Bun. The first photo is for you. Pub and defibrillator in one location, does it get any better? We were here 3 days and I know my way around, know the beers and ciders pretty well, know the menu and order with confidence (easy mussels and something else), know the staff and really know the schedule but I never saw the defibrillator! But I didn’t need it either. More mussels last night, enjoyed as usual. Then some fish and peas and chips and peas and salad and peas! Too many peas! Would have gladly traded some for some salad but… Probably because we’d not long ago had a Cornish pasty (hard to believe I know) we were more than filled to dolly’s wax. Taxi back to Porthcothan was good, jovial driver with plenty of opinions about ... read more

Padstow or because Rick Stein is so ubiquitous and omnipresent here it is referred to as Padstein! I have enjoyed his pasty significantly more than I thought I would. His recipe stated he uses swede but I’m pretty sure it was parsnip with meat pieces. The meat is cut not minced and it was pleasantly peppered so I thought the pasty was very good. Pasties are everywhere here, there are 3 consecutive shops all selling baked goods and all specialising in ‘real Cornish pasties’. They are all in Mill Square, Padstow, Cornwall so their claims may be legitimate. Everyone here has a pasty, an ice-cream or some fish and chips. As far as I know Rick Stein does not make ice cream although he does sell it. The line at his fish and chip deli was ... read more

King Arthur you have much to answer for. From ‘Excalibur’ plastic swords and plywood crossbows the streets here are alive with tacky tourist souvenirs that scream a crossover between English legend and Chinese cheapness. Despite our expectations our meals here were very good. Thankfully we steered clear of the King Arthur’s Arms and found a pub that had good beer and good food. Thinking that vegetables would be a foreign word here we were pleasantly surprised despite the fact I ordered a 3 meat dish. I had a good carrot (aren’t all carrots at least good), some good roast potatoes (aren’t all roast potatoes at least good) and some red and green cabbage. Cauliflower gratin was meant to accompany the meal but… The pork, beef and lamb roast were tender, succulent and quite delicious and the ... read more

No longer do I need to take photos of English showers and ask a NASA graduate to interpret the buttons, switches, knobs and dials! They all seem to work now. Some have been really good, strong pressure and almost infinitely adjustable. The only grumble is that with some you can not get just cold water. I always attempt a cold shower for my legs because it’s good for them but it’s not always possible. But we’ll done England your showers have improved immeasurably. But they are still small! I didn’t have enough room in the shower for my cold bottle of cider. Bigger problem than it sounds! Even Julie has knocked over half a pint before shower time, that’s an indication of how how tough today was. The elevation gain was almost 1500 m. Assuming a ... read more

Big walk day. Plenty of elevation gain which is simply walking talk for lots of ups and downs. And about 20km again which when matched with the ups and downs is about right. Leaving at 9:00 sees us arrive just after 4:00 which is good. Not easy but good. The ups and downs correspond with streams or rivers meeting the sea so it’s all understandable and all geographically correct but it doesn’t make the walk easier! The track here is easy to follow as there is so little else around. A holiday park was our only detour and that was for icy-poles so we were happy about that. There were a few people on the track but significantly fewer than on the weekend. Those we saw were camping nearby and going for an ‘English walk’. We ... read more