Cryptic Meg

A few months ago, Nicholas and I made the (somewhat risky) decision to book an October camping trip. “We’re hardy,” we thought, “we can pack jumpers!”

Besides, we were planning on going to Cornwall – not exactly a chilly clime. Living near Plymouth, we are outrageously close to Cornwall and yet rarely set foot over the border – we always argue that there’s so much to see in Devon. But as an economically sensible holiday destination, it was the perfect opportunity to explore our westerly neighbour.

I mentioned this plan to one of my colleagues, who enthusiastically recommended a campsite on the Lizard, the southern tip of Cornwall, exotically called “Teneriffe”. And so we booked it up, and waited for October to come around…

Saturday

Having said an emotional goodbye to the cat (who was determined to become such an integral part of my rucksack that I would be forced to take her with me), we set off for Cornwall, trailer in tow. The trailer is something that Nicholas has worked very hard on: it contains everything we need for camping and can be hooked up at a moment’s notice. Generally the trailer means we’re in for a long journey (the destination prior to this one was the Yorkshire Dales), so it was unusually pleasant to arrive at the campsite less than two and a half hours after we set off!

The campsite was, unsurprisingly for October, a little deserted. There were just a couple of caravans and one other tent in the expansive field. Sheep were grazing round the edges. We could just make out the sea beyond, but it was difficult to distinguish the grey water from the grey sky (and impossible in the photos I took!). A handwritten note stuck to the closed reception building directed us towards our pitch, and we dutifully set up camp where instructed.

Base camp established, we went to the nearby town, Mullion, to locate the most important facilities: the fish and chip shop and the pub. Thus began a very enjoyable week for me of sampling Cornish ciders…

Sunday

Our first full day in Cornwall was sunny and warm: the best weather we had all week. It showed off the campsite to much better effect.

In the morning we went back into Mullion and went to church for a harvest service we had seen advertised. It was an interesting church, complete with original Tudor pews.

In the afternoon we went for a gorgeous walk along the coast. The coast path from Mullion took us past a field that was marked as “the birthplace of global communications”. This was where, in 1901, Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic radio message, which was heard in Newfoundland. We popped into the visitor centre and then continued on to Poldhu Cove, where we had ice creams at a cafe and Nicholas went for his obligatory paddle. He seemed to be channelling his inner Poldark…

The evening was spent, as many of the evenings were, reading our books in the comfort of our tent and the peace of our campsite. We both read several books over the course of the week.

Monday

The next morning dawned bright, and Nicholas (the “Breakfast King” of camping) cooked us a fine meal to start the day. We also discovered that the reception/shop was now open. We were able to pre-order pizzas for the evening and buy a tea towel – the one item which had escaped Nicholas’ otherwise faultless inventory.

Then we went for our explore of the Lizard itself. We drove down to Lizard lighthouse, walked down to the point, and then round the coast. We bumped into our old friend Marconi again, this time at a wireless station where he did earlier experiments, which we learned about from a very knowledgeable National Trust volunteer. Then we continued around the coast towards the town. The walk was stunning. We couldn’t get over the blueness of the water!

On the way back to base we stopped at Kynance Cove, a beach recommended by the lady in the campsite shop. It was an excellent recommendation – a spectacular beach full of caves and dramatic features.

Then it was back to the campsite for pizza and the enjoyment of another beautiful evening.

Tuesday

Tuesday was the day of our longest walk. We started from the campsite and headed towards Kynance Cove. On the way we passed a place called Soapy Cove where we sat down for a rest. A couple walked past us, and asked whether we were watching the seals. No, we exclaimed, we hadn’t seen them! The couple pointed out the seals on the beach – two adults and three cubs. We thanked them profusely, and edged closer to get a better look. We watched for about ten minutes while the seals flopped and rolled around inelegantly. Here’s a photo that I took through Nicholas’ binoculars(!):

After that we headed to Kynance Cove, and its cafe, for lunch.

At the cafe we saw the seal couple again, and made the connection that they were also staying at our campsite, in one of the caravans! They’d been to the campsite the previous year, so gave us some tips for other places to visit. They were heading on to the Lizard after lunch, we headed back towards the campsite, with a final detour up to Mullion Cove.

Wednesday

Wednesday was a “me” day. Inspired by our sighting the day before, I was keen to visit the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, which was delightful. It was full of characters (who were much more elegant under the water)!

Then we went on to Falmouth to visit Pendennis Castle. The history was more military than I’m generally interested in, but there was an original Tudor keep where we received a tour from a very good guide.

In the evening we walked around Falmouth, and came across a Pizza Express with the most incredible views over the harbour. I had a paneer tikka pizza, which was to die for!

Thursday

Thursday was the day of misadventures. We went a bit further afield to explore the western tip of Cornwall, starting with Land’s End. This was more of an “attraction” than I remembered it being: built up, busy and pricey. We weren’t interested in queueing/paying for a photo with the famous signpost – we just enjoyed the views!

Then we drove along the coast to Levant Mine, a Poldark filming location which boasts a beam engine that Nicholas was keen to see. Unfortunately we discovered we had made the heinous error of not pre-booking our visit… We spent some time grumpily bemoaning the fact that this prohibits any spontaneity, but then made the best of it by walking a mile along the coast and exploring the ruins of Crown Mines.

After that we headed to St. Ives. We didn’t have time to explore properly, having misunderstood the parking fares and paid for too little time! So we decided that we would have to visit again on a future trip.

Friday

On the last full day of the holiday we headed up to Porthleven, a very pretty town with oodles of gift shops! We had a good look round, and at a little market we were invited to try some local spirits. They did very well out of us: Nicholas fell in love with some rum, and I fell in love with a rum and tea spirit mix!

We had lunch at a cafe and headed back to Mullion for a final look around. Every day we’d driven past a tempting “chocolate factory and craft centre”, so we had a little look around there and picked up some presents for people. Then we went back to the campsite to pack up most of our things and have a final peaceful evening.

Saturday

Saturday dawned bright again. We’d had some mixed weather during the week, with a couple of scarily windy nights (the tent coped just fine), but it had always been very mild. In fact, because I’d only really packed warm clothes, I’d been too hot most of the time! Nicholas had ordered a croissant from the campsite shop for breakfast, so we enjoyed a leisurely sunny morning before we had to pack up and set off.

Again, the journey home was wonderfully quick. We were immediately greeted home by darling Pebble (whom we’d missed dreadfully), who was characteristically helpful in the unpacking process.

And so, with camping gear airing and laundry queued up, we returned to normal life. The following day was to be our own church’s harvest service, so Nicholas had the organ to practise and I had flowers to arrange. It’s a lovely normal life to return to, but it’s always nice to reset. The Cornish camping trip was a splendid reset.