against it as we were going to the Minack Theatre that evening.



    We took sandwiches and wine to the theatre.  It was a cold evening so we used the coats and rugs that we had taken.  We quite toasty and could have stayed until the end, however the play 'Rosencratz & Guildenstein are dead' by Tom Stoppard was really boring!  So we left at the interval.  We weren't the only ones!

Thursday

Woke up to a surprise visitor on the front window, don't know how long he's been watching us?



Shaker tables

   It was a slow start to the day and set off for Penjerrick Gardens only to realise that it wasn't open that day.  So we went to Geevor Tin Mine instead.  It was very interesting and much larger above ground than you  think.  They extracted the tin from the ore on site so had crushing machines and shaker tables to separate larger particles from smaller.

  We also went into part of the mine.  We had to wear a very fetching overall coat (Mike wanted a kharki one like Arkwright's one) and it was good that we did.  The mine tunnels were very narrow and not uniform so we were forever sliding against the rock and hitting our heads.  Thank God that we had hard hats on. The shaft head was wooden and actually looked like something out of the wild west and the Klondike Gold Rush. 

Mike wondering whether he could use these in the caravan

    We spoke at length with a retired miner and he said that the mine extended half a mile under the Atlantic!  Other mines along the coast extend even further.  He recommended that we go for a cup of tea and an oggie in the cafe.  Both were very good. 

    We returned to the caravan via the coast road which had tight turns and high hedges.  We did see some standing stones  with some horses sheltering underneath - it wasn't raining just sunny.  During the afternoon while Mike was having a rest and a beer, I took my bike for a ride.  I ended up pushing it over the dunes and eventually down the rocks and onto the beach.  Trouble was, the tide was on its way in and I couldn't stay long before my return was cut off.  At least I proved to myself that I could do it although I expect that a few people were wondering what I was doing.

   In the evening, we went to the Greek night at the Godrevy cafe.  The food was excellent and they apologised for not having any squid for the mezes and would crawfish tails do instead.  Of course we said Yes!  We were sat in the window table so had a lovely view of the sunset and later of the lights of St. Ives.  We were expecting a little more than just Greek food such as music or even dancing but was not to be.  The food was very good though and we both ate too much!  So much so, that it was uncomfortable to sleep.

Friday
   Not much sleep so a late and lazy start to the day.  We didn't want any breakfast but had coffee.  We eventually left the caravan for Penjerrick Gardens at around midday.  We stopped en route at Redruth to see if we could find the games.  We actually found Uno so guess what we'll be playing later?  We also found a shop that sold just about almost everything and anything.  I got a 'The Best of Jackie' book which will later be a present for Jackie.

      Penjerrick Gardens were brilliant!  We were the only ones there.  It isn't advertised at all and they only ask for a donation in a honesty box!  The gardens were established by John Were-Fox in the 1800's.  It is not a formal garden but has many tropical and unusual plants including tree ferns, gunniers (like giant thorny rhubarbs), bamboos and others we don't know the names of.  There were many established paths but many were so overgrown so you had to bend down on occasions.  (Mike was expecting a Japanese soldier to appear out of the bamboo thinking that the 2nd World War was still on) 

One time, there was a tunnel of overgrown bamboo and all I could think of was films where giant spiders attacking people in the jungle.  I suppose wearing a skirt and sandals weren't really suitable but we eventually got around the whole gardens, ponds and bridge across the road..  Glad we eventually got back to the car.

  On our return to the caravan, we had a well deserved rest then again, on foot this time across the sand dunes to the beach.  It has been such a lovely day that a beach visit had to be done and, of course, a paddle.  The water was cold but even so, there were people with their surf boards trying to catch the elusive wave.  I wouldn't mind doing it myself one day but I would need a really good thick wet suit!

   Nibbles for dinner, a well earned sit-down and you've guessed a game of Uno!

Saturday

   We went to Helston today for the Esedhvos Kernow (a Cornish Eisteddfod) a celebration of Cornish culture.  We saw the ceremony of the Cornish Gorsedh, a procession of cornish bards in blue robes.  The Esedhves happen at a different part of Cornwall every year.  Helston is another nice town and with cheap parking - £2 for the whole day!  Some more unusual shops selling just about everything. 

      We got a pasty each and it must have taken us a good half hour to eat as it was piping hot.  I'm glad we only had medium ones - again feeling very full.  I found 5 dice and a shaker in a newsagent's and Mike found the rules to Yahtzee so we'll be having a game of that after our corn beef hash.

   Last night tonight.  Shame, I could stay here for longer but I think Mike's hip is playing up with all the walking that we've been doing.  We'd definitely like to come back here and hopefully I'll have wetsuit for going in the sea.  Maybe, I'll have a go at surfing nest time?