Sunday 5 June 2011

I do like to be beside the seaside!

Well good afternoon! It feels like I've been away for ages - time always stands still when you go on holiday, I think! Mr JK and I have had a wonderful time in Cornwall. You might remember we went there last May too! Infact, we stayed in the very same cottage - it felt a little like coming home!



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We packed loads into our week - the weather was pretty good, and certainly didn't ever stop us from getting out and about. We started off the week with a visit to Tintagel, supposed to be the birthplace of King Arthur. It was a little misty when we got there, which added to the atmosphere - you half-expected to bump into Merlin at any moment!



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The coastline here is so dramatic, with waves pounding the rocks. There's no real evidence to link Arthur with the castle, but I really hope that it's true!



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You need to have a head for heights to visit Tintagel, and not mind climbing lots of steps, some of them incredibly steep. I felt like I'd done a work-out at the gym afterwards!



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We visited the fishing village of Polperro - very picturesque! The smell of freshly baked pasties was too much for us, and we ate our first (but not our last!) pasties in the village. Deeeeelish!



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We visited three houses during the week - Lanhydrock and Trerice are both National Trust properties, whilst Pencarrow is privately owned. We only went round the gardens at Lanhydrock, but they were very impressive.



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We had Pencarrow almost to ourselves (and I dreamed of what a wonderful place it would be to hold a knitting retreat!!) The woodlands were magical.



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The Elizabethan manor, Trerice, was my favourite - not too big to be overwhelming, but packed with loads of interesting things to see and do. The staff there seemed particularly knowledgeable, and were doing their best to get children involved with numerous activities.



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We saw many, many beautiful flowers at these gardens - here's a snapshot of some of my favourites.



Cornish flowers



We called in at a cider farm where Mr JK bought some cider and scrumpy, before heading on to Truro to watch a performance of Calendar Girls. It was brilliant - so cleverly staged, and very moving too.



We headed down to Watergate Bay near Newquay for lunch at Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Fifteen. Our table was perfect, overlooking the 2 mile long beach. We were able to watch the surfers while we ate.




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The food was delicious - we both had the most intensely tomatoey soup we'd ever tasted to start with, and then Mr JK ate fish, while I had potato gnocchi and braised oxtail. I had rhubarb and cinnamon cake with real custard for dessert, and Mr JK (who doesn't like sweet things much) had cheese.



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To walk off Jamie's lunch, the next day we walked from Wadebridge to Padstow along the Camel Trail. It follows an old railway line alongside the Camel Estuary. There were plenty of cyclists using the route, but we were happy to walk.



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I've never seen so many different bikes before - 'normal' bikes, tandems for adults, tandems for adults and children, tricycles, wheelchair bikes, baby buggy bikes. There were no restrictions at all on who could enjoy this wonderful route.


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Halfway to Padstow, we were pleased to come across Treats on Trikes where we enjoyed a cup of tea and some homemade boiled fruit cake (my Mum's recipe, made by me!) before continuing our journey.



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Finally, we arrived in Padstow, where we rewarded ourselves with fish and chips from the local chip shop, Chip Ahoy. And they were yummy!



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We walked a little further down the Camel Estuary where you could look across the water at the village of Rock. It's my favourite part of Cornwall.



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Friday saw us heading down to the south of Cornwall to revisit the gardens at Heligan - they were as lovely as we remembered. I am in complete awe of the enormous vegetable garden. It makes ours seem like a postage stamp!



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We finished the day by calling in at Mevagissey - another pretty fishing village.



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Even though the tide was out, the harbour still provided the perfect back drop for our first (and last!) cream tea.



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Here I am now, back home in Norfolk. I've so enjoyed sharing my week with you. And you're in luck, because I'm sharing my very last piece of Granny Wobbly's maple walnut fudge with you. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this fudge - it is the nicest fudge I have ever eaten, and I may have visited the shop on three separate occasions, just to try out the different flavours you understand! Enjoy! I'll be back soon to share the knitting that got done in Cornwall. xxx



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10 comments:

faith76 said...

Trully beautiful pictures!

You look like you have had a wonderful refreshing break.

Have a good week!

Leah x

Anonymous said...

Everything looks soooo lovely, thank-you so much for sharing your adventures, truly sounds like you had a wonderful holiday!
I really enjoy reading your blog, it is one I check almost daily.
Best from Canada,
Kirsty

snoopydogknits said...

Thanks for fudge, I justt love it! Looks like you ahd a great week. Thanks for sharing the pics. Feels like like I've been too :-) Have a good week! Ros

Kathy said...

Oh everyone's been to Cornwall! I'm so jealous! IWe haven't been there for years and years but it's definitely on my list now!
Lovely photographs!
xxx

Helsie said...

I'm glad you had such a lovely time . I love Cornwall too and it was where we developed our love of pasties and cream teas - and certainly gained weight in the two weeks we stayed in Polruan.
It's nice to revisit these places that I remember well so thanks for taking me back.
Cheers
Helen

Kim said...

Oh man Helen! What fabulous pictures! I want to go eat some fish and chips right now! And Wobbly fudge. Yum! I love the Trerice estate too; reminds me of something out of jane Austen! I have an idea: Since Mr. JK isn't 'overly fond of sweets' (haha), you can leave him home next time and take me, and I will help you enjoy all that fabulous food! haha Thanks for the great photos and links!

Kim

knittingsandwich said...

wow, it looks like an absolutely ideal getaway! i went to cornwall for the first time last summer and just loved it. so beautiful and so charming! your pictures show that just wonderfully, thanks for taking us with you!
-cmv

Jennyff said...

What a wonderful holiday you had. Cornwall is still on my to do list, be worth the long journey just for a plate of those fish and chips. Hope you are settling back into the working week.

Anonymous said...

Ooh, lovely photos! Especially the flower mosaic - I must learn how to do those one day.

My parents took me to Cornwall when I was six weeks old (it took the best part of twelve hours (no motorways) and apparently I cried all the way) but I've not been back since, one day I'll get there.

My favourite fudge in the world comes from the Toffee Shop at Penrith, and I was very pleased to find it on sale at the windmill at Cley-next-the-Sea. It was packed for the windmill, but there was a dish to sample, and as soon as I tried it I knew what it was. Yum.

Anonymous said...

gorgeous gorgeous pictures! each one was more amazing than the last!

thank you for sharing your break with us!!

-melissa