Chapel Porth, Porth Towan and St Ives - Cornwall Part Four

Photo of Chapel Porth - Cornwall-beaches.co.uk

There is a walk that is just so amazingly breathtaking I can't possibly do a write-up on my Cornwall adventures without talking about it. Along the coast from St Agnes you will find a National Trust car park above an abandoned tin mine. Park here and take the coastal path to the right. From here you will get some of the more spectacular views that Cornwall has to offer out to sea and along the coast. After about a half hour walk you will come to the beach at Chapel Porth, home to a beach cafe. Highly recommended to us, we stopped for a lunchtime snack and if you do the same you must try the sausage in french bread which is both delicious in itself but comes with onions cooked in clotted cream - yes until you have had onions in clotted cream you haven't had onions, trust me! Along with that (and if this is not enough) for dessert you must try their exclusive (and famous) Hedgehog ice-cream. Organic vanilla ice-cream is slathered in clotted cream and then rolled in hazelnuts. Yup you can hear your arteries screaming but it's worth it.

The infamous Hedgehog ice-cream

Photo of Chapel Porth - Cornwall-beaches.co.uk

To get rid of the guilt you will need to walk further up and along the path which takes you to Porth Towan and down onto it's beautiful beach.

Porth Towan coastline

This one does have a tidal cut-off alert, but if you are lucky (as we were) then you can walk back to Chapel Porth along the beach (which we did). All in all a fantastic Cornwall walk that will leave you exhilarated and wanting more.

Photo of St Ives - Cornwall-beaches.co.uk

Further along this part of the Cornwall coast is St Ives famous for the fact it is a favourite of artists and has a brilliant surfing beach.

Photo of Porthmeor Beach, St Ives - Cornwall-beaches.co.uk

Winding streets house cafes, restaurants, art galleries and bars. You can take a boat out from here fairly cheaply and explore the coast, or sit on the beach and sunbath. St Ives is more of a tourist place than but the wonderful thing about Cornwall is you can experience the touristy and the remote all within a half hours drive from one another. We will return. We dream of a small ocean-viewed apartment somewhere near here - well you've got to dream haven't you?

We stayed at The Creamery in Good to Know, a great base for our Cornwall tour.

The Eden Project - Cornwall Part Three

Back in 1999 The Eden Project was an old abandoned quarry in Cornwall. Hard to believe when you see it today with it's biorbs looming above the beautifully landscaped gardens. Just outside of St Austell, The Eden Project is one of the finest attractions and famous places in Cornwall. Not just an attraction however, The Eden Project is also a charity and social enterprise where they aim to create learning experiences about our world alongside doing valuable research into plants and conservation. Everything they do from the food in the cafe to the water that cleans the toilets are run in the greenest way possible - it made us really stop and think about being a bit more eco-friendly in our day-to-day.

The Eden Project also hosts a rich programme of music, art and entertainment bringing the local community back in through it's doors for more than just the planting. This year they are hosting the likes of Eddie Izzard, The xx and Sigur Ros on their outdoor stage to name just a few. But it is the gardens set within the two huge biomes that people come to see.

Starting in the Mediterranean Biome you wander through the plants and gardens of Southern Europe and even get to dance with the bull god, Dionyssus.

Lemons and olives grow on trees, and you really do forget you are in Cornwall for just a few moments.

Top 10 things to see in the Mediterranean Biome

1. Drifts of colourful poppies and lupins in our Californian grassland
2. Bacchanalian sculptures revelling in the vineyard
3. A collection of heady natural scents in our perfume vats
4. Giant lemon-like fruits called citrons
5. A dazzling array of South African proteas
6. A carpet of tulips in the spring
7. Gnarled old cork trees - and even some cork sculptures
8. Huge sprouting aloe veras
9. The mosaic path; we call it Liquid Gold
10. The delicate flowers and scents of South Africa's Fynbos habitat

Your next stop will be to the star of the show, the Rainforest Biome. Here you will find a perfectly formed rainforest taken from Malaysia to the Seychelles. You will see bananas and coffee growing - and different types of rice, all to the sound of gushing streams and waterfalls. It really is a triumph and opening this year is a skywalk to see the forest from above. Currently you have to do this via a very wobbly aerial walkway - only for the completely fearless. 

Top 10 things to see in the Rainforest Biome

1. The Rainforest Lookout, which takes you above the treetops
2. Mangrove swamps bring a taste of tropical islands
3. The Rainforest Balloon, that lifts our gardeners up to the canopy
4. Our Malaysian hut, complete with vegetable plot and paddy field
5. Bananas - spot bunches of them high up in the trees
6. The waterfall, crashing through our South American rainforest
7. The plants that bring us cola, cupcakes and chewing gum
8. A mini soya plantation, the controversial crop found in all our food
9. Rubber trees, in everything from car tyres to condoms
10. Cocoa and chocolate - everyone's favourite beans.

No visit is complete without lunch and I was very impressed here too. The main cafe is run like a buffet but prices are reasonable (about £8 for a lunch) and suitable for vegetarians as well as meat and fish eaters. Children are probably better off in the Mediterranean Cafe which makes fresh pizza and has paella for the adults. 

There are lots of other things to see and do at The Eden Project but it was raining and so we stuck to the Biomes for our entertainment. It is open all year round and standard adult tickets bought on the door are £23.50. Check out The Eden Project site for concessions and offers. 

The Gylly Beach Cafe, Falmouth

Round the other side of the Falmouth peninsula from the docks and port is a beautiful stretch of Cornish beach called Gyllyngvase Beach which provides an even more beautiful cafe location. On a fine day the Gylly Beach cafe is the perfect location for lunch - in fact while we were there a couple had their wedding photos taken on the beach while the wedding guests had drinks in the cafe bar.

It's modern - your dream Cornish house really, and so is the menu catering for all tastes. There's enough to keep sea-foodies happy, and veggies and those who like a cracking burger. The veranda is virtually on the sand but protected by glass and there is an awning that comes down on bad days so you can still sit by the sea. We were recommended it by a friend who lives in St Agnes and it really did come up trumps!

The cafe/bar/restaurant has won awards and it's easily one of the best beach cafes we came across. Open all year round on this Green Flag beach there is a day menu and night menu ranging from Eggs Bennedict to Buckets of Prawns. We were lunching so chose the Gylly Burger which came with cheese and a chilli jam and the day's special Seafood Chowder. Most dishes are around £10 making this excellent value for the quality and I cannot recommend it more highly.

Gylly Beach Cafe,
Cliff Road,
Falmouth,
Cornwall,
TR11 4PA

01326 312884

cafe@gyllybeach.com

Port Isaac and Padstow - Cornwall Part Two

Port Isaac

You may well have come across the beautiful Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac as it is the location for the Martin Clunes series, Doc Martin. Due to the famous series they are now having to build a huge car park just outside which will thankfully help with the hordes who descend every year in the hope of glimpsing some filming. Incredibly we were there when they were filming a scene at the restaurant - so caught a bit of the action.

As you can imagine on filming days it's pretty busy but the crowds tend to stick along the harbour. Venture either up onto the tops and you will get some stunning views of neighbouring Cornish bays, or lose yourself among the quiet and undiscovered backstreets, looking out for cottages to hire (should you want to stay). It's a bit touristy but to be fair there is only one shop selling Doc Martin memorabilia which is a relief!

The path above Port Isaac

Port Isaac coastline

The harbour, Padstow

By contrast and on the same day we decided to visit Padstow which really should be renamed Ricksteinville. I must admit it is a bit overwhelming - we counted 5 businesses (at least) belonging to Rick Stein and although he really has put Padstow on the map with the Rick Stein school of seafood, shop, variety of restaurants and even B&B it is hard to find anywhere to eat non-Stein! The good news is you can eat at one of his places whatever your budget so I shouldn't really complain!

I can see why he chose Padstow however. Not only is it as quaint as you are going to get (I actually prefer it to St Ives) but the beaches are amongst the most beautiful in Cornwall.

Padstow is worth a day's visit. It's beach is the stuff that holidays in the UK are made of (weather permitting) and there is plenty of brilliant places to eat on tap. We chose a non-Rick Stein establishment up on the path out of town and had a fabulous Plowman's lunch overlooking the harbour. The sun came out and it really was quite spectacular.

Home-made pate and cheese ploughman's - what holiday's were made for!

Coverack, Mullion Cove and Falmouth - Cornwall Part One

Coverack Beaches

Staying in The Creamery just outside Truro provided us with the perfect spot for taking in both the South and North coasts and beautiful beaches and a lot in between. Whenever we go away we seem to 'do' everywhere in little under a day - we went to the Isle of Wight and drove completely around the island the first afternoon. I suppose it's because we like to get out bearings and work out what to see and what to skip.

Our first proper day of exploring and trialling our new walking boots took us to Coverack, Mullion Cove and then we drove into Falmouth, famous for it's port and University. I am not a great walker but with scenery like this and taking it at a relatively easy pace it is the best way of exploring the breathtaking scenery of Cornwall.

We started our exploration at Coverack on the southern edge of the Lizard Peninsula. This picturesque fishing village is built on two sides of a rocky peninsula that dramatically juts into the sea. It's ideal for windsurfing and swimming and in the height of summer will be crowded with those taking part in water-sports and snorkeling. We followed the coastal path here above the bay, with spectacular scenery. Hidden along the hillside was a sculpture park with free entry and with a stunning setting for the sea inspired sculptures. Walking for about 3 miles following the coast path you will see hidden coves, glorious plants and sandy beaches and if you are lucky and the weather is fine (ours was) the scenery really can't be beaten anywhere in the world!

Leaving Coverack we headed a little further along the coast to Mullion Cove,the largest village on the Lizard (which isn't saying much it's still pretty small). Jonah and the Whale are carved in rich oak in the 15th century church of St Mellanus and the harbour is still a working one protected by stout sea walls and completed in 1895. This is one of the many villages who lost their livelihood when normally pilchard rich seas were empty - let that be a lesson to us all today!

Mullion Cove, Cornwall

You can imagine smugglers having a field day in this part of Cornwall and Mullion Cove is certainly no exception.

Falmouth Bay

We ended our afternoon with a wander around the ancient streets of Falmouth. I can quite seriously say I could imagine moving to Falmouth one day. Because of the university it is lively all year round and there has obviously been huge grants pumped in from Europe to modernise this bustling port. There is still enough of the old town to keep you interested and we discovered fantastic bars, restaurants, cafes, galleries and even a Rick Stein fish and chip shop! It is also home to the Maritime Museum of Cornwall which comes with a 5 star rating and should be on your tourist places to visit list alongside The Eden Project.

The Maritime Museum, Falmouth

A nautical alleyway, Falmouth

The Creamery travel review, Cornwall

One of the great advantages of having kids old enough to leave at home is that you can leave them at home and go off for weekends and weeks away! Not that I don't adore my children but the last thing they want to join us on is a walking holiday in Cornwall (and the last thing we want them to do too is just that). When I say 'walking' I actually mean ambling and a bit of a puff now and then uphill - but you get my drift and we did buy walking boots just for exploring the beaches, coves, ports and tourist hightlights of this part of the UK!

So that is how we ended up at The Creamery. A beautifully converted farm building in a place called Good To Know just outside Truro.

The Creamery has been lovingly brought bang into the 21st century by Gill and Gary who live in the spacious house next door and they really do understand their market. From the quality of the enormous bed (let's face it it's not often that your bed on holiday is as good as the one at home) to the fixtures and fittings in the large bathroom and small kitchen everything is really 5 star. There is a walk-in shower, a huge modern freestanding bath and even twinkly lights set in the ceiling above the bath for a relaxing soak.

There isn't room for a washing machine (but who wants to do washing anyway) which is no real loss and you have full use of the glorious garden including a barbecue. Had we stayed longer and had the weather been better then we would have made full use of that I can tell you.

There are plenty of ordinance survey maps, town maps and entertainment guides to pour over planning the following day's entertainment, and as Truro is just a car ride away shops and the estuary are not far.

It makes for a peaceful, clean, more than just comfortable bolt-hole and a great base to explore both the North and South coasts of Cornwall.... something we did and you will be able to read all about in later posts!

I really do highly recommend The Creamery which we booked through Cornish Cottage Holidays, a great place to browse when planning your own trip. The property sleeps two and is all on one level with a sitting-room/bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Bed linen and towels are provided as is under-floor heating which is included in the price. There is also satelite TV. Prices range from £325 - £600 for a week.