Tag Archive: Cornwall

July 5, 2023

Travelling corner: Our first camping as a family of 5

Oh yes, this was exciting to plan and to actually experience it. We went camping when I was pregnant two years ago, but didn’t use our tent at all last year. So this year we got so excited by the idea of camping and sharing the tent space as a family of 5.

Where

We chose a similar location that we travelled to 5 years ago when I was pregnant with our middle daughter. It felt really emotional to be back there. We decided to go to a NT campsite in Lansallos in Cornwall. It’s beautifully located next to a sheep field, an old church, and many birds flying around (in May!). What’s truly amazing about this campsite is that there is no major road nearby. What a treat to wake up to the sounds of birds and sheep and nothing else!

How long

We decided to go for 4 days, just enough to explore the local area and still enjoy the campsite life. We still needed to take many things, e.g. nappies, many different-weather clothes, blankets, pillows, etc., but not so many toys and books (one book and a few small toys per child).

Food

We cook our meals while camping, so we pre-prepared our simple menu beforehand. We had porridge for breakfast, bread and beans for lunch and pasta for dinner (obviously all those meals with different extras). On top of that, snacks and fresh veggies and fruit. To be honest with you, I loved this simplicity and repetitiveness, so when we came back, we enjoyed cooking that was a bit more sophisticated (!).

Walking

From the campsite, there are many walking paths: towards Polperro (a small fishing village) or to Polruan (from there, you can take a boat to Fowey). What a choice!

Beach

The Lansallos beach is a 20-minute walk from the campsite. It’s a beautiful, wild beach with its very own waterfall. Having a splash under the waterfall felt so refreshing and invigorating. Worth a try!

Simple life

Camping always reminds me of the simple life that humans used to have or still have somewhere in the world. You need to walk to get some water, wash the dishes or visit a toilet. It’s a beautiful way to connect with nature and admire its beauty. This year, we barely had any plans for our weekend; we went with the flow of each day and that felt so liberating.

You can read more about my previous camping experiences here and here.

Have you been camping this year? Where to? Please let me know in the comments below.

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May 6, 2020

Travelling corner: Cornish Delight. A Weekend away in South-East Cornwall

Oh Cornwall, it feels so good to be there, even for a weekend. Today, I’m taking you to South-East Cornwall and we’ll stay in Looe and spend the weekend exploring this part of Cornwall (aka visit my favourite places).

Friday afternoon

I would start with some sea-bathing time and my favourite place (not far away from Looe) would be Seaton Beach. The beach doesn’t have beautiful sand (it’s rather greyish), but the sea is usually warm and beautifully sparkles as the sun sets down to the horizon.

Saturday

I would start the day with a breakfast at Summink Different Café in Downderry. Their menu is rich in good foods, sustainable, often organic and simply delicious. My favourite is their 100 percent cacao soup with coconut milk (oh yes, that’s yummy!). From there, we’ll go to Freathy Beach which is a long stretch of sand with some amazing sea views (quick note that the beach is tiny when there is a high tide). You need to descend to reach the beach, it’s not very steep but may limit the amount of beach games and other necessities you take down with you 🙂

Sunday

Today we’ll go to Readymoney Cove in Fowey. But, we’ll go by boat from Polruan. Polruan is a picturesque village with some marine-like town houses (and a bit of a steep descent to the quay!). It takes around 10 minutes to get to the other shore by boat, and we’re in Fowey! We then walk another 10 minutes and arrive at this small, yet charming beach (with cold water!) where we can enjoy the views of the sailing yachts and boats. We can then go for a walk to see the ruins of St Catherine’s Castle or relax and enjoy the scrumptious Cornish ice-cream (or both!).

You can read more about my previous travels to this part of Cornwall here and here.

That’s a nice weekend, huh? What was your last weekend in Cornwall like? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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March 18, 2020

Travelling corner: Cornish Delight. A Weekend away in South-East Cornwall

Oh Cornwall, it feels so good to be there, even for a weekend. Today, I’m taking you to South-East Cornwall and we’ll stay in Looe and spend the weekend exploring this part of Cornwall (aka visit my favourite places).

Friday afternoon

I would start with some sea-bathing time and my favourite place (not far away from Looe) would be Seaton Beach. The beach doesn’t have beautiful sand (it’s rather greyish), but the sea is usually warm and beautifully sparkles as the sun sets down to the horizon.

Saturday

I would start the day with a breakfast at Summink Different Café in Downderry. Their menu is rich in good foods, sustainable, often organic and simply delicious. My favourite is their 100 percent cacao soup with coconut milk (oh yes, that’s yummy!). From there, we’ll go to Freathy Beach which is a long stretch of sand with some amazing sea views (quick note that the beach is tiny when there is a high tide). You need to descend to reach the beach, it’s not very steep but may limit the amount of beach games and other necessities you take down with you 🙂

Sunday

Today we’ll go to Readymoney Cove in Fowey. But, we’ll go by boat from Polruan. Polruan is a picturesque village with some marine-like town houses (and a bit of a steep descent to the quay!). It takes around 10 minutes to get to the other shore by boat, and we’re in Fowey! We then walk another 10 minutes and arrive at this small, yet charming beach (with cold water!) where we can enjoy the views of the sailing yachts and boats. We can then go for a walk to see the ruins of St Catherine’s Castle or relax and enjoy the scrumptious Cornish ice-cream (or both!).

You can read more about my previous travels to this part of Cornwall here and here.

That’s a nice weekend, huh? What was your last weekend in Cornwall like? Do let me know in the comments below.

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January 22, 2020

Travelling corner: 5 Best of North-West Cornwall

We returned to Cornwall last summer to re-discover the beautiful area of St Ives Bay, located in North-West Cornwall. It’s a blissful location, if you wish to visit the famous gems of Cornwall, have long beach walks, do some hiking, go to family-friendly places and enjoy some beautiful scenery. Yes, this part of Cornwall has it all and below you’ll find my absolute favourites:

Beach

There are many of them, St Ives alone has several of them, so it’s a true heaven for beach lovers (like me)! My favourite is Godrevy, it stretches long, so walking is very pleasant, and so is the swimming (for surfers, Gwithian might be a better option). You can park at the far end NT parking and go for a walk (see below).

Walk

From Godrevy NT car park you can walk to see the seal colony (remember to be quiet, as seals can be easily distracted by loud voices) or enjoy the views of the lighthouse. Or, you can walk further, along the coast path. Scenic views guaranteed!

Tate

Visiting St Ives is a must if you’re in North-West Cornwall and this summer we went to the famous Tate St Ives art gallery. We started with a quick lunch at their top floor café, which has beautiful views of the town and the sea. The gallery has an activity room for children (with some very friendly staff members), so our pre-schooler was very happy to have some creative time there, while our baby girl had a very comfortable nap among the paintings, so I had chance to slowly go around the galleries and admire the art. I was especially fascinated by the gallery’s temporary exhibition devoted to the Lebanese artist, Huguette Caland.

Train

As much as I enjoy being by the sea, I also like travelling by train! While in Cornwall this summer, we could see the little train going by the coast every day and we knew we wanted to experience it. So we travelled from St Erth to St Ives and the views were truly amazing. We also went from St Erth to Penzance (in both instances the train journey didn’t last longer than 10 minutes).

Sunsets

The sunsets in this part of Cornwall are epic (unless it’s very cloudy or rainy!). The colours of the sky slowly changing, wide landscape and the sparkly silver sea. You can stare at the sky and wonder how nature can be so generous with its amazingness.

Have you visited this part of Cornwall? What did you enjoy most? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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September 25, 2019

Travelling corner: St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall

We visited St Michael’s Mount for the third time this summer. The first time we went there was actually our first time in Cornwall. The second time I was pregnant with our first girl, and the third time we went there as a family of 4 (I’m starting to wonder how many of us will go there the next time we decide to visit the Mount! 😉 St Michael’s Mount is a tidal island in Cornwall with a castle, chapel and a few houses. The island it still inhabited and can be accessed on foot (low tide) or by boat (high tide). We read on Wikipedia that historically, St Michael’s Mount was a counterpart of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France (definitely plan to visit it, especially that the French island is more than 4 times bigger the British one!). We visited the island in peak season this year and this was the only drawback, as it was quite crowed when entering the castle and when waiting for the boat to go back. But, for the views, it was worth it.

Have you been to St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall or Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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September 18, 2019

Travelling corner: Jubilee Swimming Pool in Penzance

When in Penzance and in summer, you have to go to the most-famous open-air swimming pool in Cornwall.  Jubilee Swimming Pool. I had wanted to visit it for a while, so I used the opportunity this summer and travelled there by train from St Erth (it only takes 10 minutes). I have fond memories from Penzance, as I travelled from there to the Isles of Scilly about 2 years ago (highly recommended!) The lido is not far away from the train station, so I walked there and, after arriving, enjoyed some time in their pool café. The ticket prices are reasonable (in my opinion!) and the pool wasn’t over-crowded. My family and I found a place in the shade and we went off swimming. Well, it’s a sea water lido, so the water was freezing cold and it took us a good few minutes to get used to it. But, once we’d acclimatised, we had a truly pleasant and refreshing time in the water, and then a lovely time relaxing by the pool. If you’re an ice-cream lover, a short walk from Penzance, in Newlyn, there is a famous ice-cream shop with the scrumptious one-flavour vanilla ice-cream (what a taste!).

If you want to find out more about the Cornish lido, please follow the link.

What’s your favourite open-air swimming pool? Do let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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June 19, 2019

Travelling corner: Polperro, Lansallos, Barcelona. Where are we?

Can you guess where you can find all those towns located almost next to each other? I’ll help you: in Cornwall, UK! Yes, I was as surprised as you are when I discovered that some Cornish towns sound more Spanish/Italian than English. Today, I’d like to take you to South Cornwall to explore this beautiful region.

Looe

I visited Looe many times during my summer travels, as my camp-site was located very nearby. The town is small and has a beautiful beach (which can be quite crowded with sun-lovers). There are boutiques, bakeries, cafés and a small harbour. From the harbour you can go to the tiny island called Looe Island or St George’s Island, either as a short tour or a day trip (or you can stay on the island and hire a tipi). From the town, you can also go for a very pleasant walk to the next town/beach, Millendreath.

Fowey 

A cute little town with many tiny shops and boutiques, as well as a beautiful marina and beach. You can go by boat to Polruan or take a longer sea tour. You can walk around all the narrow streets to get a flavour of the town, or head to the beach to relax and chill out (Readymoney Cove).

Polperro

An old fishing town. When you walk through the small streets, you can feel some foreign accents in the architecture and building layout (Italian?). It can be quite crowded with tourists, but it’s still worth visiting for its special charm.

Which towns have you visited in South Cornwall? Let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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March 27, 2019

Travelling corner: 3 family-friendly beaches in North Cornwall, UK

For our family, when travelling to Cornwall, we need to have plenty of walking options as we like to be outside to enjoy the views, fresh air and some exercise. Since becoming a family of 4, we take our younger daughter in a sling (3 months old) and our older daughter (4 years old) walks by herself (very often with walking sticks). The below three beaches are located close to each other.  Their coast paths have beautiful sea views and are fairly easy, even for younger kids. The photos come from our various trips to this part of Cornwall (including our recent one in February).

Sandymouth Beach

Beautiful long sandy beach: at low tide you can take a beach walk up to Bude. There is National Trust parking and a café with outside sitting and views of the ocean. We really enjoyed walking the coastal path, as the landscape was spectacular.

 

Summerleaze Beach, Bude

Very popular with tourists and locals. Plenty of options: you can go for a beach walk, take a coastal path, swim in the sea pool or have a walk by the river Neet.

Widemouth Beach

Beautiful long beach to walk, surf, swim or explore. Breathtaking views from the coastal path.

What are your favourite family-friendly beaches in Cornwall? Let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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January 30, 2019

Travelling corner: Her first trip to the seaside

Whilst still pregnant, I started planning our travels together, specifically, our first trip as a family of 4! My daughter was born in mid-November, so when she was around 6 weeks old, she went away with us for 4 days to celebrate New Year’s Eve. We went to Cornwall: it’s obvious that I had to show her this beautiful land first before exploring the rest of the world 😉

How does travelling look with a new-born? Very simple, in a way: they need to eat, sleep and have clean nappies. The frequency and unpredictability – that’s a bit more challenging, as we had to have regular unplanned breaks in local cafes, or stop in the car for breast-feeding and nappy-changing. We rented a house not far away from some coastal paths and beaches, to make sure that we could quickly go home, if needed. We used a sling to carry her when we walked on the coastal paths and on the beach, and a pram to walk around the Cornish towns. After an intensive day, our daughter was a bit unsettled in the evening, but it didn’t last very long. Obviously, having a holiday in winter is limited by the shortness of day time, but I still so enjoyed the sea views, fresh air, walking and having a huge change to my day-to-day routine with a new-born baby. Would I repeat it? Definitely!

Kinga Macalla

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November 21, 2018

Travelling corner: Best secret beaches in South Cornwall

Cornwall is one of my favourite travel destinations in the UK, and finding secret beaches is part of its awesomeness. This year I went to South Cornwall and discovered some amazing beaches which had some breathtaking views of the sea. Where to find them?

Freathy Beach

Beautiful sandy beach with lifeguards and a slightly steep descent towards it. The sea views are spectacular. When driving, turn when you see the sign “Freathy Cliffs”.

Lantic Bay

Amazing beach with turquoise waters. I walked there from Lansallos (NT parking available in the village). It took me around 1.5 hours to get there and the descent towards the beach was quite steep, but completely worth it for the views.

Readymoney Cove

It’s quiet, relaxing & beautiful. The beach is just outside Fowey and you can walk there from the town (around 30 minutes). The beach is small, but not too crowded, with beautiful views of the bay and the coming yachts and boats. Tranquilising.

What are your secret beach recommendations in South Cornwall? Let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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