August 14, 2010 Land’s End, Sennen Cove, the Theatre and St. Michael’s Mount

We decided to head west today as it had the most promising weather forecast! After a grey drizzly start we were lucky to be able to enjoy some much needed sunshine!

Land’s End rewarded us with some spectacular views. We also enjoyed the Dr Who props exhibition and a 4-D film called Skull Rock! We decided to head to Sennen Cove for lunch but when we got there we were unable to park due to its popularity. We were disappointed as the beach was so beautiful and the restaurant had a very promising menu. We vowed to return another day! We had lunch at the First and Last Inn (dating back to 1620) which had a chequered past and an entrance to some tunnels used for smuggling!

Next stop was the Minack Theatre set into the cliffs above Porthcurno beach with its breathtaking views. The sun was still shining and the colours of the sea were amazing.

Dad, Mum and Charlotte went into Truro in the evening to have a meal – Grandma and Emma didn’t want to go. We ended up in an Indian restaurant and were surprised to see Derek Thompson, the guy who plays Charlie Fairhead in Casualty!

August 13, 2010 Falmouth and Boat Trip

Caught the Enterprise boat from Truro to Falmouth. Cold, windy but good fun. Enjoyed fresh fish and chips at the award winning Harbour Lights restaurant in Falmouth which had stunning harbour views. Afterwards we wandered the streets to explore the quirky shops (mainly Mum!) and cafes.

Lastly we bought some homemade cakes to take back with us before catching the boat back.

August 12, 2010 St Agnes

Grandma met up with some old friends and spent the day talking. We had a bit of a lie-in (must be the fresh air) and then set off for the Blue Hills Tin mine near St Agnes which was great fun and very interesting. Blue Hills is Cornwall’s only tin producer and we followed the process from extraction to casting a finished product (some of which we bought). After a spot of lunch, we stopped off at Trevaunance Cove and in St Agnes itself for a short while.

Drove to Truro and visited the house in Trevithick Road and Dad’s old school. Picked up Grandma in Truro – she had a good day.

August 11, 2010 Porthtowan and Hell’s Mouth

Got up early today and headed for Porthtowan beach which is a favourite for local surfers. Weather overcast and chilly at first so when our legs turned blue we decided on an early lunch at the Blue Bar - a trendy upmarket surfers watering hole with a great menu and lovely views of the bay. Plenty of local produce to sample - we enjoyed fish and chips, (Cornish) steak and pan-fried sea bass (mum of course) followed by fab home-made chocolate brownies with clotted cream vanilla ice!

The weather had brightened up by the afternoon and we spent another couple of hours lazing on the beach. When it started to cloud over again, we drove to Hell’s Mouth to take in the spectacular views.

August 10, 2010 Truro

Rain. Shopping. Truro. Nuff said.

August 9, 2010 St Ives

Awoke to a wet, drizzly morning but decided to head off for St Ives and chance the weather. Caught the Park and Ride train from Lelant Saltings and arrived in St Ives around 11am.

Walked down from the station (by now the weather had cleared up with a few sunny intervals) and ended up outside the lifeboat house which had moved from where we remembered it. Apparently it moved in 1994. The old boathouse is now a nice restaurant and we had a good lunch there.

Set off for the cottage at 5pm. At least Emma can watch Eastenders. An enjoyable day.

August 8, 2010 Perranporth

Some struggled to get up following the exertions of yesterday. However, the weather was drizzly early on. By 10.30am things had picked up and we headed off to the beach at Perranporth.

It was pretty much as we remembered it. Although sunny, it wasn’t overly warm which made it perfect.