“The deeper blue ocean, the paler blue sky. The call of the seagulls all soaring on high.

Wherever I travel , wherever I roam, one day I will live here, and call Cornwall home”

If you’ve been following my ‘stories‘ on Instagram you’ll have no doubt noted that I’ve been staying down in Cornwall for the past week with my dad, boyfriend and our dog Mollie. I’ve become a ‘Cornwall bore’ although I can assure you there is nothing boring about Cornwall at all.

We choose Cornwall for numerous reasons.

My dad’s brother lives in Coombe [ near St Austell] and due to sickness couldn’t get up to Sheffield for mums funeral. Dad was keen to see him …as you can imagine.

It was a special place for mum and dad. They’ve spent a few holidays there in the past, the last one being in October last year. Not even a year ago – life … it’s so unpredictable, so preciousness .

So dad mentioned that he wanted to go back, I think in a ‘weird’ way it brings him comfort. It holds precious memories.

Who were we to say no?

We stayed in the beautiful area of Carbis Bay just outside St Ives which is around a 6 hour drive [ traffic willing ] from Sheffield .Yes you could get to Spain quicker!

I never intended to blog about my time spent in Cornwall … but after being there a few days I’d basically fallen in love.

The aqua blue seas drew me in, the tropical plants that surrounded the house made me feel like I was abroad. I just grew to ignore the biting wind . It had a magical feel to it. The view I woke up to every morning was delicious. Beautiful sunrises with multi-coloured skies. I honestly sat in bed every morning and pinched myself.

Basically I decided it was too good not to share with you all.

View from the terrace

Oh ….and when I say holidays I say that very lightly – my dad sleeps even less than me and was ‘up and at em‘ most days for 7am. Which meant we were too. Combined with the endless walking in gale-force winds  – I could do with another break just to recover. Preferentially me horizontal on a sun lounger for a week Somewhere hot and balmy please.

So today I thought I’d share some places of interest with you . Places I would definitely recommend you visit.

The first place I want to tell you about is the Minack Theatre. A beautiful theatre cut out of the cliffs in Porthcormo, which is just 4 miles from Lands End. It took us around an hour to drive there from Carbis Bay.

It is worth the journey as it is drop-droppingly gorgeous … and the story about  how it came to be there is as magical, as it is inspirational.

In 1929, local drama enthusiasts put on an out-door performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on a grassy meadow about a mile inland from the Minack. It was a great success and a couple of years later the players were looking for a venue to perform The Tempest.

Rowena Cade, who lived in Minack House, decided that the cliffs below her garden would be the perfect setting, and over the winter of 1931 and into 1932 she and her gardener, Billy Rawlings, moved endless granite boulders and earth, creating the lower terraces of the theatre, much as they are today. 

There is  a small ‘exhibition centre’ where you can sit and watch a short [ 10 minute] film. It documents how the theatre came together and the life of Rowena herself. I’d recommend you watch.

When the sun came out and caught the sea…it was just beautiful

Double Denim and a scarf for a day at the Theatre

The theatre is open all year around. Entry is just £5 each , this entitles you to have a wander around but doesn’t include a performance. Well behaved dogs are welcomed [ I’m not really sure how Mollie got in !] and are free.

If you wanted to see one of the shows you’d need to check out the website for the individual dates and costs. Currently showing until September 22nd is the opera Patience, with tickets starting at £10.00.

The views are spectacular, I’ve honestly never seen seas so blue around the UK. You know when something is so beautiful you get a bit emotional. That. I’m not sure if this is due to my current mindset but it’s just unbelievable.

I’m advised that on some days  [if your lucky] you may even get to see whales and seals. We didn’t unfortunately and I really want to too!

There’s a small cafe which allows dogs [in certain areas] and serves a decent coffee and cream tea… again all with amazing views – every direction sea.

I thoroughly recommend you visit.

The next place I would like to introduce you too is ‘The Lost Gardens of Heligan,[Pentewan, St.Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6EN]  I really enjoyed it here; it helps if you enjoy plants, woodland and long, long walks.

“Twenty-five years ago, Heligan’s historic gardens were unknown and unseen; lost under a tangle of weeds. It was only the chance discovery of a door in the ruins that led to the restoration of this once great estate. 

Today, The Lost Gardens have been put back where they belong: in pride of place among the finest gardens in Cornwall.”

Its open all year long with entrance here slightly more expensive at £14.50 each. Dad  got a senior citizen discount which saved him a couple of quid. It’s also dog friendly and believe me if your dogs anything like our Mollie they’ll bloody love it.

They suggest you give yourself at least 4 hours to get a full taste of what the gardens have to offer. My favourite part of the walk was the Jungle… lots of beautiful tropical, Jurassic Park type plants and a rope bridge. Gotta love some rope bridge action!

The Insect Hotel was also very intersting. I think children will find it particulary fun. Dad and Mike loved my game of  ‘Behind the Key- Hole’ asking them “who lives in a house like this” before having to guess who or what was behind each door. Let’s just say they played along … reluntantly.

I left itching … convinced some of the little creatures had decided to latch onto me!

Welcome to the Insect Hotel

Cornwall really is a treasure chest bursting over with of host of gems..You just need to know where to find them.

We also ventured to  the busy town of St Ives, the quaint Charlestown, St Micheals Mount and Lands End.

There really is so much to keep you occupied, with an abundance of beautiful , long, sandy beaches. Honestly on a sunny day you could have been anywhere in the world.

Glorious.

I’ll leave you today with some more photos to wet your appetite until I return with part 2.

Until next time, Tracey x

Dog friendly beaches in Cornwall blog // HERE

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