Trip To Cornwall: Day One

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Thatched roof, garden gate, wisteria - what more do you need?
Bonython Estate Gardens, Cornwall

I couldn't help but notice that every time people spoke of Cornwall
they had a twinkle in their eye 

and talked about how fantastic their trip was

Beside Cornish hens, I'd never really heard of this area before

Bonython Estate Gardens

We stared our drive to Cornwall at 8p

(that's 20:00 in English time)

which I would not recommended

As a rule, England has NO STREET LIGHTS on highways outside cities

So it was very dark as we drove 5 hours to the southwestern tip of England

(may I also add that with all the miles we've put on the car, 

we've literally only seen ONE stop sign in this country)

View of Marazion at Low Tide

On a friend recommendation, we rented a cottage from Rural Retreats

I didn't realize when I booked it, 

our cottage was actually INSIDE Bonython Estate Gardens which is closed on the weekends

So we had the gardens to ourselves!

{score!}

Thanks to a friendly gulf stream, this area can grow sub-tropical flora

Lucky dawgs!

Cobbled causeway to St Michaels Mount

Our first stop was St Michaels Mount

Previously a monastery, fortress, port, and family home,

this National Trust site can be reached by foot along the causeway only during low tide

When the causeway is submerged daily at high tide

a puttering motor boat becomes the only transport

Although we did plan ahead for low tide, we didn't notice the 'castle' was closed on Saturdays

Drat

But the kids did some good shell-hunting along the way

We'd love to come back when we can see more

Lands End

Our next stop was Lands End

Not the clothing store,

but the most south westerly point of mainland Britain

This area, like all we visited, had constant wind

We were surprised how beautiful blue the water was

(Above) Off in the distance you can see what is either a lighthouse or some crazy spy tower :)

And we assumed the doors in the hill were from tin or copper mining of an earlier era

Or more likely, Teletubbie entrances

Lands End

Lands End

Our last stop for the day was St Ives, a picturesque fishing town with winding cobbled streets

Although there were quite a few tourists, 

we were rewarded with delicious food

and adorable shops

St Ives
Loving the 3 types of clematis!

Cornwall is known for its pottery, Cornish pasty

fudge, clotted cream, ice cream

(Yum Yum & Yum)

St Ives

It was a long day with quite a bit of driving, 

but we were rewarded with spectacular country views of rural Cornwall in bloom

View out the car window

We went to bed with full bellies and smiles on our faces

and that twinkle in our eye

- all photos by me -

Trip To Cornwall:

Day Two (here)

Day Three (here)

Excellent Resource: Visit Cornwall.com

Link Up: Sweet Shot Tuesday