St Ives & a cliff-top evening stroll

Sunday was due to be a wet day and the morning, at least, certainly was. But that was not going to stop us from going outside and enjoying being in Cornwall! Lauren and I set off in the rain and arrived to a very damp and misty St Ives at around 11am. (My parents went off to do some shopping in Hayle and then copied our plans by turning up in St Ives later in the day as well!) We had a nice time wandering the quaint little shopping streets, popping in shops but generally not really buying anything and had coffee and cake in Lauren’s favourite café. It wasn’t too long before it stopped raining and then sun came out a little bit.

Misty, but still pretty!

Brownie and a cappuccino in Madeline’s.

Whilst being serenaded by this banjo-wielding chappie outside.

The seagulls of St Ives are the most vicious I have ever known.

We wandered away from the harbour and shopping streets, up a hill to this church.

And coastguard station (I think, anyway).

I dunno, I just liked this door.

It was then time to say goodbye to my favourite Tooze. I dropped Lauren at St Erth train station before heading back to Gunwalloe. I arrived before my parents and as I didn’t have my own key – plus the sun was finally shining – I wandered off down to the beach. I had intended on simply sitting on the beach with my book but ended up walking along a coastal path instead. I turned back after a little while but the view was stunning all the same.

By the time I got back to the cottage, dad had started cooking dinner. We ate fairly early that evening and then headed outside to make the most of the evening sunshine and warmth. Our route took us back along the path I had taken earlier in the day but this time we walked almost all the day to Church Cove.

So many daisy-like wild flowers.

See the previous day, Church Cove & Falmouth, here. 

Church Cove & Falmouth

Saturday was another beautiful day in Cornwall. We started the day by popping to Church Cove for a dip in the sea. Church Cove is just a few miles away from Gunwalloe, where we were staying, but as we were short for time that day we drove rather than walking the cliff path. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the beach it became apparent that the sea was much more suited to surfing than swimming – ie. it was very choppy. But, we did dip our feet / ankles / lower-legs in. Well, when I say ‘we’ I mean mum and I did, and dad took some photos.

There we are, at a distance (dad took some closer photos of both of us but don’t know if mum wants me to share them online!)

So here is one just of me, because it’s already been shared on Instagram and Twitter anyway.

The actual church of Church Cove.

I sat a while on the beach reading my book but it was soon time to head back…

Because my next stop, leaving the parents to go off out without me, was Falmouth where I met my bestest buddy, Lauren. She came down from Exeter, Devon, to stay for the weekend with us. We had a lovely, somewhat nostalgic, day in Falmouth visiting old haunts and sighing at how much Falmouth had moved on without us – we both went to university in Falmouth, if you didn’t know that!

First of all, we had pasties on the pier. Mine was goat’s cheese! I know, what?!

Pasty-hand-selfie.

We went to check out the new Falmouth town university campus (used to be called Woodlane).
It looks crazy different (better!). We were wondering if they’d let us come back…

And then walked through Fox Rosehill Gardens towards the beach. More bamboo!

Good old Gylly. Lots of people (although perhaps not pictured here), lots of seaweed.

However, we didn’t stop at Gylly, because we decided to walk around the coast path to Swanpool.

And I had yet more Cornish ice cream (plus chocolate coated ginger, that isn’t so visible here)
and an apple and green tea drink.

See the previous day, Porthleven, Land’s End & the Minack Theatre, here.

Gunwalloe & Loe Bar

On Wednesday 24th of June, I got up extra early and headed off on my own (in my new car) to Cornwall. Although I am the kind of crazy person that would holiday on their own – ahem, Japan – I actually met my parents in Cornwall. I stayed for a week (Wednesday to Wednesday) of their two weeks in Cornwall and had the most wonderful time. We visited some family favourite locations – the Lizard and Falmouth (of course) – and also some new places – the Theatre, Trebah Gardens and the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter or Instagram will have already seen some (quite a lot) of my iPhone photography but, believe it or not, I actually took more photographs than just those that I posted…

Bright and early, sort of.

Obligatory Costa Coffee stop at Taunton Deane services.

The view upon arrival in Gunwalloe.

Giving the legs a stretch with stroll across the, highly pebbly, beach.

Admiring the rocks.

Pebble stacks left over from the solstice.

Awesome trees.

Loe bar and the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall.

Stunning.

Starting to walk up to the cliffside coastal path, back to Gunwalloe.

Teeny tiny sail boat.

Fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar.

We had dinner in the local pub – just 2 minutes from the cottage. I had a whole plaice topped with crab. When in Cornwall, eat fish.

And a spectacular sunset to finish the day,