Cornwall
Cornwall is the southern most county in England. It is bordered by the Celtic Sea and the English Channel and by Devonshire in the East. Penhallow is a small hamlet (VERY small … not much there except a cross roads) about 7 miles from Truro. Doc Martin fans (a great show and if you haven’t seen it, you should) might recognize the town of Truro … the largest city nearest to the fictional Port Wenn.
It was a fairly easy drive and after stopping in Truro to pick up supplies, we were headed for the country and our remote AirBnb … The Annexe at Crescent Farm.
We were greeted by Tamsyn and daughter, Maya, who were just finishing up their preparations. We unloaded and settled in.
And then we went exploring around the farm. Unfortunately, not one of us took any photos so this photo from Tamsyn’s AirBnB page will have to suffice.
We did have a little hiccup with the Wi-Fi at the Annexe which normally wouldn’t have been a big deal but after coming off of eight days without any, we did need to get re-connected. Reece was falling behind in her schoolwork and I was falling behind in my blogging and it was difficult for Keith to communicate with his clients. Tamsyn graciously offered use of her youngest daughter’s bedroom, as she was out overnight, so Reece and I headed over after dinner and caught up on things.
Perranporth
The next day was lovely and sunny and we decided to go to the beach. Parranporth is a seaside resort town with a population of just over 3,000 residents. It has a beautiful, 3-mile stretch of beach that is enjoyed by people and dogs alike. I have never seen so many dogs running around, sniffing, fetching, swimming and greeting … people but mostly other dogs. It also has a lovely and easy hike along the cliffs above the beach that we took advantage of.
All that beach walking and hiking made us hungry so we found what was reputed to be the best fish and chips (better than Jamie Oliver!) and while I can’t comment as to the validity of that argument (I have never had Jamie Oliver’s fish and chips), I can say that they were very good! No complaints here. We then wandered around town, admiring its quaintness and finding the pharmacy so we could purchase Keith some new reading glasses that we … er, HE … left in Devon. But Graham found them and will put them to good use.
Penhallow
Penhallow is the little hamlet where are AirBnb is located. Our second and final day had us laying low. The weather was gray and drizzly … none of the spectacular sun we had the day before. We decided to explore our surroundings and we discovered from our hosts that the local cyder (a.k.a. as cider) farm called Healy’s Cornish Cyder Farm was a must-visit and was an easy, walkable distance. We were also encouraged to visit Callestick Farm where they make their own ice cream. That was just past Healy’s Cyder Farm and also a walkable distance so off we went.
Callestick Farm
It was too early for lunch and we needed to get some exercise so we headed towards the Callestick Farm where they raise a herd of 300 cows and make their own Cornish ice cream. It was a lovely walk and the rain that threatened never came.
Healy’s Cornish Cyder Farm
The walk to get a mid-morning snack of ice cream was downhill so walking back UP the hill, we made our way to Healy’s Cornish Cyder Farm. We were welcomed and told to look around. We considered a tour but just stuck it out on our own, visiting the animals and the jam making exhibit, doing some taste-testing along the way. If I was going to purchase anything to take home it would have been some Rattler Cyder and the Sweet Chili Rattler Sauce. I may or may not be regretting my no shopping rule about now.
Since we had ice cream, we weren’t that hungry for lunch. So we actually walked back to our little annex and did some homework, work and blogging and then an hour or so later we headed back to tuck in. One veggie burger, one pastie, order of sweet potato fries and tea and scones for two and we were stuffed! We also got the Cyder Sampler and we each got to taste a bit of the Rattler Original, the Rattler Pear and the Cornish Gold and I can confidently say I am a huge fan of British Cyder.
Our time in Cornwall was short but we have new places to go and wonderful people to meet. We’re off to Wiltshire!
Cheers!
T