Cornwall - and now we know why England is ‘a green and pleasant land’…..
Firstly, the photos - the Blog people in their wisdom and efforts to ‘improve’ have made it a little bit more complicated to put on the pictures - hence the different sizes!!
The top picture is Treglisson, the B & B of Heather and Steve Reeves in Hayle, just near St Ives on the west coast of Cornwall - it is just such a beautiful area - and I will put a picture of the marshes and wetlands on the next blog. We can fully recommend this beautiful old home, full of atmosphere and a family of much fun and warmth. (www.treglisson.co.uk )
We have been visiting andrew and his girlfriend Beth who are at present staying with her family in Cornwall - we drove down in the rain from Bristol airport - through lovely rolling hills and dales, bright green and lush.
Hayle is a town on a beautiful estuary - most of which is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, so in its natural state - no development there thank you very much!!!
We arrived at Treglisson -after our 3 hour drive from Bristol, to a great welcome from all the family - Heather and Steve, Andrew and Beth, Ellie (Beth’s sister) and her 9 month old daughter Tolarno (yes, after the South Australian wine) but abbreviated to Tilly, and not to forget Josh, the younger son and of course Poppy the Border Collie.
We did much exploring - St Ives where parking is impossible so we caught this dear little train - so easy. Lots of tourists, being Sunday, and everyone seems to have a pushchair with a couple of toddlers attached!! There were even a few hardy souls on the beach - and it was 16 degrees!!! Enjoyed a Cornish Pasty for lunch -and even Cornish coffee - how they do this I can’t imagine when coffee only grows in the highlands of the tropics!!!
Then went to the Tate Gallery - modern art and very interesting. However the highlight was the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden - set high up overlooking St Ives, it is a serene garden full of flowers, trees and her stunning sculpture. A great place for some food for the soul - and it was free day too!!
Beth and Andrew took us to Land’s End - a lot more touristy than when I was there - was it really 40 years ago!!! - but still the same windy and wild seas.
We also drove to Tintagel, of King Arthur fame and climbed over the castle ruins - so very very old - but the little village has grown and every shop is either a cafe or a shop selling ’stuff’.
Another highlight was going to see a play at the Minack Theatre - see photos above. This is an outdoor natural amphitheatre set right above the ocean. We packed up the picnic, a mountain of rugs, cushions and the wine and set off to watch a JB Priestly play - only thing was that it rained, and rained and rained!!! Still, the red wine helped and with our rain jackets on we were cosy enough and so enjoyed the atmosphere of waves crashing on the rocks below.
We had lots of family meals - and Ian even did one of his special risottos as an entree for Sunday night family dinner - 10 of us and with Steve’s pork roast and Andrew’s apple crumble, we ate right royally.
The next night I did my latest dessert - in fact Yvonne Howie’s recipe - nectarines sliced in the ovenproof dish, covered with amaretto biscuits and then a thick layer of creme fraiche - in the fridge for a couple of hours, then sprinkled with brown sugar and under the hot grill - so delicious. Although must admit the Aga stove is not conducive to grilling - so it sort of melted - but the flavour was still there!!
had a drink one evening at the Angarack pub - the usual 16th century low ceilings and full of wonderful
‘things’ - an old pram full of fluffy toys, plates along the picture rail, 3 different types of crib boards, an old piana, etc. etc - a real treat - and the drinks were pretty good too.
All too soon time to say farewell. Andrew and Beth will finish with the cafes shortly - the tourists are all going home, and they hope to work in the French alps during the winter season - they tell me they don’t get paid much much have a great time snowboarding etc. Then next year they hope to go to South america - I thought it was supposed to be a Gap Year for Andrew - I think it’s turning into Gap Years, or Gap Life!!!
A wonderful few days in cornwall,meeting Beth’s family and exploring all their special places. Now back in Paris, Ian has some work to do, and I am off to Italy - meeting Jenny King and daughter Amy for some sun in Sorrento - and exploring the Amalfi Coast - Pompei, Capri, Ravello etc. etc.
Will be back in Paris next Friday - more news then.
Hope you are all well and happy
Au revoir
Barb
PS The website for Treglisson is: www.treglisson.co.uk - do check it out if you are thinking of exploring Cornwall and south west England.
