To the End of England

Last weekend the kids had decided they had had enough of the travel and it was time to stay at home. So with the permission from the boss, I packed my bag with the bare essentials (toothbrush and 6-pack of beer) and headed off to the rugged coast of Cornwell with no plans, no accommodation and no children. So with music blaring in the car (no – not bananas in pyjamas), I drove into a slight drizzle with a hope that the torrential rain north didn’t decide to come on the trip with me.

Driving along the M5 I experience my first real taste of what it is like going on holidays in the UK. A parking lot spread over three lanes. In front there was the usual parade of cars on their pilgrimage to some unknown place in the futile search for sun and sand. Surrounding me, cars with caravans in tow were filled to the brim with bikes, bags and the face of small children squashed against the glass.

Luckily, the rains up north have kept many holiday makers away so we collectively, like one big joined up snake, made our way west to the end of England. With the bladder deciding it was time to stop I followed a sign to Lanhydrock, a grand Victorian home with an amazing 49 rooms. For those that like cooking the house had a huge kitchen for cooking, a room for vegetable preparation and washing up, a room where bread, scones, cake and biscuits were baked daily, a Dry room for kitchen storage, a separate room for preparing and storing fish. There was another room for specialist meat preparation, and ANOTHER room where butter and clotted cream were made, and milk stored. I wont even mention the other 42 rooms!

Back in the car it was time to make my way to the coast, my target St Ives. A small fishing village enclosed by a maze of narrow cobble streets and alleyways with white terraces hugging the steep foreshore. For years, artists have been attracted to the town because of its unique 'light' and magnificent coastline. The village now has a myriad of small galleries and artists with paintings of torques water and blue sky. While today the sky was grey and the water a deep green it did not detract from this lovely spot.

After the essential Cornish pasty, it was time to explore the coast more. From here the coast road snaked its way west, giving magnificent vistas and tantalising glimpses but never quiet connecting to the sea. So it was time to park the car and put on the walking boots. The craggy coast was dramatic with steep cliffs, delicate wildflowers, the smell of salt spray in the air and the sound of pounding waves below.

Next stop, dinner in a small local pub consisting of steak and mushroom home made pie washed down with a pint. Despite it being 8pm, the clouds began to break and the sun started to shine, so I made my way further along the coast to the most glorious bay and watched the sun go down.

Now, sitting in the dark contemplating how wonderful it was and the freedom without kids, another thought entered my mind. It was 10.30pm and I don’t have anywhere to stay! After prodding the back seat and lying with feet protruding out of the window, I decided that there had to be a better option. After several failed attempts I eventually found a grand Victorian hotel on the sea front at Penzance and clambered into bed.

The next morning, waking up early (even without the kids jumping on me), and a scrumptious breakfast of smoked haddock and poached eggs, I headed to St Michael’s Mount. After a small boat ride across the inlet you arrive at a rocky islet crowned dramatically with a medieval castle.
The end of the weekend was fast approaching but I had a couple more stops to go. Fist was another walk along the coast at Lizard Point. More dramatic cliffs where the green rolling pastures abruptly end as the sea slowly consumes the coast. Last stop - Eden Domes - a strange place in the centre of an old quarry. Now it contains a kaleidoscope of plants from all over the world, all housed in immense domes.

As the clock ticked by I knew it was getting close to home time. The freedom was drawing to an end and it was time to return home.