I admit, I knew nothing about Cornwall before arriving in the UK. I know about Redwall, I have been to the Corn Palace, and I have heard of Cornish Pixies, but I knew nothing about Cornwall. Come to find out, there are many beach towns worthy of a visit here, too!
Cornwall, Kernow to the locals, is located in the westernmost part of the English South West Peninsula. It is a bit of a trek to get there. The roads are long, with plenty of Services available, and they stretch on and on. This is especially true when we were coming from Wales.
Our reason for visiting Cornwall was two-fold. One was to see my partner’s Great Aunt. The other was to show me around. This is a place where my partner grew up. She would spend occasional summers and winters here with her Great Aunt and Uncle. She wanted to share a part of her past with me and allow me to experience the joy of being there among the people of Cornwall.
I really did enjoy meeting her Great Aunt. I lost my grandmother over 20 years ago, and I do miss her. Meeting a member of my partner’s extended family was a bit of a salve on the wound of losing my own family member all those years ago. Aunt Cynthia is a gem.
Using the town of Truro as a base, we set out in different directions to explore the English coast.
Our first stop was the town of Padstow. There is a car park on the water, which can get rather busy regardless of the time of year. The day we visited was no exception. We must have circled the lot three times before a car finally pulled out, and we backed our way into a spot that was so tricky for our rental to maneuver in that when we finished parking, we high-fived each other.
Once we parked, we were treated to a lovely view of the water, obviously.
You may be looking at that photo above and say, “Oy! There are many spots right in front of you! You lie!” Those spots aren’t for regular cars, and as Bryn from Gavin & Stacey says, “I’ll tell you for why:” they’re for caravans or coaches carrying groups of people.
Anyway, there was a Rick Stein’s restaurant and cookery school right next to the car park, so we dipped in there and had some lovely fish and local drinks before we set about the town.
Several cool shops and cafes were dotting the waterfront, and there were many people out and about on this day. The sun was out, sort of, and the weather overall was accommodating. It was a pleasant day by British standards! And I would have to agree. The cool weather made the walk around the town very enjoyable.
I didn’t know this, but the British love their ice cream. As we made our way around the waterfront, we saw many people holding cups and cones of ice cream, even though it was not warm. If this were back home, the ice cream shops would be boarded up and shut for the season. But not these people. And I love them for that. I have always had a bit of a sweet tooth. More than a bit. A lot. So we definitely had a cone while we walked, and I had my partner hold my ice cream while I took the above photo. We are a great team!
Our next stop would be going all the way down to Mousehole. To those of you with an American accent in your brain speaking to you as you read, it is not pronounced Mouse Hole. It is pronounced Mau-zel. With that settled, let me say that the streets in Mousehole are ridiculous. Even for a more compact auto, we had a hard time navigating. The roads were narrow. The turns were tight. And to make matters worse, the car parks were full.
My partner had reached her limit of driving. So, I took over once we got out of the main town. I hadn’t driven on the left side of the road since August 2023 in New Zealand. Now I come with experience and the know-how to drive better than ever!
With me behind the wheel, we turned our sights to a new destination. After the disappointment of Mousehole, we wanted a spot that was a bit quieter. Enter St. Agnes. It is the definition of a quaint beach village. There were fewer people, and I found the view to be slightly better. The way the beach opens up and offers up the expansive ocean as a turquoise-tinted vista is breathtaking.
To our surprise, there were several surfers out in the water. The Royal Navy Lifeboat Institution (think surf lifesavers/lifeguards), pictured above, was also hosing off their wares after being in the water practicing lifesaving. The cold temperatures of the water were not enough to deter those determined to enter the water.
As you walk down the lone road to the beach, there is a narrow path off to the left that takes you up and over and offers up stunning views of the town, the water, and everything else left.
This area feels abandoned. But also as if it was ripped from time and untouched. But, more than likely, I took it to mean that not many people were venturing out above the water when it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That left us to explore and be treated to a quiet spot above the town.
Continuing on the trail, we reached a point where we could either continue our trek and make it a real hike, or we could pause and enjoy the surroundings. There was a moment where we thought about trudging onward, but we looked up the hill and it was STEEP. Not too steep, but steep enough that we knew we wouldn’t want to be sweating profusely by the time we reached the top.
We spent a decent amount of time at this spot. It was serene. We could look out across to where the water meets the sky and really take in the vastness of the ocean and our place in the world. Spoiler alert, I nearly proposed to my partner here, but a bit too many people were walking around us, and I did not have a ring on me. I think she knows this, but in case she does not, I will probably hear from her in the next few seconds after she finishes reading this piece. I’ll tell you her response in my next post!
John Kidde Writes 