More painting the last few days must call for a reward, and this time it’s a day in Padstow with a picnic. We walked this time Westwards from the town towards the bay entrance and found ourselves a nice quiet little picnic spot. Having added to our little feast with some pastries from Rick Stein’s in town, we were well set for an enjoyable lunch al fresco…

And,of course, the further you walk the fewer people there are generally speaking. In fact the sands are so extensive on both sides of the estuary at Padstow that you can always find a quiet spot. Here F. is looking towards the old life-boat station where there is apparently a lovely afternoon tea rooms…and not a person to be seen as you can see…

On the way back looking towards where the ferry operates between Padstow and Rock, you can see how the estuary will virtually become all golden sand at low tide…..here the tide is about half-way out. A brilliant painting-free day…….must be repeated.

 

 

As a reward for all that painting, a trip today to St Ives. This is the view looking West from just outside the station, and here is the view in the opposite direction looking towards the harbour and island.

At the height of summer, St Ives is transformed….

But we can always seemingly get a place at our favourite restaurant..Porthmeor beach cafe, whose menu shows quirky shots of the location in times past (including when it was the site for a big gasometer), and the view is sensational…..

 

More grey paint. It will be good when it is finished or so we tell ourselves! My aim is to paint the whole of the interior walls and woodwork to make the house ours…

Mind you it isn’t all going to be grey…

Instead of our usual walk from Looe to Hannafore and back we decided today to go eastwards rather than west. So we ascended the very steep hill in East Looe until we got to a point where we had a very good view of the beach below. We then walked along the SW Coast Path passing some very swish houses on the way…this is obviously the better end of Looe!

After passing the little beach at Plaidy full of stored surfboards we went on to Black Rock beach at Millendreath where we discovered a valley site with many beach bungalows. Chatting to a lady there we found that these had been built as Miners’ holiday homes, but then sold and this site developed as a ‘holiday village’. All seemed well-kept and the area as a whole did not seem ‘spoilt’.

Anyway there is now a very well reviewed cafe there where we availed ourselves of coffees on this occasion. Great menu (‘artisan food’) and loads of people there on this fine day. The Black Rock Cafe  also has a marvellously sited bar to which we must return at the end of a boardwalk….

On the way back even sunnier with more fine views and when we got to the spot where we could see Looe beach again, how busy it was (just like Blackpool as we Northerners say).

Such a nice day when we got back that I decided to make a start on converting the 2 porcelain sinks I had bought in Devon the other week to tufa ones……

And, thank goodness our kitchen was finally finished this week, apart from the floor and putting up a blind maybe. Weeks of dust and hassle well worth it!

As this was the close of Regatta week in Fowey there were due to be fireworks, and we duly went to the Fowey Hotel from where we had a grandstand view for the price of a couple of drinks. It was a very impressive display, but how could it not in such a wonderful setting?Next year we will take full advantage of the various festivals and regattas in Cornwall, but this year we are just feeling our way…

I don’t think I have mentioned Truro yet. Our visit today was to Boscawen park in particular where we sat on the grass in the sun and listened to a brass band concert. A memorable experience. The brass band wasn’t the absolute best it has to be said, but that didn’t take away from the afternoon and there are a variety of bands throughout the Summer….Truro by the way is Cornwall’s only city and a super place for shopping with chains and loads of independents. It also sits on the river at a tidal point so you can take trips down to Falmouth on the river boats.

In spite of its early history, few very old buildings remain today and most of the town centre dates from Truro’s Georgian, Regency and Victorian heyday. Many fine examples of 18th century architecture may be found in Princes Street, notably the Mansion House and Princes House. There are also many fine Georgian houses to be seen on Lemon Street, which climbs up from the city centre to the Lander Memorial. It also has a fine modern cathedral. As a bit of a throwback to medieval times water channels or ‘kennels’ here burble along some of the city centre streets..another charming feature.

My birthday, so I chose the Talland Bay Hotel, my favourite. It’s only 15 minutes away so that’s a big advantage. As I have mentioned I love everything about it, especially all its quirky art inside and out…

One very good thing about Cornwall is its lushness (partly attributable to the rain, of course, but also due to its ambient temperature and coastal position). And one flower I particularly like and you see a lot of down here is the Agapanthus…

If you go to the Talland Bay blog they have a discussion of their art and sculpture in the January 2017 entry…well worth a look. As well as a stream of glowing TripAdvisor reviews from enthusiastic guests, several celebrity visitors have fallen for Talland Bay’s charms, among them Chris Evans and Dame Judi Dench. Retail guru and TV personality Mary Portas, whose mission is improving customer service on the high street observed, “Talland Bay Hotel is a crazy, fabulous, uplifting experience, with food and service to match. It’s my haven when in Cornwall.” So, we’re in good company.

Knowing the Red Arrows were performing we again came to Falmouth and we scouted out a wonderful vantage point at The Boathouse pub on Trevethan Hill. This is our overall view, and although we only had sweet potato chips as well as a pint, we were able to sit in the uncrowded eating area. 

And, not only that, but the landlord swung the windows open for me to take pictures and we were treated to appropriate background music…The Dambusters March etc etc…what could be better? The whole experience was good enough for me to submit a glowing TripAdviser review….

 

Our usual walk to Hannafore and back enlivened with some new flora by the path side….

If visiting Falmouth by car we try to park (free) on the outskirts of Kimberley Park, which makes a nice start as I don’t like paying for parking unless I have to, and the park is a delight to walk though on the way to town. Falmouth is a great place for independent shops, art studios, restaurants and much else. This time we walked up High Street, a steep hill given more to antique shops, and lunched at The Star and Garter. This is a terrific eatery and we bagged a table by one of the windows for extensive views of the estuary (Falmouth is the third largest natural deep-water harbour after only Rio and Sydney). In fact wherever you are in Falmouth you have views of the sea. It is built for the sea….When packet ships left Falmouth, it became the place to go ‘for orders’. ‘Falmouth for Orders’ coincided with the arrival of the railway and the docks. Ships would call in at Falmouth to find out where to take their cargoes to get the best prices. In 1881 Falmouth was a cosmopolitan place. So many languages were spoken that there was a resident interpreter. Quay punts serviced the ships, taking out outfitters to measure up crews for new clothes etc. Other working boats included oyster punts’. On other occasions we have visited The National Maritime Museum a really splendid place, the equal of any London museum. And on past holidays we have taken the ferry from Falmouth to St Mawes something we must do again soon…..