Well girls and boys, I am mighty tired today! This could be due to one of two things:
- watching The Road last night in the caravan followed by a strong wind making the caravan rock...this doesn't help you sleep, for future reference
OR
- so much fresh sea air, (and a bit of driving) today.
Or maybe it's just a mixture of both.
Well, anyway, John had kindly given me the day off and luckily, it turned out to be good weather. Yesterday was a rainy day so we did a mixture of inside jobs: bottle washing, to be used for apple juice, and stewing apples to be stored, ready for a nice winter dessert. Aside from that, there really wasn't much else required, so I took myself and Lola out for a walk to the beach and back. It took a little longer than anticipated but we arrived back just as the light was starting to fade.
As today was free, and since I've not been in this area before I thought I would take the opportunity to sniff out what Cornwall is like so set off this morning with excitement and the plan to visit Newquay.
I chose Newquay because it has "world famous" beaches and also, and perhaps a more telling reason, it is where the Celtic Sheepskin company have their factory and also their shop. And I have been lusting after a pair of their boots for, well, too long. But more on that later!
I arrived at Newquay around noon and so parked up the car and followed my nose to the sea. The sun was shining which always helps and looking across Newquay Bay, it all seemed very nice. However, I didn't fall in love straight away.
After having a quick look there I turned around and headed over to Fistral Beach, having quickly Googled Newquay on arrival. I took the path through the golf course, following behind a family of mum, son and daughter, all in wetsuits and flip flops. You can't ignore that surfing is a really big deal here!
I then arrived at the beach and made my way down the dunes, half wishing I had either kept my wellies on, (I'd changed into my "mud free trainers" by that point), or braved it with flip flops. However, once you get down there the sand is pretty firm. Looking around me there were families with wind barriers and beach tents set up, and children happily building sandcastles, (I presume half term holidays are still going here).
In front of me were loads of surfers, and occasionally you would hear some obscure instructions being shouted through a loud speaker.
I turned left and set off walking, before settling for a while at the bottom of the dunes with my back against a post. Looking around, again, I wasn't particularly taken with Newquay...so far it was just a beach, like any I've seen up North.
Having sat there for a while, I decided to explore more of the town and grab some lunch. And this is where I started to fall in love. I headed first down Fore Street which is a little sleepy and with some nice terraced houses. I then came to the larger built up area of Newquay and, I'll admit, it started to feel like a generic highstreet. I could see New Look, Dorothy Perkins, etc. But having spent some time just strolling along here, I began to get a feel for the place. Maybe it was the countless surfing shops selling everything you could possibly need, or maybe the pasty shops, each selling Cornwall's best pasty ever, but something about the people and the place got to me.
I wouldn't say that there is a Newquay "type" of people: sure, you get the surfer dudes, with bleached scuzzy hair and sunnies welded to their faces, but you also get the chavs and the mini- emo kids too, just like any large town or city. I think that it was a general feel of the place...there was no rush, and it busy but not stressful. No one pushed past me to get somewhere important and listening in to conversations was pleasant as they were all friendly to each other and didn't moan or groan.
On my way back to the car, with my "genuine Cornish pasty", (well, when in Rome...), I popped into Cafe Irie for a take away tea and if you do visit Newquay, I'd go here for lunch or a drink. It reminded me of a cross between York's Evil Eye and Edinburgh's Forest Cafe, in that it was cozy and relaxed, but I'm sure you got some regulars there!
I must admit, after just a few hours, I was reluctant to leave this charming place, but the call of potential new boots dragged me away. Just on the outskirts of Newquay is an industrial estate, and this held the treasure of Celtic. The shop staff were very friendly, and though I was expecting to umm and ahh about why type of boot to get, I quickly settled on this pair. I was surprised that it only took me half an hour to choose, but it really makes a difference trying them on. And oooo, they are soooo comfy and so worth it. (That's what I keep telling myself anyway!) I later worked out that cost per wear is about 14p, (based on wearing them around 4 times a week for 5 years), plus, the company offers a re-soling service, AND they are machine washable. So there!
Heading back to Orcheton, I took a different route that would take me past St Austell and around the Eden Project. It was a pleasant journey as I got to see more of the countryside though the narrow lanes as it got dark were not as nice!
Arrival back at Orcheton Quay was met with freshly prepared supper courtesy of John and having written this up I'm feeling pretty sleepy!
Time to head back to the caravan and maybe start to wear in my new boots?
Tomorrow holds the promise of stalk baled cottages so cannot wait.
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