Who Needs Abroad? 

(Lary the Lamb)

 I started writing this blog in January 2016 when I was first diagnosed with T2 Throat Cancer. At the time I didn’t know what the outcome would be, I certainly didn’t know that we’d have far more holidays in a five year period than we’d had in the previous 30 odd years. So far we’ve been to Corfu twice, Fuerteventura four times, Gran Canaria twice and numerous long weekends in Cornwall. Back in January of this year I made the rash promise to the kids that we’d get down to Cornwall for a long weekend and that they could bring their respective partners, Tom and Laura. Along came COVID 19 and our plans looked to be scuppered.

We were very lucky that when the lockdown restrictions were lifted I was able to book a mobile home we’d used a couple of times before, it’s near to St Merryn so a bit further away from Porthcothan than we’d like, but it’s a lovely van. 7 days booked, can’t remember the last time we had a whole week in Cornwall. I was slightly concerned that 6 adults plus a medium sized dog might be a tight squeeze in the van, but we were fine.

What followed was probably one of the best holiday’s we’ve had for some considerable time. We weren’t in each other’s pockets, we did our own thing. One day Carol and I met up with Bob and Cyd who are the Assistants to Nev’s Dad, Matti. His grandad, great grandad and a couple of his aunties were also there! Kromis Overload J Max and Laura had gone off to Port Issac to meet some friends. Anna and Tom made two trips to Watergate Bay (They’d forgotten they’d got the keys to the van!) Another day Carol and I arranged to meet up with Kevin and Sharon who we’ve known for a couple of years on Facebook. They have two dogs, Rosie and the beautifully named Pasty. Pasty had had a horrible life before being rescued by Kevin and Sharon. She’d been used as a breeding dog and had never seen the daylight. To follow her progress on FB as she’s developed from a timid lady with white marks around her eyes to the beautiful chocolate Lab she is now has been quite emotional, it was lovely to meet her in the flesh, such a gentle soul. Kevin and Sharon are pretty nice too J A lovely walk from Trevose Head, around Booby’s and back again in a lovely light finished the day off.

Through the power of Facebook we’ve made a few friends in the area where we stayed, it’s always great to put a face to the people you’ve been chatting to for a couple of years.

The only arranged date for the week was lunch for six (& a medium sized dog) at St Petrocs Bistro in Padstow. We’ve been to St Petroc’s a few time in previous visits, it’s one of Rick Steins places. He gets a lot of stick for Padstein which I think is unjustified due to the employment he brings to the town, but that is perhaps for another blog. We’d seen signs saying that if you wanted a car park space you needed to be in town by 10.30am at the latest as the overflow carparks weren’t operating. So, we duly rocked up at around 10am, parked in the upper carpark and made our way down to the town with the idea of getting a leisurely coffee. Oh dear, the place was packed. I had a bit of a panic attack. Since March I’ve avoided crowds, but walking through Padstow there was no option. Folk were bumping into me, stopping for no apparent reason, or staring at their phones and ignoring who was coming towards them. The Padstow area has a finite amount of accommodation, reduced this year as a lot of campsites haven’t been taking touring or camping bookings, so why was the town so busy? My theory is that it was probably no busier than you’d expect, but people were trying (and failing) to Social Distance, meaning there was less space for everyone. We made a rapid escape up to the estuary where it was much quieter and enjoyed a lovely deserted stone skimming competition on St George’s Cove before making our way back to the town. I stuck my head down, took a deep breath and made my way to the restaurant, throwing women and children behind be. Sanctuary was found! Arriving at St Petroc’s was the calm after the storm. We were shown into our own little room with our own waiter, Nathan, who looked after us for the afternoon. It was like being in our own Private Dining experience. A chance for us to chat and laugh together. Nev was in his element, he ate his lunch, drank a large amount of water and nibbled the small bit of my sea bass without any complaint. This was probably the most enjoyable meal I’ve ever had. Even Laura, who doesn’t like fish, had a mackerel starter, a few mussels, bit of tuna and some sea bass, I suspect she does actually like fish.  

 

This year instead of just turning up at pubs we made sure we booked ahead. We ate at the Farmers Arms, Tredrea Inn and the Cornish Arms, all of which had great social distancing measures in place, as well as Track and Trace. Different levels of food, but all pretty darn good. The Fajita’s at the Farmers Arms would have fed an army, the ham, eggs and chips at the Tredrea were superb, and the scallops at the Cornish Arms were to die for.  

 

Other than the experience in Padstow (where perhaps I may have overreacted) we found the social distancing to be fine. Walking the cliffs one party would invariably step to the side, a couple of the shops had a “No Mask, No Admittance” policy which I fully endorsed. If you can’t wear a mask for 10 minutes whilst visiting a local store then perhaps you shouldn’t be going into the store? One evening we decided to get fish and chips from Friar Tucks in St Merryn, we rocked up straight from the beach to be confronted by a pretty large queue. I expected to be in the car for at least half an hour whilst Carol queued up. Less than 10 minutes later she was back with the freshly cooked supper. The organisation was apparently perfect and two people who’d “Forgotten” their masks were turned away. I really wish most shops would take this stance.

The last couple of times we’ve been down I’ve been lucky enough to join Kate Whiston for a photography walk. When I left Santander my colleagues chipped in and bought me another walk with Kate, this time we were joined by Anna’s partner Tom, he was using my old Canon EOS20d and my “nifty 50” lens. Anyone who’s seen my photography will know I like to be wide open with a fast shutter speed, landscape is so far out of my comfort zone. Kate is great at setting the agenda to the skill set of her subjects. Tom is a pretty accomplished photographer, but like me, he rarely uses an f Stop much above 4.5. What followed was four hours of photography, chatting and shooting the breeze, the results were simply stunning. Kate has the knack / knowledge to point out the obvious shot, which then produces a stunning image. Many years ago I was told by Gareth Jones that a photographer can’t come home without having dirty knees, Kate concurred with that thought. I did struggle the next day, but I put that down to my age, not sure what Tom’s excuse was J Over the week Tom and I took probably in excess of 1,000 photos between us, neither of us could resist the scenery. 

 

We were very conscious that the people of Cornwall and any holiday resort has really suffered throughout the current pandemic. Pictures from places like Bournemouth, albeit massively distorted by the lens, were shocking. Stories of people littering and other even worse crimes in the dunes made us sick to the stomach. We promised ourselves that the only thing we’d leave on the beaches would be our foot prints.

 The only thing we’d take away would be memories, and a car full of sand from our shoes! I’d like to think that we also left a fair few £’s behind for the local business’s we visited. At no time were we made to feel unwelcome, a balance appears to have been drawn. 

I’ve no idea what will happen to foreign travel in the short to medium term, but having seen the joy that Neville had playing on the beach with the big brother Sidney makes me think that we’ll be staying in the UK for the foreseeable future. I’m not sure I could bare to leave him behind whilst we jetted of to the sunshine. There’s lots of beautiful places to explore in the UK without needing to get on to an aircraft. Lake District, Peak District, Scotland, even Wales has some nice beaches I’ve been told J Maybe we’ll buy a camper van and do a World Tour of the UK.

Anyway, time to find a job.

As always, thanks for reading.

To be continued………

#Shoulder2Shoulder