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.