Kayak

Return To Cornwall

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

It was lovely to return, with my husband and our friends for a third stay at Ruan Dinas, a beautiful house on the estuary of the River Fal in Cornwall. We were blessed with beautiful weather for most of the time. After an amazing summer in the UK, we were disappointed to see the weather forecast saying rain for the first week of our holiday, but thankfully this was not to be, and we were able to enjoy the last of the summer sun in beautiful surroundings.

The first couple of days were spent relaxing in the garden and by the river, as we were all exhausted from hard work in the previous weeks and the long journey. We managed to get out on our kayaks and paddle boards, as there was very little breeze and the water was really calm. I finally managed to get from kneeling to standing and back down again without any assistance, which felt like a great achievement. Now I can do it, I ask myself why it took so long!

Once we had recuperated, we were ready to enjoy some days out and about. We enjoyed repeating some of the things we had done on previous trips, but also visited some places we had not seen before.

Bodmin and Wentford Railway – A Murder Mystery

As we had one day of rain, we booked to go to a murder mystery evening on the Bodmin and Wentford Railway. On arrival, we were given a glass of bucks fizz and a pasty (it is Cornwall so no event is complete without a pasty)

We were then given directed to our table seat in one of the carriages of the train. As the train moved off, the actors moved down the train and a story unfolded of a valuable diamond being transported on the train in a secure vault, with a number of suspicious characters plotting to steal the diamond.

The acting was great and as the train came into the station to change lines, we were allowed onto the platform to ask questions of all the characters. Once we were back on the train, a murder occurred and we were all invited to walk down the train to look at the murder scene. We were then asked to identify the murderer and hand in our answers. Back on the platform the true identity of the murderer was revealed.

It was an entertaining evening, with an interesting story, amusing characters and good food. It was also excellent value for money. There is something special about travelling on a steam train and the murder mystery theme added an extra dimension to it, making it a worthwhile visit.

Pendennis Castle

The castle is an English Heritage site and is situated on the coast near Falmouth. From a distance you can see the Tudor Fortress, which was built by Henry V111, but in the grounds there is so much more to see. There have been many additions to the castle and its surroundings to protect it and equip it for the various stages and developments in warfare over the years.

Firstly, we visited the First World War barracks. This is set in a beautiful looking building with the Royal Artillery coat of arms above the door. It tells the history of the men who were stationed there during the war, for training before going to the front line in France and Belgium. It never ceases to shock me how many young men lost their lives and it was sad to hear and see their stories.

We then looked at the various guns and artillery spaced out amongst the walls of the castle, before going to see the developments made during the second World War, where the castle was fitted with equipment to defend against torpedoes and long-range guns from warships.

Lastly, we joined a guided tour of the Tudor Fortress. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable and brought the stories of the castle to life. It was a great tour and so much better than just looking around without the knowledge of the guide. The views from the top of the castle are well worth the climb to the top.

The visit would not be complete without visiting the café, which is situated in the barracks. It was a lovely setting and the food was excellent. Once again, we enjoyed a great day out, learned so much and had great value for money.

Bodmin Jail

We weren’t sure what to expect from Bodmin Jail, but having looked online, we decided it would be worth a visit. We booked a Heritage Guided Tour, which included “The Dark Walk”, which uses technology and theatrical effects to transport you back in time, telling the history of Bodmin and introducing the characters from the past who had been sent to Bodmin Jail. It was an effective way of telling their stories and setting the scene for the visit.

The rest of the tour was with a guide who took us through the history of the jail, its changes over the years and continued the stories of the characters we had been introduced to during the Dark walk. The tour was about two hours long and was crammed with information and anecdotes. It is macabre in places, but also truly fascinating. I never knew so many of our common phrases came from such a gruesome background.

Along the way, there were a few discussions around should it be punishment or rehabilitation, are prisons too soft, should the characters have met such a grisly end? It certainly gets you thinking about things and once again we came away having learned so much.

The Camel Trail

I haven’t ridden a bike for many years and was never a very confident cyclist, but agreed that it would be nice to hire bikes and cycle along the camel trail from Wadebridge to Padstow.

I started off very wobbly, but soon got into the rhythm. One thing I do have a problem with, is that when there is an obstacle in the way, I tend to veer towards it, rather than around it. It takes an inordinate amount of concentration to avoid doing this. Needless to say, there were a lot of walkers and cyclists on the path, so I had to be careful not to lose my concentration for fear of wiping out whole groups of people. Luckily my husband rode behind me all the way ensuring he rang his bell and coached me through. We managed to reach Padtsow, without killing anyone and only once being given a stern word from my husband for stopping suddenly without warning, causing him to brake hard to avoid running into the back of me or flying over his handlebars. Once we reached Padstow, I felt a sense of relief, but realised that I had lost the feeling in my hands as I had gripped on so hard.

We had a walk around the very picturesque Padstow, and some lunch, before setting off back on the bikes. I started to relax on the way back and felt more confident. There were no incidents or accidents, but at one point, a large group of people were walking along, taking up the whole of the path. Despite my husband ringing his bell, they seemed oblivious to anyone else needing any space, resulting in me shouting “Unstable cyclist coming through!”. I’m not sure what they thought of that, but they finally moved over to let me pass.

St Ives

We had visited St Ives a couple of years ago but had just come out of the pandemic restrictions. It was really busy, so we did not spend much time there as felt uncomfortable in crowds of people.

This time however we took the park and ride option from St Erth. Once you have parked, you take a 10-minute train ride into St Ives. The train runs along the coast, taking in beautiful views of the beaches on one side and some impressive houses on the opposite side.

St Ives is a gorgeous fishing village. The kind of thing you imagine when you think of Cornwall. The weather was stunning and as we walked along the harbour wall, we were amazed to see a seal swimming in behind the fishing boats, hoping to catch some leftover scraps of fish. It was captivating to see it in its natural environment and was an added bonus to an impressive day out.

Cornwall Revisited (3)

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Eden Project

We had visited Eden Project back in 2009 when our girls were still quite young. I remembered this as a really great day out. Unfortunately, on this occasion we were a little disappointed with the experience and felt it was overpriced. Luckily, we managed to book using Tesco Clubcard Vouchers, which made it worthwhile, otherwise the steep £35 per person would have been a bigger blow (we are from Yorkshire after all!).

The Biodomes have some amazing plants and trees, which are fascinating to see. There is also a lot of information about recycling, climate change and sustainability. Reading about the destruction of areas of rainforest and people and animals being driven from their homes for mass production and profit is pretty heart breaking and made me think more about this than being preached at or watching protestors on the television.

There are some areas of the project that really look tired and need some revamping. It feels a little run down. There are also areas that are not open, due to “Covid” which should really be taken into consideration when looking at the ticket price.

The gift shops stock some beautiful sustainable products and gifts, but again they are expensive, and it is a bit sad that sustainability may only be affordable for those with lots of money to spare.

We had a good morning but were really expecting to have a full day there, so were really surprised when we had seen everything and were on our way back to the cottage in the early afternoon.

Luckily the sun had come out, so we were able to get the kayaks out and spend the afternoon and evening paddling up and down the estuary, which was great fun.

We made fish finger sandwiches and potato wedges for tea, which we took down to the fire pit,where we sat relaxing and watching the glorious sunset. What a perfect end to the day!

Marazion Beach Day

We packed up the car with our kayaks and paddle boards and headed to the beautiful area of Marazion, to the beach overlooking St Michael’s Mount. Having seen how beautiful and calm it was on our previous visit, we decided that it would be a perfect place to practice and improve our skills on the paddle boards. Once we had set up camp (we still take so much stuff every time we go out!) and had a bit of lunch, the tide had started to come in, giving the perfect opportunity to paddle in safety.

From the beach, the water looked very calm, and we were convinced that it would be as easy as paddling on the lake. We couldn’t have been more wrong. I was knocked off my board by a wave as soon as I had got on before I even had chance to stand up. My husband paddled along with his usual confident air, and we were all extremely impressed with his proficiency, until he was knocked off by a wave and he disappeared into the water (we didn’t laugh much!). It certainly wasn’t easy to stand up and to be honest, I gave up and decided to just sit on my board and paddle. The others managed to stand, but it was not easy. My friend spent the afternoon practicing getting back on to her board, but was not particularly successful and we could hear her screaming and laughing right across the beach.

We had a fabulous afternoon but were extremely tired and a little bit wind swept by the time we left the beach. We decided to call in Newlyn for fish and chips on the way back, so we didn’t have to go to the trouble of shopping and cooking food. Later that evening as we sat at the cottage, we were all struggling to stay awake after the exertion and all the fresh air. Needless to say, we all slept well.

Thank you to my friend Julie for allowing me to steal all her amazing photos to use in my Blog.

Cornwall Revisited

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After having such an excellent time in Cornwall last year, we decided to book the same cottage for this year (we actually booked it whilst we were still there as we had a feeling that holidays abroad would not be on the cards). We set off on Thursday lunchtime, meeting our friends and staying overnight in Bristol, before travelling down to Cornwall on Friday. We had a short stop off in Polperro for the extremely tasty crab sandwiches at the museum tea rooms on the harbour. Our  cars were even more packed than last year, after the purchase of the paddle boards and more recently inflatable kayaks. Luckily, we managed to squeeze everything in, with a little room to spare to pick up the click and collect order at Tesco in Truro.

We arrived Ruan Dinas in Coombe early Friday evening. The cottage is just as we remembered it and this year, we have the added bonus of staying for two weeks.

We all spent the first couple of days relaxing around the cottage, the garden, and the riverside, with a short trip to the garden centre and a wander around the shops in Falmouth. I also had my first go at fishing, but didn’t catch anything, which was okay as no one else did either.

My husband was the first to be brave enough to take his paddle board onto the estuary straight away. The rest of us were a little more cautious. We were convinced that the tide would wash us out to sea within minutes, but we soon realised that this was not the case. I took my board out the following day, and me and my husband paddled up and down the river a couple of times, with our friends in their kayak.  I must admit I stayed kneeling all the time, as I didn’t feel confident enough to stand up in the tidal water.

Enjoying The Sunshine

On Tuesday it was a beautiful sunny day, so we decided to paddle the kayaks up the estuary and have breakfast at the garden tea rooms. Unfortunately, when we got there, the tea rooms were closed.  After making our own breakfast, we paddled a little further down the river, around the large ferry which is moored up in the widest part of the estuary, and in and out of a few of the coves. The river was surprisingly calm and easy to paddle. We even sat in the kayaks in the sunshine for a while, just relaxing and watching the world go by.

After lunch we set off to the pitch and putt in Falmouth. We had an amusing afternoon, one we had negotiated the grumpy attendant, who opened a window and served us through a tiny gap. He was not amenable to any queries and slammed the window shut after pointing out the signs which said the café and toilets were not open. The fact that he was so rude, just set us off in fits of laughter, which continued around the course.  None of us are particularly good, but it all adds to the enjoyment.

Making the most of the glorious sunshine, we drove down to Swanpool Beach, where we were tempted by the quirky named ice creams at the beach café. I chose “Malt Pleaser”, which was a Cornish vanilla ice cream cone covered in Maltesers. After sitting for a while, we walked along the coastal path to Gilly Vase Beach, stopping to take in the outstanding views. At Gilly Vase, we strolled through the beautiful gardens before heading back on the coastal path to Swanpool.

Driving back from Swanpool, we took the scenic route and came across Pendennis Shipyard. It was fascinating looking at the huge ships in dry dock and seeing the people at work who looked like tiny ants in comparison to the ships.

Messing About On The Water

The following day we booked to take our Kayaks and paddle boards to Stithians Lake for the day. The idea was that it would be a safer expanse of water to practice our skills and improve our technique. It was a warm sunny day and we had packed the car the night before, ready to set off early in order to set up camp (we have so much stuff between us, including an event shelter, four paddle boards, two kayaks, a gas stove, chairs, food in two cool boxes, wet suits, towels and changes of clothing).

Stithians is one of the South West Lakes and is a large expanse of freshwater, with all the facilities to launch your own boats, hire, or even take lessons. I decided to get some practice in on my paddle board first. After lots of attepts at standing up on my own, I eventually managed to stand up with help from my husband. I was paddling along merrily for quite a while, before the wind got up and started making the water quite choppy. Needless to say, I was soon off my board and into the water. I managed not to panic but couldn’t manage to get back on my board at such a depth, so swam almost the length of the lake using my board as a float.

After lunch, I had another go. This time the wind made me drift into the banking at the other edge of the lake. At this point I should have gone from standing to kneeling but wasn’t quick enough and as I hit the bank. I fell forwards, face planting the board. Once I had recovered (and stopped laughing), I decided to sit on my board and paddle back to the shore, which took some doing as the wind was constantly trying to blow me in the opposite direction.

It was at this point we decided to give the kayaks a go. We paddled around the edge of the whole lake, which was easy when going in the direction of the wind, but much harder work when going against the wind.

After an amazing but tiring day, we headed back to the cottage, where we cooked a meal and then took drinks down to the firepit on the jetty. We sat toasting marshmallows and laughing at our antics.