Back to the Lizard - September 09

First the camper failed it's MOT when we came back fom Cornwall in July, then after repairs the camshaft packed up so we ended up with a full engine rebuild and empty pockets. This all happened in the first week of September just before we were due to go back down to Henry's campsite at the Lizard and then stopover at the Forest of Dean on the way back.

The owner of Henry's had said to us that they usally got good weather in September so we thought we'd give it a go after the wet and windy July trip. Mum came up with the idea of us hiring a campervan and we managed to get one for 3 nights from Tavistock in Devon. Here's a view of Tavistock from Dartmoor and me picking up Ruby the camper...

Here we are at Henry's Campsite. Ruby looked very pretty but staying in a bay window T2 was a shock to the system as it was SO SMALL inside and not much fun for Gordon to drive. Looked good though...

A day at Kynance Cove...

Seeing as our week long holiday was cut short due to not having a campervan we couldn't go on to the Forest of Dean as planned. So we stopped off at Matt & Pip's then chose to go and have a look at Sidmouth. It was scorching hot and really busy. We went tot he TIC and they booked us into one of the last available rooms in Sidmouth. A christian hotel that felt more like a retirement home. All fun and games for us as usual! Sidmouth was very pretty, there was a great walk along a path cut out of the cliffs. We'd love to go back for a longer visit one day.

Cornwall 4 stops fortnight No 4: Harlyn Bay

Our last stop was St Merryn village next to Harlyn Bay, Padstow. It was a beautiful day when we arrived and Gordon and I went down to the beach for a few hours. How about this for a view...

It didn't take long for the weather to change for the worse - these pics are taken behind Rick Stein's chippy...

On the way back home we called in to Moretonhampstead and Meg tried on my wellies and hat. I think they suit her!

Cornwall 4 stops fortnight No3: St Ives

We stayed at Polmanter park for 3 or 4 nights and were very impressed with St Ives. It has 4 lovely beaches, lots of galleries and great places to eat. The weather was showery and we had one terrible storm one afternoon and we had to take shelter in the conservatory next to the pool. It was still windy - in fact it just blew for the whole fortnight. We think we might have found the holy grail of pasties - Pengenna traditional. They are gorgeous. Much better than Anne's pasties on Lizard that people seem to rave about.

Gordon and I took the open top red double decker tourist coastal bus to Marazion. We'd been there twice before but never when the tide was out. So at long last I got to visit St Michael's Mount.

Spot the difference - hint: it has wings and is heading straight for me! Click to see a bigger version of these pics.

Cornwall 4 stops fortnight No2: Lizard

For years I had wanted to got the Henry's campsite on the Lizard. The most Southern campsite in England it has a great reputation. It is a magical place, even if the showers and loos aren't up to scratch. I loved the little sculptures, the animals, the location and the owners were great too. They are really into VWs. We just stayed for 2 nights and it is a good thing too as the weather really turned on our last night and Charlie and Donna were kept awake by the fog horn coming from the lighthouse up the road.

Gordon and I had a day to ourselves and went to Kynance cove which is just FANTASTIC. Possibly the best beach in Britain - well the best one I've been too.

Cornwall 4 stops fortnight No1 Looe

It was back to Looe again for 4 or 5 nights. We had a lot of fun at this site and Looe and Polperro were worth another visit. It was really windy while we were there and quite eventful. We got told off for being noisy and Charlie set light to his tent and the hedge behind it when he was BBQ-ing. While we were there we had a day at Samphire Bay with Dave...




A visit from Matt, Pip, Mari and Meg for the day - we walked from the beach down the road along the coast path to Polperro and back. Meg enjoyed her nap in the campervan and Mari got ready for bed before she went home...

One day we thought we'd go to Fowey but we missed the bus so we walked to Polperro and got a boat there. The sea was quite rough and the waves were quite big. I think we were all glad to get off that boat. Fowey was worth the visit - very good pasties in the Deli and good to visit somewhere new. We caught the ferry across the river and caught the last bus back to Looe...