Porthleven - Nauti but Ice

By the time that we pulled into the little car park in Porthleven it was getting pretty late in the day and the rain that we'd done so well to avoid at Kynance Cove finally found us here. We'd stumbled upon this little place a few times before and there was something about it's simple row of shops and harbour that always seems quite unique to me. But then every place that I visit in Cornwall seems to be so incredibly unique and be loaded with bags of character.

So far in our week away we hadn't yet enjoyed the delights of a classic cream tea and so, seeking refuge from the rain we decided that that was exactly what we needed. I remembered that there was a lovely cafe midway along the row of shops so we headed there and to our delight, not only was the cafe still in place but it had had a bit of a revamp and was now named "Nauti but Ice". Brilliant. A seaside themed play on words certainly isn't lost on me. 

It was just as we were tucking into our scrummy scones that I started to feel quite unwell. I think I'd tried to cram perhaps a bit too much into our days and was waning a little so we decided that we would pottle back along the shops and make our way back to the caravan. Obviously not before stopping to take a few pics to try and capture the charms of this place. It was a somewhat fleeting visit but I was glad to have returned and added a fresh batch of memories of Porthleven in my mind.

Polly Joke - More of a gem than a joke

When you go on holiday in October... in England... you don't expect much from the weather. So when it turn out to be absolutely glorious it feels like an extra special blessing. And that is exactly what I got the day I went to Polly Joke. I'd heard about Polly Joke from a colleague of mine who'd grown up in Cornwall and lived near this area. We'd actually been talking about Crantock but she said if I ever visited again to be sure to check out Polly Joke as she said that it’s a lesser known little gem of coastline.

Mum and I had spent the morning wandering around the pretty gardens of Trerice and whilst picnicing in the car we pondered over our next move. We had much of the afternoon ahead of us still and were in the mood for some coast, of course. I remembered about Polly Joke and we decided to give it a go. We’d driven through the little town of Crantock, past the Bowgie Inn pub and a little further on out till we parked in what seemed to be a farmer’s field. After a quick squiz of my phone to check the vague direction we needed to go, we headed out on the footpath somewhat unsure how far away it would be but willing to enjoying the sights along the way.

Well, Polly Joke is indeed an absolute little gem and a complete treat to find especially on a sunny and warm October day as there were only a few other people around. We made our way down to the beach and followed the stream heading out to sea. I honestly couldn't believe our luck, it was wonderful. A beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon spent paddling in the sea, sitting on the rocks and soaking up as much of that vitamin D and Sea as possible.

Sadly a little cloud of Melancholy set in with the realisation that this may be the last time this year I'd get to do this. As we said farewell to the beach we decided to take to coast path back up and enjoyed the views across to Crantock. As we ambled along we made plans to return to this spot next year return do a little trek from Crantock to Holywell passing through Polly Joke on our way.

The Awe of Watergate Bay

How lucky I was to be travelling back to Cornwall for a second time within one month and even though there was work involved, it was the good kind of work and there was still to be plenty of holiday time as well. Unfortunately, the journey down was a little ropey. I’d recently been afflicted with a cold/ear infection type illness and was still suffering from a fun game of vertigo every time I tried to travel which meant about four stops on the way down to help me right myself before continuing. We’d actually decided to travel down the A38 instead of the A30 just for a change of scenery and it was a thoroughly pleasant route to behold. Because I tend to holiday along the north coast of Cornwall it’s not often that we go this way but I must remember to do so more in future for even though it’s about a quarter of an hour longer it is just as beautiful.

When I’d been offered the opportunity to go to Watergate Bay for work I jumped at the chance. I’d driven past the bay last year on the way to the Bedruthen Steps and the lure of the gloriously long stretch of sand had firmly secured it’s place on my “must visit” list. I’d heard the name “Watergate Bay” so many times over the years, pretty much always associated with water sports of some form and had filed it away in my mind as something of a surfing mecca of the South West but it wasn't long before I discovered it had oh so much more to offer.

After a mad rush to make the event, a whirlwind of an afternoon and much talking later, all the work was done and packed away so I wondered down to the beach with camera in hand. Well actually, my camera was on my back and my hands were carefully carrying a container with some poor unsuspecting sea critters who’d been mistakenly taken by volunteers and brought up to the hotel where the event was taking place. I’d offered to return them and was very gingerly walked along the beach so as not to swish the water about too much on my way to the rock pools where I popped them back in their rightful place.

Once that little job was done I was free to soak up the last of the day, breathing in deep the salty goodness and watching people playing on the beach. There were so many people enjoying the space in so many different ways. Surfing of course, lots of that, but also just playing games on the sand, walking dogs, walking alone, walking hand in hand with loved ones too, playing in the rockpools, eating from ice creams, it was all going on. Clearly Watergate Bay was a bustling beach. Everyone seemed to be completely oblivious to the slight nip in the air, you would have thought it was summer's eve with the amount of activity going on. And none of that busyness detracted from the awesomeness of the beach itself.

This beach felt epic, with it’s towering cliffs and huge sandy expanses, something about it felt gross and grand and us people were suddenly just mere little flecks in the vastness. From what I had seen up above I knew that there would be a lovely long stretch of beach here and good waves too, but what I wasn’t prepared for was the incredible cliffs. You really can’t grasp from the road above just how mighty they are when you are stood beneath them looking up and it really took me aback. I loved it and only wished that I had more time and light to soak it up. Like so many places I visit in Cornwall the first time, I added on to another one of my lists, the “must come back to” one.