Category: Cornwall 26

Cornwall 21 – 24 May 26

25 May 2026 / admin

Mussels Renmor 21-5-26

Thursday 21 May 2026

The focus today was a visit (in vastly improved weather) to the Bodmin Railway which has been immortalised in the linked page with the photographs and fuller descriptions. From there we returned to Newquay to spend two nights at the Headland Hotel, famous for its appearance in the film of Roald Dahl’s “The Witches”. We dine tonight in Renmor the Hotel’s own restaurant where amongst other items I consume the above plate of mussels – and that was just a starter. Photograph by and copyright of Jackie Whitbread.

Menu Ugly Butterfly 22-5-26

Friday 22 May 2026

After the improved weather yesterday Cornwall reverted to being cold and windy which is disappointing as we had planned to spend much of the day in the pool area of the hotel, part of which is outdoors but after a few minutes in the outdoor area we retreat into the indoor area. This is a lot warmer but has the inevitable drawback of being noisy.

Adam Handling 22-5-26

We consume no lunch but decide on a very early tea (one cream tea for two is plenty given everything else we are going to eat today. The menu above (again copyright Jackie Whitbread) shows that we are amazingly well. Adam Handling was in the kitchen and we were lucky enough to obtain a photograph at the end of the evening. Having eaten at all his establishments I can confirm that they are all good and worth experiencing.

Saturday 23 May 2026

We start our journey homewards today but take a slightly devious route as it is a number of years since we visited the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. Sadly it does not serve either of the places named with the service based at Woody Bay. Again this is documented on the linked web page.

We then push onto South Molton where we stay at the George Hotel. I feel this deserves a special mention as we only stayed and did not eat there. However the place has clearly been looked after, the staff were friendly and helpful and a very decent breakfast was served. South Molton also looked like a quiet country town with a decent range of shops and a high street that looked as if it was still alive. A lovely place.

Our daughter Katie came to drive us to dinner at the Masons Arms Knowstone. It had been in the Good Food Guide for absolute aeons and I was aware that it had been on the market for a while. I have subsequently become aware that on 20 June 2026, just a month after our visit the team served their last meals. I had wanted to go there for many years; a Michelin starred restaurant in the more traditional style (the chef trained with the Roux brothers amongst others and was at one stage the head chef at the Waterside) and maintaining that quality as we now know until the last. May they have a long and happy retirement.

Sunday 24 May 2026

A shared drive back – to the M5 and then we pick up the A303. As we are coming back on the Sunday (it is a bank holiday weekend) we feel lucky when we hear how slow and difficult the journey back on Monday was. One decision we did get right.

Our lunch stop was The Hub 303 at Tintinhull which we discovered on an earlier trip back from Cornwall. It is roughly mid-journey for us. The home made fresh cakes are amazing and the coffee is pretty good. It is not an obvious stopping point as it is not really shown as anything more than petrol station – but it is there and it damn good. One day I hope the timing works to get a proper meal there – and it is only available on the eastward journey – but it is likely to be revisited.

Cornwall 20 May 26

21 May 2026 / admin

Tortoises Newquay 20-5-26

The weather has not improved so we are looking for an alternative destination today and hit upon visiting Newquay Zoo. We load up the car and leave the caravan which has been pleasant and convenient just lacking some sunshine and consequent warmth. We are not alone in not wanting to be up and about this morning. On our first trip past their enclosure there was no sign of any tortoises. On our way back first one emerges, then another and eventually there were four or five of them wandering around!

Penguins Newquay 20-5-26

In some of the enclosures there spotting the residents proves difficult on the pictures I have taken (things all seem smaller in the actual shots) but the penguins were visible I am pleased to say. There were quite a few hiding somewhere.

Philippine spotted deer Newquay 20-5-26

As this was stood on the high ground it was easy to spot the spotted deer from the Philippines. He was larger than many of the residents.

Pigs Newquay 20-5-26

For a while we could only see one little piggy and thought it might be lonely and then a number of others slowly emerged from their hiding places presumably for breakfast – just as we are starting to think about lunch. Being Cornwall it is time for the regulation pasty – one has to be concerned whilst visiting the county!

Our residence tonight is the Watergate Bay hotel which has had a few changes since our last visit and has a new dining facility Zacry’s restaurant where we have a a good dinner and then totter back up the hill into the hotel to our room which has a sea view. There has been quite a bit of change – the restaurant at the top closed and has been turned into apartments over looking the beach. Time moves on.

Cornwall 19 May 26

20 May 2026 / admin

Trelissick House 19-5-26

Today we actually follow at least part of the itinerary; it is not actually raining and it is not entirely dry either. We head to Trelissick House and Gardens which is located at Feock (and no I do not know how it is pronounced). It is already busy when we arrive as it has extensive gardens around which to walk. Knowing how we like slopes I ensure that we stick to the almost flat level around the house.

Gardens Trelissick 19-5-26

The house has an imposing view over the Fal river. John Lawrence originally identified the site and built the first part of the house, ground floor only, in the 1750’s. The Daniell family of mine owners bought the house and added architectural features during the nineteenth century, until their occupation ended in insolvency. Further owners added the second floor and outbuildings. In the twentieth century a director of Harrods saw the house from the river and then bought it in 1918 eventually passing it onto his step-daughter Ida Copeland who was married to the chairman of the Spode Copeland china company using it as a summer house and passing the estate to the National Trust and retaining the house as a residence until 2012. The Copelands are primarily responsible for the gardens as they are now although earlier occupants also had an input into them.

Flowers Trelissick 19-5-26

As we were wandering the grounds we came across this little one who seemed to not feel any need to run away from us at all.

Squirrel Trelissick 19-5-26

I thought we might find a nearby pub but fail and we return to the Chiverton Arms, Blackwater which is just behind the holiday park. We are told that we must order now or wait some time as they have a large party in – which is slowly assembling. We order the lunchtime only senior specials’ fish and chips – which is still a decent size and we do not feel short changed at all at £8 each – portions can easily be too large. I fear that the diversion of the A30 has probably robbed them of business so worth seeking out.

At least we were out and about today. In the afternoon the reading pile actually fell further – so something has been achieved.

Cornwall 15 -18 May 26

19 May 2026 / admin

Friday 15 May 26

Having not long returned from Lyon we were off again, this time on a domestic holiday with the hope of some sunshine and the TT providing the transport using the A303 as our way west as is usually the case.

We break the journey this time at Restaurant Osip near Bruton in Somerset. The restaurant is deep in the countryside and a wrong turning takes us a little too far in the wrong direction. Since our last visit they have opened rooms and so this time no taxi and we can stay put.

Merlin Labron-Johnson is present this time and as last time we have an excellent meal and a very quiet breakfast the following morning as we are the first downstairs. Strongly recommended, certainly good as we have visited twice in about 12 months which is unusual for us.

Saturday 16 May 26

Time to head further west along the A303 and then the A30 to our first stopping point – the supermarket on the edge of Bodmin where a bite to eat takes about 30 minutes to arrive; I will leave out the name.

Jackie has just about finished shopping by the time I have managed to eat. Our final destination is the St Agnes Holiday Park adjacent to the A30 and not overly far from Truro. So far the weather is not very attractive – normally when we come west the sun shines but at the moment it is actually cold and we have not removed the top on the car at all so far.

The satnav is completely defeated by the A30 rebuilding – the holiday park has not moved of course but the A30 has been extensively altered around here since the last map update (2020 I believe) so I am glad that my nose seems to be able to find our destination.

Nice caravan, it feels pretty new. Access to the hot tub requires going out, down and then up so not the easiest but otherwise fairly standard. Hopefully the weather will improve!

Sunday 17 May 26

When preparing the itinerary for this week we had looked at places to visit and booked restaurants to suit depending on the destination. The plan for today was to visit the Lizard – the most southernmost point of the mainland. However the weather is not that nice again today and so it is unlikely that the driving will be attractive or the views worth viewing.

We have lunch booked for the Square in Porthleven and we do make the journey there. Parking is not easy although we eventually manage to get a space. We later find that the restaurant seems to have changed hands since our searching out decent places to eat and the experience is disappointing. Nothing wrong apart from an excess of gravy on our plates and very restricted choice. Disappointing day and we return to the caravan. Still no sign of the weather improving.

Monday 18 May 26

Our plan today was to visit Trebah Gardens but once again it is raining and cold. Neither of us feels like walking around the gardens in the rain as there is no pleasure in getting wet and we stay in our caravan. At one point we contemplate using the hot tub – but it starts raining as we go out and so we retreat inside as we simply do not want to get a cold.

Dinner is booked for Mine a restaurant in Falmouth. Whilst it is a bit of walk from the car park and it is raining intermittently the meal here was a lot better than yesterday’s and things are starting to improve. In addition the restaurant is full on a Monday evening – so hopefully doing well.

On the way back to the car we see the local drug dealers in action. A car with two occupants is approached by another scrote on a bicycle who stops by the car and then they do not even wait until we are out of sight before (I am guessing) drugs and money are exchanged. I wonder where the police are? it is impossible to report the event despite all the modern technology which exists as I do try – but there is no simple form to fill in – almost as if they do not want to know about potential crime.

We return to the caravan and hope tomorrow will be an improvement.