Polruan

Day 1 of our holiday started off with a bit of a wobble and not a few tears!   I had felt so rough for the past few weeks but the thing that had kept me going was the thought of a couple of coastal walks in Cornwall. However, I had forgotten about the steepness of bits of the coast path and it was only when I was standing at the top of Pencarrow Head (having parked at the National Trust car park there) that I had major doubts that I'd be able to walk any of it.

(I've since read my walk diary from this stretch of the path which I'd done in April 2004 and am glad I didn't read it in advance of walking - otherwise I'd never have done it!  "My guidebook said I had a "strenuous" seven miles to Fowey and that "we advise anyone unaccustomed to coastal walking that this is one of the toughest sections.")

I'd chosen a four mile circular walk from Pencarrow Head along the coast to Polruan, with a short stretch along the Fowey River through woodland to climb up to Lanteglos-by-Fowey church and back to Pencarrow.  (This "short" four mile walk took me four hours!)

It was a lovely, bright and sunny day, although quite breezy and we met quite a few other walkers en route. Finn made a few friends with other dogs on the path and spent most of the time off his lead chasing around, which is good for both of us.   It means I get a really quiet time for the rest of the day - with him gently snoring beside the fire and generally leaving me alone!

We reached Polruan by walking steeply down the narrow streets to the harbour.  Sadly, dogs aren't allowed on the beach at Polruan at any time of the year, so Finn didn't get his paddle.   We sat and watched the boats in and out of Fowey and Polruan for a while until it got a bit cold and we set off again.   I did toy with the idea of getting the ferry over to Fowey for a while but Finn has never been on a boat before and I was a bit worried he'd jump overboard and try and swim!   I have used the ferry before and I remember it being a very choppy crossing.

So, after a short sit down, it was time to head off again, alongside the river and through woodland which opened up occasionally and gave stunning views over to Fowey.

Once out of the woodland, it was a bit of a climb along lanes to the church at Lanteglos, and then another climb up the lane back to Pencarrow and the car.

A fab day, really enjoyed it - it took quite a long time, but the overwhelming feeling was of relief that I'd actually managed it.   Perhaps I'm not such an old crock after all!

Holiday Randoms - Cornwall

Finn and I are just back from our holiday which was a bit all over the place to say the least - it comprised one night at Heathrow, four nights in Cornwall, three nights back at Heathrow and then another four nights in Essex.   A multi-destination holiday!  The jaunt has been a bit up in the air because of health issues, etc, and, up to the Friday before, I still wasn't sure I was going to bother going.   I finished work on the Friday, planned to do sod all on the Saturday, and, if I was feeling OK on the Sunday morning, then I would do some food shopping, pack the car up and head down to Heathrow to stay at the caravan before heading off to Looe on the Monday.  I think the day spent doing nothing on the Saturday definitely helped so, with excitement mounting and not a little trepidation, off we set.  The weather wasn't very encouraging on the drive down - it was horrible and wet with little visibility - until we started to get nearer to Cornwall, at which time the sun came out and I got a couple of sneaky photos as I went over the Tamar Bridge!

We had a lovely big posh caravan at Looe Bay caravan park, a mile up the hill out of Looe town.   Amanda and I had stayed here with Finn back in 2011 so I knew pretty much where everything was - a bonus really because I didn't want to concentrate too hard on this holiday, I didn't have the energy!   We weren't due to check in until after 4.00 pm, but the traffic had been really easy so we got there with about ninety minutes to spare - I popped into the Reception and asked if I could leave my car in the car park and take Finn for a good long leg stretch down into Looe and back until the caravan was ready.   As it turned out, the caravan was already cleaned and waiting for us, so I dumped everything in the living room and Finn and I went for a walk anyway - plenty of time for unpacking when we got back.

Man, I had forgotten that hill walk to Looe - getting down into the town was a doddle, but coming back was horrendous and I thanked God that I had remembered to pack my newly acquired inhaler in my walking rucksack!  

I really love Looe and would have been happy to spend a bit more time having a mooch around, but Finn had other ideas.  There were a lot of other dogs in the town and Finn cannot cope with being on the lead and seeing other dogs on leads - he just wants to fight them all!   After a lot of barking - a LOT of barking! - and a lot of me telling him off, I thought it would just be easier to walk back to the caravan for a cuppa.   (Later in the week, Finn made so many doggy friends on our walks - but of course that's because they were all off their leads and very happy to meet each other.)  

Back at the caravan, it was time to unpack and relax.  The caravan had two bedrooms - which was perfect and I could chuck all the spare bags, etc, in the spare room and not have the place all cluttered up like my living room at home!   The view from the caravan window was lovely - if you could see past all the other caravans - and Finn spent a lot of time just gazing out the window at the rabbits running around - those rabbits made our "wee" walks quite interesting every morning and evening!

I, of course, did a lot of knitting and enjoyed seeing the blanket grow - not only that, but it was of a length by that stage when I could wrap it around my legs to keep me warm too - bonus!

The other days in Cornwall will be covered under other posts but these are a few pictures of the sunsets and sunrise views we had over the week from the caravan window.   So beautiful - I may have to move down there!

Hokey Cokey

I had a lovely surprise this week when Amanda came over on Monday evening with these beautiful flowers.   Apparently I'd been sounding really "fed up" when we spoke earlier on the 'phone and they were to cheer me up.  They certainly did.

I've been having a few health issues lately which have so far involved six separate visits to the GP (seeing a different person each time); chest xrays; breathing/ spirometry tests; and £56 worth of prescriptions in five weeks!   With a holiday looming, I was seriously doubting whether I'd actually be able to go away, especially when Monday's visit to the GP left me under the impression that, if they'd prescribed antibiotics at the very beginning, this would all have been cleared up back then.   (I've since learned though that I had misunderstood that and actually it probably wasn't a job for antibiotics so feel slightly more confident in the NHS - although was pretty "fed up" as Amanda said.)

The fab sign was also from Amanda for my birthday back in August.   I love it!

(The other part of my present will need a separate posting on this blog, entirely of their own. Although that is all dependent on a kitchen overhaul, so I don't see that post coming any time soon!)

Cromer Lifeboat Museum

On Saturday, Shannon, Amanda and I headed up the coast to Cromer to a fashion exhibition at the Lifeboat Museum.   We had planned it a few weeks ago and, in the meantime, I had started my new sewing class and the blouse I'm working on has darts and pintucks, so I was hoping to get a few tips from the outfits and to see what darts and pintucks actually look like for reference.   The exhibition was held in a small room off the gallery above the small shop and till area.  The ladies manning the stall told us there was a jukebox in the exhibition and could we put a few songs on as it was brightening their day!

The day was basically spent larking about as usual - as we walked towards the exhibition, we found a lifeboatman and lots of kit, so I couldn't resist trying out for the crew.

The lifeboatman wasn't very helpful - he told me that in the time I had taken to get the gear on, a whole ship's crew might have drowned!

Amanda decided she'd like to be a lifeguard

And Shannon thought she'd become a signalman, spelling out the word "Cromer" with the flags!

We chuckled over all the old clothing adverts and I'm sure Mum's got this Woman's Weekly in her collection!

After a good mooch around the museum and a spot of retail therapy in the RNLI shop - including Christmas cards, much to Amanda's disgust - we had a spot of lunch at the Rocket House, and a promenade along the seafront.   Needless to say, wool was squished and bought too - it wouldn't be a trip to Cromer without at least one wool shop visit!

A fab day,  and we were blessed with the weather so close to the end of September - there were actually a few brave souls paddling.   Really enjoyed it and am fired up now to visit more fashion shows and exhibitions in the future.