Cornwall holiday 8-15 July........

Our Cornish holiday was at Flushing near Falmouth with our lovely friendsN&T

Saturday 8 July
We took our car this time, so left home 8:30am(ish) to pick up N&T (half hour away) then all loaded and on our way for about six hours in the car and a good break for lunch. After two false attempts at horrid services which turned out to be closed little chefs and first with a very long toilet queue outside and the inside toilets out of order, the second was a quick loo and drink in a Costa, we turned off and found the really lovely Black Dog Inn, Chilmark, Wiltshire. We relaxed in the garden under the hot sunshine and enjoyed luxury sandwiches.
   
Usual traffic jams in the usual places but overall made good time and got here about 5:30pm I think. And this is our home for the week.

Unload the car, check out the accommodation, cups of tea and coffee, beers and wine, walk down the road to the first pub Royal Standard. Tables were very close together and it was busy (always a good sign). Us girls had mussels, T had an enormous bowl of seafood stew and Hubby had fish and chips, all very yummy.

Then we walked all that off with a little local stroll to take in the views of the village but mostly the beautiful river Fal.

Another pint sitting outside another pub, noticing on the rooftop opposite a gull who seemed to be watching us, friendN called him Steven as in Steven Seagull. We then walked back up the steep hill to sit in our upstairs lounge with a cuppa and read through all the leaflets. Seems there are far more places we all want to see than we have days for 😀

Sunday 9 July
Really comfy bed and I slept well but still first up and early at 6:30am. When everyone was up, breakfasted and ready for the day to begin the drizzle turned to rain so we relaxed inside for a little longer with Hubby on weather watch. About 11am and dry and warm outside we went for a lovely coast walk.

 Admiring all the local sights.

 We brought a late lunch back with us then time for an total relax.

 Tonight's yummy meal was another local, Waterside.

 And we rounded the day off at another pub.

As we left Steven was waiting on his rooftop to say goodnight. Then the steep climb up the hill home.

Monday 10 July
Seems the weather forecasts we all read last week got it wrong and we're going to have some wet every day, but we don't care. We are never up and out early and that's when it seems to be wettest. Left here about 10:45am(ish) and drove for just over an hour and found the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which are now not lost at all but a great whole day out.

 The children's assault course proved a challenge which I didn't even attempt. But the rope bridge later I did do and there's photographs to prove it on other cameras!

 Does Hubby look like he's Irish dancing to you?

 We'd had a hefty burger lunch and been out all day so decided on a pizza and games evening in.

Tuesday 11 July
Wet all day, so a very lazy start and went out nearly lunch time driving into Falmouth which is very close and an inside activity at the Maritime Museum

 Didn't seem to take many photos, guess I was too busy reading all the info and playing with all the hands-on bits.

This rather splendid serpent is almost opposite the place we are staying, so while the men were parking the car (a tight squeeze inside our tiny gated courtyard) and it wasn't raining too hard I popped down and asked it to pose for a pic!

Pleased to say it stayed dry enough for a walk down the road to The Seven Stars pub for dinner and pool. And again Steven was waiting to say goodnight.

Wednesday 12 July
Wonderful weather Wednesday and we didn't waste a bit of it. About an hours drive to Marazion for a walk along a vast and stunning beach. Then across the man-made causeway to the little island of St Michael's Mount.

 First stop there for refreshments, which probably should have been a nutritional lunch but we went for cream tea instead.....well we are in Cornwall.

 Back in the car and along some very tight roads through Penzance to Mousehole, planning to find a pub for an early dinner as we had tickets for the theatre. Unfortunately the pub we found was rather pretentious and only served an afternoon snack menu of things that didn't even go together if you wanted to make up a substantial plate. Meals were not being cooked till 6pm and that menu was expensive and too late for us. So a drink then back on the road.

 Very pretty harbour and we had fun watching a large group of children playing in the water.

 Hubby did a fantastic job of getting through yet more very tight roads with minimal passing places. Making every one of our car sensors beep wildly in turn and sometimes two or three going at once!

Next stop Porthcurno for an evening at the Minack Theatre. On the website it said about Katie's Hotspot food stall but today's choices were all curry or spicy. So the men headed off on foot to the cafe we'd seen 1/4 mile back, meanwhile we got in the queue. When they eventually returned, looking hot and tired as apparently the walk down via the beech and back along the road "was quite demanding". The cafe wasn't even open when they got there so they were forced to go into the pub and thankfully they did takeaway and they could even have a pint while it was being cooked.

So sitting in the upper terraces, on our hired seat pad with back rest, eating breast of chicken in a bun with chips, with the stunning views of the sea, watching a singing and dancing story telling of Nell Gwynn.

Long drive back (have to say the back of this car is really quite comfy) and a quick cuppa and bed just before 1am.

Thursday 13 July
Bit of a coats-on-coats-off-coats-on again sort of day but weather didn't stop us, so out to the National Trust Trelissick Gardens and House.

Beautiful blooms. Can't understand how they get so many colours growing together when I always thought it was soil type that dictated the colour. I can't even get hydrangeas to grow at all in our garden at home.

 Fantastic views too.

 N did the children's trail and won a sticker for completing it all.

 The home owners are also owners of spode pottery and the volunteer guides in each room were really knowledgeable and eager to share their knowledge.

 Home for wine time out on the terrace.

 Dinner was at The Waterside (brilliant we have three good places in walking distance). Stopped again at Seven Stars pub (only has 4.5 stars on trip advisor hahaha) for our holiday darts tournament. We swapped marital partners and T and I won 2:1 not that I'm bragging of course!

Friday 14 July
Our last day and we didn't want Hubby to do any driving as he'd have the long drive home tomorrow. So a walk around the village with the first stop at the church right next door as the door was open.

When we passed the Royal Standard pub this time we noticed that the floral arrangements were actually planted in handbags, amazed I hadn't noticed that before hahaha.

Down again to the point for the best view ever and while children played on the sand and people let their dogs run and play in the water, friendsN&T climbed over rocks and pocked in the rock pools.

We bought just enough to add to the bits we had leftover to make up lunch, then said our goodbyes to Steven waiting for us up on his roof and walked up the steep hill home for the last time. 

An afternoon walk along some little lanes we hadn't investigated before.

A luxury last night dinner almost delivered to our door as the Cornish Codfather mobile fish and chip van stops right outside our gate on a Friday night. It was delicious and polystyrene boxes don't need washing up! 

Saturday 15 July
Early morning and the usual throw it all back into the suitcases and bags they came in, then fit it all back into the boot, write nice things in the visitors book, check everywhere and pile us into the car and away.

Left at 9am and we arrived home about 6:30pm which wasn't too bad as that included a comfort break, a lunch stop (back at the Black Dog pub we found a week before), a very slow bit on the M25, dropping off at home friendsN&T and unloading their stuff and accepting a quick cuppa gratefully, then the last stop just to buy milk before finally unloading our stuff through our front door.

A great week with great friends.
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