Cnorwall 2016

Friday 19th Aug

Good drive. Leaving at 6:30 did us proud and the only real hold up was Bodmin, where they are still dualling the road. A bit of a wait at Gartul then to 14 Bay View, and fish n chips for dinner. 

Saturday

Edwardses arrived. Chill day?

Sunday

Perranuthnoe. A bit blustery from the East and sunny but not exactly tropical. Eventually went in for the surf...

Monday

Team walk to Loe Bar and Anson cross with Edwardses. Grasshopper catching. 

Tuesday

Walk from Penrose to the Bar. Bigger children completed the circle on their own. 

Wednesday

Frenchman's Creek walk. Kettle Barton, the creek, the “shipwreck”, Penarvon Cove, the Shipwrights Arms. Started off drizzly but got sunny later. 

Thursday

St Michael’s Mount. Walked the causeway back with shoes off. Messed about on the beach a bit. Pizza from the deli on Fore St. Sunny.

Friday

Porthleven day. Pasties for lunch, crabbing, and seeing VV and Rick. Farewell to the Edwardses in the evening, sadly. Wish things weren’t so tense between me and C. Not happy. Perfect evening, weather sunny and warm in an unusual kind of way. 

Saturday

Did the walk back from Rinsey. Sam a bit complainy occasionally but basically a trooper for walking 3 miles over tough ground and not needing to be carried very much at all. Spent some time at GarTul afterwards, which was nice, A&P hunted for Rocket track in the loft, giving no quarter to age. UA flying Nelson’s pennant for lifeboat day, and complaining about Trevor Osborne flying the white ensign. Set fair for the next few days. 

Sunday

Lifeboat day. Face painting and bouncy castle on the harbour head with Min Jim and Sam. Watched the coastguard helicopter from Gartul. 

Monday

Perranuthnoe beach day with Rick and VV.  Surf not so good with a fresh easterly but I still went in. Made an epic sandcastle too, the destruction of which as the tide came in Sam really enjoyed. 

Tuesday 

Went to Lanhydrock, which was excellent in a very Downton kind of way. Then to Sue's place nearby where the children had a great time playing water battles in the garden. Home, and cooked for Prue and Andrew. Amy joined us, and it was all very civilised. No concessions to age again. 

Wednesday 

Went over to Gartul with the boys to do some rockpooling and also took the chance to see Chris Bowers, who is in residence with Tamara and a friend for a week. He's a journalist, and likes talking. Good to catch up with that side of the family though. Sam did well getting down the cliff. Jim perhaps less totally enthusiastic about rock pools than he used to be, but I suppose that's time marching on. Tide was rising so we scrambled up the wrestling fields escape route. Sam did well again. Feel like I have seen more of AP and UA this holiday, which is good. Didn't manage to get the Rocket running successfully but it's coming to us soon so perhaps that's ok. 

Thursday

Last day. Went over to the Penlee gallery in PZ with VV and Martha. Gallery small but really good. Had lunch and went to the shell shop for soofenirs, then an amble along the prom back to VVs. Really good to see a bit more of her. Don't want to go home - I'm kind of jealous of what Rick did in escaping his former life and building a new one that he values down there. I don't really want to be in Cambridge and I'm not sure about the job I do but we none of us walk a perfect path I guess. 

Aftermath

Triumphant departure at 0630 and a relatively trouble free but tired and grumpy drive home. Cambridge dry and full of cares, as per, but C and I had a calm weekend. Girls back on Tuesday, Jim on Friday. 

Cornwall timeline

2009 October Tremayno

2010 Tremayno (for 1 week I think)

2011 summer no. 6 Bay View and the house up behind Gartul. Richie there that year.

2012 The Anson no. 1 Bay View for 2 weeks. Got married at St. Mawes and "reception" on lifeboat day

2013 no. 14 Bay View for 2 weeks. Sam's first visit. 

2014 St. Ives for a week, then Cordelia. 

2015 Cordelia for one week

2016 no. 14 Bay View for 2 weeks