Northern Coast of Cornwall

Sunday 

14 July 

Day 14

82 to go

No rest for the wicked today, with another full day planned, though Mum and Dad decided they would lay low and just hang around Hartland. The rest of us were out the door just after 9am, heading for the Cornwall coast. 

Today we were out in our car, a step up from Mum and Dad’s, with Paul in charge of the driving. Thankfully this one has built in GPS, so we set it for Boscastle and followed the roads, sometime narrow and windy, but always interesting, when you can see over the hedges. 

We didn’t stop in Boscastle, but I did notice the Cobweb Inn that Mum had mentioned and from which their home in Denmark takes it’s moniker. We continued following the road for Tintagel, arriving shortly after, just on 10am. 

We found a park in a large parking area that also catered for motorhomes and then walked the Main Street to the Tintagel Castle ticket office. We paid for our entry 20pound each and then began the trek down a long decline and into the forest. We followed the clear path, before entering a clearing that had a great view over to the island on which the castle once stood. 

We left Chell at the entrance and walked over the suspension bridge to begin our stroll around the crumbled walls and meadow fields that remain. The views over the coast line were spectacular. Today was warm and still and the ocean reflected that back at us, with a barely a ripple on the surface. 

We were glad we arrived for opening, as the crowds were minimal and we were able to get around with ease. At the end of the island there is the Gallos statue, a homage to King Arthur, whose tale seems to be intertwined in this castle. You can find out more here https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/tintagel-castle/history-and-legend/history/

As we made our way back towards the exit, we could see the swarm of tourists making their way across the bridge, so we were glad we were making our exit, rather than beginning our journey. We returned up the steep hill, a killer and were glad for the park bench at the top. We then located Chell near the car and made our way on to Wadebridge for a well earned Sunday Roast at a cute little pub. Well full, we walked into the town via the historic bridge. We watched two white swans battling the outgoing tide and some large fish swimming around the pylons, before we wandered the high street and little lanes before making it back to the riverfront and completing a loop. We even saw a very cool staffy ready to go for a ride on a motorcycle.

Back in the car we did a quick food stop at Tesco and then continued our touring, this time heading for Padstow. This is a renowned seaside town, made even more busy due to the chef Rick Stein having many restaurants in the area. 

The little quay had plenty of boats bobbing about that were being admired by the swarms of people, looking to enjoy a Sunday afternoon. We wondered if we would get a shower as the clouds looked ominous, but it held off and when the sun pierced through, it was quite warm, 

We walked the length of the pier, before stopping for an ice cream and making our way back to the car and ultimately home for 5pm. 

We were glad to relax for a few hours, chatting about our days. Mum and dad had done a walk around Hartland, following old lanes that Dad recalled. We enjoyed dinner, watched the limited news and then at 8pm we began watching the final of the EUFA, Spain v England. We saw the first half in the house and then went next door to the Legion for the second half. There were plenty of people enjoying and hoping for an England win, but it wasn’t to be, going down 2-1. Paul enjoyed stirring the parochial crowd. 

We returned to the cottage for just after 10 ready to put the day to bed.