Cornwall again...

After the hot sunny weekend we had in August, we headed back to Cornwall in September for the week. We stayed just outside of Newquay in a fairly standard holiday chalet. Unfortunately we didn't get the same hot weather as we did in August, with predominantly rain and cloud this time. We did get a decent day of surfing in down at Watergate with fairly clean 4ft (ish) waves. The rest of the week was pretty messy and to be truthful the weather wasn't really appealing. We did do a lot of exploring though and met up with Bob's parents who were also on holiday. We visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Mousehole for the day, which was really interesting and Mousehole is just gorgeous. Another day we went down to Penzance and over to St. Michael's Mount with Bob's parents and enjoyed a nice cuppa while sat in the harbour and poked about the island.

The first day we were there, we went to the World Belly Boarding Championships. Yes, this really is as bizarre as it sounds! It's held at Chapel Porth beach, a cove managed by the National Trust near St. Agnes. It was the sort of day that required wellies and a raincoat (which I was wearing), yet there were loads of people wearing literally just their trunks or cozzie and occasionally, a swimming hat. The boards they used weren't your standard bodyboard of today - they were beautifully designed and made slim wooden boards. There seemed to be several heats, and while I have absolutely no idea how the winner was decided, it was really compelling to watch. There were other competitions going on (best board, best vintage costume etc) and it made for a great day out. Total respect goes out the 90 year old lady who was surfing in her swimming costume in September... what a woman.

My favourite day of the week though was the last day. It was absolutely pouring down, like so much so we were practically swimming. We didn't want to waste the day, so drove an hour north to St. Nectan's Glen near Tintagel. It's supposed to be a sacred site, with a big emphasis on nature and faeries/pixies. This was evident in the number of faerie stacks that lined the stream from the road to the glen. It was a short walk (about a mile) through woodland up to the glen and waterfall. We didn't really know what to expect when we got there, but what we found was something else. The glen was so beautiful and peaceful, and had been decorated with ribbons, photos, trinkets... All sorts really, just things people left in memory of others or as an offering to St. Nectan. It was quite a moving experience reading the messages and seeing the amount of things that had been left. In the glen there's a 60 ft waterfall which has carved a hole in the rock and comes down into a deep plunge pool at the bottom. I know it sounds cheesy, but it really was breathtaking.

Well, here are a few pictures of our adventures:

Heligan...

Mousehole...

St. Nectan's Glen...

World Belly Boarding Champs...

Bird x