We did a lot of splashing about on some stunning pebbly and sandy beaches, marvelling at how the sea in Cornwall is so clear. You can actually see the bottom - not something I've ever really experienced up here. It's also bloody chilly. We bought M a wetsuit, so she was fine, but Orb and I were absolutely nithered, standing there up to our knees in freezing cold water. Still, there was rockpooling to be done, shells to be collected (now turned into a rather fancy mobile), and beach snacks to be eaten (you can't beat jammy dodgers on a cold and windy day).
We also spent a day at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which were absolutely beautiful, especially the jungle ravine. And I had massive allotment envy in the kitchen garden. M was most taken by the fact that they grow pineapples in horse poo, and with the small compass she was issued with on arrival. We spent the day regaled by a small person shouting "north east", "south west", "we're heading for the north pole" and other sundry directions.
The weather wasn't particularly kind to us, though. And rain on a campsite (even one as nice as Treloan) makes things a bit pants. We were rescued from the downpour by a blogmeet/tweet up with the lovely James BC, Patroclus and the Blue Kitten, who we terrified by providing an insight into life with a four-and-three-quarters-nearly-five-year-old-who-is-completely-bonkers-about-cats. In return, they provided fabulous cake and scones, and regaled us with tales of sofas. It were great.
We also ventured out on the obligatory Eden Project trip - which was fantastic (and which had better be, given the entry price - all I can say is thank god for Tesco vouchers). I think I actually liked the outdoor areas best (although I could quite happily take up residence in the Mediterranean biodome), and if their staff of gardeners could just come and sort out the weeds in my allotment and make it look as nice as theirs, I'd be eternally grateful. M and Orb, as you can see, had fun building dens...
We also tried the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, which was excellent (if wildly expensive, at £9.50 a ticket). The exhibition on lighthouses was fantastic - M was fascinated by the tales of the sea ripping off bronze doors, lighthouse keepers weeing in buckets, and semaphore flags. There's also some lovely boats hanging up in the main hall, a great view of Falmouth from the top of the tower, and a rather good exhibition on the weather (should have seen this before we went to Cornwall, sadly!). My only gripe is that having charged you a fortune to get in, there's a whole load of other stuff (like sailing model boats, or crab fishing) that requires further cash - I know it's only 50p a time, but you do feel rather as if you're being regarded as a cash cow.
What else? We toasted marshmallow pigs on the bbq, dismantled a gigantic (cooked) crab, ate lots of lovely Callestick Farm ice cream, found the best pasties in the world (St Mawes bakery on the harbourside - just avoid the Sloane Ranger yachties and you'll be fine), visited Fraggle Rock, saw peregrine falcons, and generally spent a reasonable amount of time mooching about. There wasn't much sitting in the sunshine of an evening with a glass of rose, but you can't have everything.
So now we've returned home, done an absolute mountain of washing and work, and now it's time to head off again. Thanks to the lovely people at Visit Denmark, we're going to be guinea pigs for 10 days, heading over to Denmark to test out some campsites and attractions. Wooooo!!! We're taking a video camera, the foldy beast and 900 small plastic kittens, so that should just about cover every eventuality.
Updates to follow as we travel...
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