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Ahh.. after a lovely smooth flight from Dubai we were quite happy to land in the Mother Land. ENGLAND. Our base for the next ?? years… Even the lovely lady at immigration seemed pleased to see us. She smiled at our de-facto visa and wished us a pleasant stay. So far so good.
Was so great to be re-united with Naomi and Sam, our lovely friends from NZ. Within hours of landing we were sitting in a pub in Chiswick, London - drinking beer and vodka next to the River Thames. Cheers England!
Only 24 hours after arriving in London, we were back on plane making our way to Cornwall in Southern England to visit Chris’s grandparents. Getting out of Stanstead airport on a Ryan Air flight was a long and laborious exercise but I guess that’s what you get when the ticket only cost 14 pence (plus 15 pounds in taxes) each!
I’m sure the sun gods were smiling on us because the weather in Cornwall was beautiful. Not too hot - just perfect. Such a relaxing place to visit after all the madness of Asia.
We stayed in a cute little village called Cadgewith near
Southern tip
As far south as you can go. Near the village 'The Lizard' where Chri's relatives have their holiday house. Fantastic! the southern most tip of England. This is where Chris’s grandparents have lived for the past 20 or so years. Chirs had been to this area many times with his family but it was a first for me. I had seen ‘Doc Martin’ and ‘Rick Stein’ on the television in NZ and I knew that they were filmed in Cornwall area so I did have a romantic notion of clipped farm hedges and little fishing villages full of ‘local’ produce and ‘local’ people doing ‘local’ things...
Well, my expectations were set a little low. Not only did we get clipped hedges and fishing villages but beautiful clear water, surprisingly impressive beaches, amazing cathedrals, cute cottages with thatched roofs, cool art gallery’s, towering cliffs, farm shops selling fresh produce, tiny little lanes, wicked pubs, strawberry farms, rolling farmland, stone walls, clotted cream (very naughty), Cornish pasties, fresh lobster, good cheese, beautiful oak trees, badgers, foxes, sheep, jersey cows, blooming pink roses and wildflowers, babbling brooks, friendly locals with small dogs and perfectly groomed horses trotting down the lane.
All ‘terribly civilized’ and all very appealing to the small town girl in me! Ahh - our kind of place. Especially
good is the ‘Coastal Path’ walking track that winds its way along the Southern Coast. The view are amazing and the scenery is all ‘so very ENGLISH’ It’s enough to make one want to start saying things like “Ah smashing day isn’t it?! Jolly good then! and Oh my dear old chap” Okay so maybe I’m getting a bit carried now away but you know what I mean..
Anyway, during our stay we managed to explore a good section of the Cornwall area including Penzance and the lovely St Michael’s mount. This is a cool little castle sitting out on an island. During low tide you are able to walk out and explore the castle. Well worth a visit. Mum you’ll love it.
St Ives was packed with holiday-makers but such a good place to explore. It’s really entertaining watching the British enjoying the summer weather. The poor Brits - their pale skin was burning in the sun as it obviously hadn’t seen it for a year. (That will be us in a year’s time - Noooooooo!!!) Lots of teenagers and children were braving the water - no warmer than an icy stream in the south island! brrr…
Cottage
In the village of Cadgewith. Everything is so, so old. We didn’t bother getting in but we are rightly impressed. Who said there are no beaches in England? Shame this area is about a 7 hour drive from London but the low cost airlines make everything easy-to-get-to in this part of the world.
We will definitely be spending a bit more time in the Cornwall area in the future.
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Sarah
non-member comment
Hey!
Hope you dont mind I was reading your blog (im an avid reader of peoples travels and even more so since a couple of my mates are signed up to this blog). Just thought I'd point out- if you are pronouncing and spelling the county 'Cornwell' it is actually Cornwall! Excellent photos! I live in the home counties on the outskirts of London and I too love Cornwall its such a tranquil county- with archetypal windy roads, hidden british beaches and excellent cream teas!!!Mmm. I'm glad you are impressed with Cornwall and I hope the rest of the UK brings you good weather and fond travel memories! I know that by reading this it has brought back some of my great memories of Cornwall. Thank You. x