Happy campers!

Hello lovely ladies....it is good to be back!

Well we had a wonderful week away in glorious Cornwall! The weather gods were kind to us and we managed to leave any rain behind at the campsite. Being so far south, when the sun is out in Cornwall it is much warmer than here in the north and we got plenty of sunshine. So, are you ready for a tour?

Cornwall is a long journey from Yorkshire - about seven hours - but we were saved by a birthday gift to the boy of a mini DVD player. I always said I wouldn't do that kind of thing but, actually, it was marvellous. Although Little S has always been a good traveller - we took him camping in Orkney when he was a toddler - it is a long journey for a very active boy. He spent a lot of the journey watching DVDs about sharks and big cats (too gory for me!) and I read a really marvellous book called Room (highly recommended). The Mr did all the hard work!

With the car stuffed to the rafters with camping gear, clobber for all weathers, toys and books for the boy and a tuck box, we set off early morning and arrived at our destination in time for tea and a bit of leg stretching before showers and bed. Again, the Mr did all the hard work and put up the tent!

This is the campsite!

 

We stayed at a wonderful campsite on Bodmin Moor in the north of Cornwall. South Penquite Farm is a beautiful, organic, working farm set in fabulous moorland. It is large and has excellent facilities. Little S loved seeing the ducks and geese and hens waddling around. We had visits at our tent each morning! We also had a visit from a rather naughty young sheepdog that ran off with the boy's frisbee and completely mangled it!! Three lovely cats, a very friendly old sheepdog, two pigs, sheep, cattle and wild ponies (with foals!) made up the animal population. There was also a duck with her and two adopted baby hens she had adopted! Boy heaven, as you can imagine.

 

The site owners don't allow caravans and are very generous with the amount of space allocated...in fact we virtually had a whole field to ourselves.

 

The Mr's idea of a holiday is that not a minute should be wasted relaxing so we set off early the next morning to visit the stunning Cornish coast.

 We then drove to Padstow for ice-cream

 

Of course, a visit to Cornwall has to include a visit to the Eden Project (mum heaven!).

Can any keen-eyed gardeners out there tell me what these lovely pink flowers are?

 I loved this border, with its cool whites and greens...

And some gorgeous Californian wild flowers....

Striking delphiniums....

This is my fourth visit there and each time I can see how it has grown - and how the plants have grown! The first time was just a year after it had opened and there weren't too many visitors. This time it was very, very busy but it is a large place and there was plenty of room for everyone. Yes, the biomes are spectacular (and very hot!) but for me the real beauty of Eden is the planting. It is absolutely stunning and really inspirational. Everywhere you look there is something to make you gasp, reach for the camera and pray that you can somehow capture the gorgeousness of what you are seeing.

Eden project is a very successful blend of art, horticulture and education that combines to convey a very powerful message about the importance (and fragility) of this beautiful earth of ours.

We stayed for almost the whole day and I bought some plants. I managed to find the red valerian I have been coveting, which was ironic as it grows wild everywhere in Cornwall!

Day three was a trip down to the Lizard, the southernmost tip of England. I love this part of Cornwall - the rugged beauty of the ragged coastline, the proliferation of wild flowers and the restlessness of the sea. As you know, I love the sea and I think that this part of Cornwall is my spiritual home. It was a long walk and very hot and sunny, despite being quite windy. Halfway around, just after our picnic, I realised that I HAD LOST MY CAMERA. Disaster. I then remembered where in fact I had put it down and left Little S and the Mr behind as I galloped back to where we had been. I felt absolutely sure it would be there so was stunned when there was no sign of it. The Mr was convinced that it had been taken for good but I felt sure that some kind person had rescued it and that it would be returned. And sure enough, after completely back tracking almost to the start of our walk, a lovely man in the National Trust Information Centre informed me that, yes, a camera had been handed in. Joy!!!! I don't know who found it but I am very grateful he took the time to deposit it in such a sensible place for me to find. I told you so, I said to the Mr as I looped the camera strap across my body. People are good!

 

The next day (no rest for the wicked!) we went on a 25 mile bike ride along the Camel Trail, which used to be a rail track.



My gorgeous new bike!!!



It was  broken up by Rick Stein fish and chips in Padstow and we managed to cram in a cream tea on the return journey! Well, I think we had earned it!

We also managed a trip to St Michael's Mount and St Ives. I do love it here but it was very busy. It was very overcast when we took the boat to the island......

 

and then the sun came out when we got to St Ives.....

We headed straight for the wonderful Barbara Hepworth Museum. It was actually her home and studio and the garden is spectacular, with her amazing sculptures sitting beautifully among the lovely plants and flowers.

We had planned to visit the Tate gallery but there is only so much art a small boy can take! So we bought ice creams and headed for the beach for a little while.

 

And that, my dear ladies, was our lovely holiday. Little S didn't want to come home but I have to say that I was looking forward to sleeping in a real bed again!

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post and a huge welcome to new followers!

Enjoy your weekend! xxxx