ItchyFeetBlog

Last week I was lucky enough to go on a short break to Cornwall, in the south west of England. If you’ve ever dreamt about quintessential English countryside, Cornwall has just that in abundance!

Traditional Cornish village: Polperro

Sunset and a little boat on the beach in Cornwall.

A little boat anchored near the shore of a Cornish beach.

The journey to your accommodation in Cornwall can be a little hair raising! Here’s a snap of a typical road down to a rural spot where the space between overgrown hedges is just about big enough for one car, but is indeed two-way and has plenty of blind bends, hills and ditches to keep you on the edge of your seat! My advice? If you use a sat nav, make sure you manually set it to take you via the most main roads possible – not like I did! Needless to say, the road trip down to Cornwall was thoroughly enjoyable, especially in the sunshine!

The narrow roads around rural Cornwall - pray you don't meet an oncoming vehicle!

The first place I visited was the Eden Project – well worth a detour if you’re in the area! I’m not sure there are places like it anywhere in the world. You can see tropical flora in real rainforest conditions in one dome, and Mediterranean plants and flowers in another. Kids love it, especially with so many exotic plants, waterfalls and the younger ones can enjoy an enchanting setting for a story telling session too.

The Eden Project, Cornwall: the different domes contained plant life in exotic climates

The Eden Project, Cornwall: entrance to the Rainforest

Eden Project, Cornwall: baby bananas growing naturally

The Eden Project, Cornwall: a giant bee decorates the garden outside.

If you get out and about, I highly recommend you visit one of the many beautifully historic harbour villages in Cornwall. Polperro was well preserved, partly due to the fact you simply can’t drive there; you park up and then have a choice between walking down, taking a very cheap tram or enjoying a ride on a cart pulled by a shire horse!

Polperro's narrow, pedestrianised streets

Polperro, the traditional Cornish harbour was like a little hidden paradise

Once in the village, there are plenty of places to stop for a cream tea, some souvenir shopping or to enjoy the views with a pint and some local seafood. Naturally, boat trips are on offer in good weather and lots of delightful spots for some photography.

Polperro through the eyes of the Hipstamatic app on the iPhone

Polperro through the eyes of the Hipstamatic app on the iPhone

I stayed in a lovely little village on the south coast of Cornwall, which had a shop, church, an extremely good restaurant called the Blue Plate, and a little pub on the shore appropriately called ‘Inn on the Shore’.

Inn on the Shore, really was on the shore!

The beach was partly stones, but still provided an idea place to go running and for a stroll. The other visitors on the beach had a fantastic time, children and dogs especially!

The beach provided a fascinating array of rocks, along with a lovely place for a stroll.

On the beach: sunsets in Cornwall are stunning.

Cornwall offers stunning sunsets, but these not unique to the south coast. Make sure you bring a good camera! My iPhone camera was surprisingly good, as was the app Hipstamatic I had installed on it which provided great effects for capturing quaint villages and sea views alike.

A natural black and gold effect from the sunset on the beach in Cornwall - taken with an iPhone camera

Hipstamatic view on an iPhone of the beach in Cornwall

Winifred: a little boat on the beach in Cornwall

Keep an eye out for the rainbows! With the hilly backdrop you’ll find a mix of weather (typical English weather, yes!) so it can frequently form patches of rain and patches of bright sunshine. Combine that with a sunset and you have an idyllic setting to relax in.

The view from where I stayed: ocean, sunset and a rainbow. Magical.

Rain in the distance on the beach with sunshine behind means plenty of rainbows in the sky!

Other activities you can enjoy in Cornwall include horse riding, hiking, surfing and plenty of wildlife centres to keep the kids entertained! It’s also a perfect place to enjoy a spot of camping.