Is Cornwall competing with the Greek coast? Dramatic coast, granite cliffs, sandy beaches, delicious food, small craftshops, exotic plants and don’t forget the Cornish make the best ice-cream in the world!

 

A week before we went on holiday this year I heard on the radio a dad asking what could he do with the children when it is raining in Cornwall for a week. I smiled at this thought thinking it can’t happen to us, as we had yowl great weeks of sun last year but it did...

As I am write this guide on Cornwall in a beautiful hotel room with my family has not stopped raining for a week, but we have had a great time. We managed to read more then we have done in the whole year, we slept and had delicious meals. Do not even think this could’ve been done at home, you know it couldn’t.

Beside this, it is magical to wake up every morning with the sound of waves. Our hotel is just on the other side of Plymouth on the top of the cliff and most of the rooms have a sea view. www.whitsandbayhotel.co.uk The Whitsand Bay hotel is the old maison house of the Graves family and it was built in 1871. The rooms are high and have generous windows towards the sea; although not modern, it’s cosy. The stained glass window over the staircase is one of the finest in the West Country it incorporates an Eagle, the Grave’s family Coat of Arms & a line of battleships – a reference to the glorious 1st of June when Admiral Graves led the British in the battle of 1794 against the French.

The hotel has as well a leisure centre and a Golf club. The leisure complex has a well equipped gymnasium, a nice swimming pool, a 2 people sauna, which I used and a steam room. For the Beauty Therapy Salon please book in advance.

If you are passionate about golf, you will love this place: stunning view from the cliff tops along the links course. From the hotel they told me the 18 hole course is a gentle challenge with a combination of sporting holes and rolling fairways. Golfers would probably understand more then I what I am talking about. If you need to brush up your technique you can book some lessons.

Fine dining is also at home here. Outstanding modern English cuisine is prepared with local ingredients.

Last year we spent 2 glorious weeks in this hotel and had Mediterranean weather all the time. The beaches are superb: wide enough to enable everybody to set out their beach towels and not feel as in a terraced garden, there is also enough space to play boule and fly kites. The sand is fine and the children can build castles or go crab hunting in the rock pools. The water is cold, but it is worthwhile to go swimming with a wet suit or try the hotel’s warm pool.

A special beach is below the Napoleonic Tregantal fort – Blackyball beach. For safety reasons get the information for a low tide from the hotel reception and walk down the steep cliff path to the beach. Today this is a charming place, a wide beach sheltered by the cliffs. The sand here is very fine, because the place is completely covered with water twice a day. My father in law grew up in Crafthole and thinks Blackyball beach is the greatest place in the world. He came down here many times, but once he found the crash site of a Wellington bommer; the crew rescued by a local fishing boat from the sea, how amazing could that be for a 7 year old boy?! It is said one of his ancestors, while out fishing spotted the Spanish Armada and sailed round to raise the alarm in Plymouth – who knows, but the  beach is still beautiful and the old fishing harbour still there.

If you feel like walking in the morning there is a 3km walk along the coast cliff from the hotel to Tregantal Fort. We’ve done this every morning before breakfast and we felt great. From there you can see Rame Head, a tiny hermit’s chapel. When you can see the hotel, call the children and place your order for a cooked breakfast; that is the only point where your mobile will work.

A few other attractions in the area are:

The Anthony house, a National Trust property with beautiful gardens. It will be good to be there in time for tea. This is where the new movie “Alice in Wonderland” was filmed.

Cothele house and Mill. Take pasties from the Paul Bray &Son, family butchers shop in Tideford and have a picnic on the Tamar quay. Visit the house, also a National Trust property and do not forget to visit the working Mill. They are working on a hydroelectric scheme to produce energy for the house and area. Congratulations! Currently they are producing flour and next year they should also have a bakery. The flour is very good: we tried it last year and we made delicious bread, now we have come back for more.

Experience the adventure of open boating on the Tamar. Learn to steer and paddle your own canoe. From Cothele you can also rent a canoe and have a boat journey between the historic Quays of Morwellham and Cothele with Canoe Tamar www.canoetamar.co.uk . Morwellham is a living history museum of the Victorian life in this major port for copper ore for Tamar Valley mines. Please book at least one week in advance.

The Eden Project www.edenproject.com  it is a living collection of the global gardens trying to recreate and conserve plants from different parts of the world. One of its giant conservatories is a majestic rainforest, the other a corner of the warm Mediterranean. It is a place to tell a hundred of plant stories from cocoa coffee to bananas and rubber. Do not miss some fun activities: Mud between your toes and build your own tent with just a few wooden sticks, textile pieces and pegs.

We’ve also visited Looe and Fowey. In Looe we walked around the main street, looked at the shops and tried crab fishing. In Fowey I recommend you park the car in Polruan on the top of the hill and have a panoramic view over the sea and the port. Walk down the steep streets towards the quay and take the passangers’ ferry from the White House to Fowey. It is a beautiful small port, but it is busy. Last year we even saw one of the big cruise liners coming into the port. All the little boats pulled up their anchors and were asked to move to the sides to make space for the giant. The streets, restaurants and streets of Fowey were more generous and accommodated the tourist invasion.

Luckily we sat down at a table with a big portion of the world’s most delicious Moules Mariniere, local line caught cod, and crab salad. The hot chocolate is a real treat here: 3 layers of chocolate, white chocolate and cream, mmm.  Across the road is a smart bookshop selling Cornish literature and games. Here we bought “Sailing, a beginner’s guide” and the “Cornish monopoly”. For a bit more adventure and more fish than people try a ride in a speed boat. They will provide thick waterproof jackets and would take you along the coast to show you some wild life.

For lovers there is the Rame Head chapel on the top of the hill. When the sun is shining the place resembles the church in Mama Mia where the wedding ceremony takes place. If you want to get married here, you can hire the Pollhaun fort.

There are of course many more attractions in Cornwall, but only if there was more time...

Back to the hotel room, my youngest finished another maths test for the 11+ exam and we are all looking forward to go out for a pasty. If you do not know these yet, pasty is an ingenious dish of the Cornish cuisine. They were initially prepared for the tin miners. This toxic metal could’ve been fatal if swallowed. So they were holding the pasty by the thick crust, starting at one end with a savoury mixture of beef, potatoes and suede and finishing with a sweet mixture as desert. Enjoy!

One more thing I want to mention before I close this guide: Looking out of my hotel window I can see in the night a flickering light or on a clear day a siluette. It is Eddystone! The most famous rock lighthouse in the world and the one whose design was followed for all other rock light houses. Its story is impressive: it took 4 lighthouses before it over 200 years before a design that finally secured the safety of the ships that were coming into Plymouth. Last night when there was a storm I thought more about the challenge of building a rock lighthouse and the one of being a keeper of this place. When you know that 14 ft waves are coming, you abandon your house, but if it is your duty you have to resist. I have all my admiration for the ones that served this service for 300 years. Nowadays it is all done by computer

In conclusion, storms have been part of life in Cornwall forever and have made the coast the magic it is. There is lots to go and see whatever the weather, and don’t forget the Cornish make the best ice-cream in the world!