A huge benefit of being retired is that you can take advantage of any fine or relatively fine spell of weather at the drop of a hat. So today we went to the seaside. As we were going to Lappa Valley theme park, our beach destination was on the north coast. Exploring a new beach can be hard work, so refreshment is sometimes needed!  Lappa Valley is a theme park for younger children, which is ideal for a half-day visit combined with a beach. There are 3 steam trains and loads of mini playgrounds, plus a good collection of animals. My daughter rated it quite highly for a two-year old, and would definitely come back. She enjoyed it as you can see. Although we are in south-eastern Cornwall , all Cornwall is quite accessible for us, and you are never more than 16 miles from the sea wherever you are. The weather can be quite different on the south and north coasts at any one time, so the possibilities are endless. We are really looking forward to exploring more and more of the coastline, especially when the temperature is more suitable for picnics.