Cornwall

Find the Giant's Heart

June 01, 2018 in Holiday

So, for the first time this holiday, we woke up to overcast skies and blowing winds, which was a little bit of a shame but it was not going to hold us back. Today we decided to go to St. Michaels Mount. We checked the tide times before setting off, the causeway was open 10am to 3pm, plenty of time to get across and back, with time to explore in the middle. The mount lies out in the bay near the town of Marazion and gets cut off when. the tide was in. There is a boat service, £2 per person, however, it was amusing to see a group try to wade back and get soaked up to their waists.

After arriving in Marazion and parking, £4 all day which was very reasonable, we headed across the causeway to the mount itself. With the wind howling it was an emotional walk but we got across, windswept and cold but in one piece. National Trust members get in free to the house which was very good. The island is managed between the family that own it and the National Trust.

We then began the long climb to the top of the mount. For us it was steep but on, the little guys on the other hand were true mountaineers getting to the top. They both did it though, without any complaints, and soon we were stood at the top.

After this, we went into the house itself. The house was interesting to walk around and the boys got a treasure hunt to do, with stickers every time they found one of the treasures. We managed to miss a few as we went round, but that did not stop them getting their medal when we got to the end. I did not manage to take any photos inside as I was too busy looking around, however, there was a brief part of the trip round the house which is outside. This was hugely windy, but the boys had lots of fun running around.

By the time we had finished round the house it was lunchtime. We headed back down to the mount's harbour and found a lovely little cafe call the Sail Loft. Here they did a selection of meals, I had whitebait, and the biggest sausage rolls you ever did see. Lyns was very jealous of Gav having one with his soup! Afterwards there was a cookie to share which the boys really enjoyed.

After dinner it was time to head back across the causeway before it closed. Here we had a problem, both the boys had tired legs and were hesitant about walking back across. At this point we pulled out Lyns' secret weapon. For Christmas she had bought James a set of super hero capes but we had not opened them up to this point. I had thrown them in my camera bag for such an occurrence as this.

Very soon we had two re-energised toddlers or should I say we had Batman and Spiderman on hand to deal with any trouble that may come our way. Talk about a new lease of life, the two of them looked as if they had had their batteries changed. I think I am going to carry a cape wherever I go from no onwards.

After we had flown over the causeway we had a little wander around Marazion, it would be rude to have a cream tea so soon after lunch! There were a few little shops, all quite unique and interesting, with lots of little bits, right up the girls' street, not so much the boys' though and they lost interest quite quickly.

Then came the most important job of the day, finding somewhere to have a wee afternoon snackette as Lyns calls it, meaning tea and cake. We tried the hotel on the bay which advertised cakes and cream teas but we walked out quite quickly as it did not appear to be the kind of place that welcomed young families. We ended up going to the Chapel Rock Cafe, a hundred or so meters down the road. Here they made us feel very welcome and the cream teas - wow - two huge scones, still warm and a good pot of tea. So much for my diet and so much for a little snackette! Nevermind though, too late to complain.

After demolishing the cakes, it was time for the promised trip to the park we had seen in the morning. It was a lovely park on the front. Lots of things to play on and because the weather was not great we had it to ourselves. At this point, I would like take a few minutes to have a Dominique spot as she made the most of all the equipment.

Even the boys / superheroes had lots of fun in the park.

After the park, it was time to head back to the cars and onto the cottage. Even though the weather had conspired against us, it did not hold us back and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Oh yes, the giant's heart, on the path up to the house on St. Michael's Mount there is a heart shape rock marking the point where the giant's heart is buried. The boys had lots of fun looking for it, and even though there is a sign marking where it is, we still managed to walk past it, and had a nice gentleman not have pointed it out, we might still have missed it!

Lizard Point and Kynance Cove

May 28, 2018 in Holiday

So today we woke up to an overcasting windy day, not what we had become accustomed to over the past few days. Not that the weather would hold us back. Today we were off to explore Lizard Point and Kynance Cove. The Lizard is roughly a thirty minute drive away so not too far at all. We drove past HMS Culdrose on the way, a Navy Air Squadron base, as a training jet took off over the car, much to James' delight. The other thing we saw from the base were helicopters. These were overhead for most of the day and the boys had great fun spotting them.

When we arrived at the point, car parking is free for National Trust Members, I knew I had made a mistake in my clothing choice. We had come to the only sunny part of Cornwall, and there was I dressed in trousers and a hoody! It is a short walk down to the point itself. To be honest, there is not a lot at the point other than a couple of cafes and a road down to the old fishing station. The views, however, are spectacular. We walked down to the beach by the fishing station. This is not a beach to spend any great amount of time on, however it was good to let the boys explore the rock pools and the the small caves.

There was one interesting thing on the beach, a giant cement filled cone. If anyone could tell me what it actually is, that would be great!

After looking at all the sea urchins and walking up the steep climb back to the cafe, it was time for lunch. Conveniently placed is the Polpeor Cafe. We sat outside to take in the views. You could not get a better position for a cafe. The food was simple but tasty. The children's meal were the star of the show, they fed the boys with some left over for us.

After lunch we headed back up to the lighthouse itself. We did not go in as we wanted to head to Kynance cove, but just had a walk round the grounds. Not a lot to see outside but I explained to James what the lighthouse did and why it was there so hopefully he got some understanding out of it.

After that it was back to the cars and off to Kynance Cove. It was a drive of ten minutes at the most to get there. Again, it is a National Trust carpark so free parking if you are a member. It is a fifteen minute walk down to the cove itself, or thirty if you have two tired boys with you, and if you are inclined, there are lots of footpaths to explore around the area and across the headland.

The tide was almost in when we arrived, so there was only a few minuted for the boys to have a paddle and build a sandcastle before the sand disappeared and we were just left with rocks. Not that it mattered as they had loads of fun.

After we had scrambled back up the beach, it was time for a cup of tea and a cake. Now, Lyns and I had come here a few years ago and the weather was truly horrendous, very dramatic, but not the sort of weather to go outside in. This time I was going to make the most of the nice weather and explore a little. Sacrificing my tea and cake, I followed the footpath up onto the headland past the cove and what views there were, well worth missing out on cake for. It was a shame everyone could not have come and seen them, however it was not suitable for the little ones.

I had half an hour to explore then headed back to walk back up to the cars. With one last look it was time to head off.

Last look before heading back to the car

Both the boys did very well with the steep walk back up to the cars. After getting James settled in the car, we were off back to the house. James was asleep before we left the carpark. We managed to get back to the house for around 5:30 and transfer him straight to bed where he slept for a solid fourteen hours. We had one very tired but very happy boy.

I Saw a Man with Seven Wives

May 23, 2018 in Holiday

Day two of our holiday and we are off to the seaside properly. We are off to St. Ives. For those of you who do not know, St. Ives is a popular Cornish Harbour town with some lovely beaches. It is very touristy with lots of independent shops, fish and chips and ice cream. We were getting the park and ride into the town itself. Unlike normal park and rides, this one was a train rather than a bus. £8 group ticket for the four adults and the children rode for free. Parking was £2.80 so £13 for the two cars and the train both ways, not too bad at all.

Unfortunately the train both ways was very busy so the boys could not sit and look out of the window. This did not stop them enjoying their ride though. Stupidly, I did not take any pictures of the town itself, but it is a very pretty little town.

After walking into the town from the train station, we had a look round the shops. When I say we, the girls explored all the jewellery and hand made glass shops whilst Gav and I were left looking after the children. Not that it matter as the weather was beautiful and the boys in good form. Had it have been throwing it down, it might have been a different story.

After looking round the shops, James announced he was hungry. Big debate at this point, fish and chips or pasty for lunch. Fish and chips won out so thats what we had, all the time keeping an eye out for the gulls that were ever present when somebody had food. A short walk round the harbour after lunch and we found ourselves on the beach.

Off came the shoes and socks. I shouted across to Lyns suggesting she take James' jumper off but it was too late. Like a cheetah he shot into the sea and promptly fell over! More or less soaked from head to toe. After the initial shock had worn off, he was back into the sea, nothing holding him back.

We all settled down for an hour or so playing in the sea.

It was not long before even Elliot was getting stuck into the sea. After the initial shock, accompanied by a few funny faces, he was quite happy having his feet dipped in.

After that, the boys ran wild. There was splashing, running in and out of the sea and digging holes. They had a wail of a time, both very excited to be at the seaside and in the sea.

Before too long the tide was lapping at the sea wall. With the beach here being so shallow, the tide rushes up it.

Up onto the sea wall we all went. With the promise of an ice cream, the boys were changed into dry cloths and sun tan lotion applied. Having seen a lady have her ice cream knocked out of her hand by a gull, there were a lot of nervous glances at the sky while ice cream was being eaten. Once all were finished, we took a slow walk back to the train station and ultimately the car. James fell asleep at this point and did not wake up until he was being loaded into the car. We headed back to the house to feed the boys and later ourselves. It was a lovely day out with the most perfect weather. Seems as this week is shaping up to be a great one.

First Day Away

May 19, 2018 in Holiday

We have just arrived back from our holiday to Cornwall with some friends. Unfortunately, there was no internet access, well there was but it was slower than the good old fashioned dial up (remember that, where you could not use the phone at the same time), so I could only write the text to this blog and not upload the pictures. Therefore, over the next couple of weeks, I will let you know what we have been up to....

So today finds us in a very sunny Cornwall with some good friends. Apart from a spell of heavy rain on the way down, the seven hours of driving yesterday had passed very quickly and we arrived at the stunning cottage we are staying in, about two miles from Praa Sands, in the middle of the countryside. There was a beautiful sunset which boded well for our holiday. Today has not disappointed in terms of weather. I was up for a run at 6am and whilst it was chilly, the sun was shining. By the time I was back at the house two hours later, it was starting to warm up nicely.

Today we had decided to stay fairly local as it was the first day of the holiday and all being National Trust members, we headed to Godolphin. The house here is a holiday property and only open for a few days a year but that did not matter as there are gardens and an estate to explore. As it happened, we did not get out of the gardens. As we arrived we did not think there was a lot there, however, we were proven wrong.

First we headed into the medieval walled garden which was supposed to be a sea of tranquility. To be fair it might well have been, however, with two hyper active three year olds playing together in there, it was not to be. We had loads of fun, however, anyone wanting to relax in there would have been disappointed.

Chaaaarrrrrgggggeeee - at least the medieval spirit lives here!

The walled garden was lovely and we spent a lot of time in there. It was nice to let the boys run wild without the need to worry about them disappearing into the distance. There was a modern art exhibition on which I'll be honest I did not get. I described it as a nursery when the children had gone home as it was piles of sand and lumps of clay. It reflects more on my lack of ability to see the art than the quality of the the art, but it was just not for me.

We headed back to the garden for a little bit more chaos causing.

Thou art made a daisy chain for ones' beloved

Spying on the children - only way to take pictures sometimes

Just when we thought the boys could not cause any more chaos, Gav decided to lie on the grass for a few minutes! Big mistake. Two little heads shot up, sniffing the air as they scented their prey. Faster than a striking cobra they pounced ...

After rescuing a badly mauled Gav, we headed out into the grounds. There were lots of dandelion clocks around and the children took great glee in blowing them.

Took a few goes but we got there not to be held back then

All the children had fun blowing dandelion clocks

By this time the children were getting hangry so we headed to the picnic benches. Conveniently there was a little cafe near by. Two cream teas, with the largest scones you ever did see later, we were all satisfied. The area we found ourselves in was a wild flower meadow with paths cut through it to allow you to wander through the flowers. With the sun shining it was a beautiful area.

Our trip to Godolphin finished with some races as both the boys love racing. However, I do not think it was the boys who enjoyed it the most!

It was now time to head back to the holiday cottage. As it was the first day and we had not done any proper shopping yet, we did what anyone in Cornwall would do, we ate the scones that the owner of the cottage had left out for us. Two cream teas in one day, well, when in Rome and all...

After we had eaten we decided to pop out for a little walk, to help the little guys burn some energy of, and us our scones. Lyns and I had come down here on holiday a few years ago so I suggested we head to Prussia Cove.

The road down to the parking is horrendous. Very narrow with high hedges on both sides. Luckily we only met a few cars on the way down and made it safely to the parking area. We headed down to the cove itself however, disaster, the tide was all the way in so no bubbles on the beach. Instead, we walked half a mile or so on the coast path to a headland. There were a few steep drops on the side of the path as well as on the headland. We got the bubbles out and had sitting down bubbles due to where we are. The little guys did not mind though as they had great fun letting the wind blow the bubbles.

After we had had our fill of bubbles it was back to the cottage and dinner all round. What a lovely first day it had been and if it was anything to go by, this week was going to be amazing.

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Featured posts:

Find the Giant's Heart

Lizard Point and Kynance Cove

I Saw a Man with Seven Wives

First Day Away