We left Callington and drove via Bodmin Moor, to the A30. We had a lunch stop overlooking the moor and ponies. The A30 was pretty busy but the last three miles to St Agnes Beacon campsite were along narrow country lanes which were, mercifully, a bit quieter. Suddenly we came round a bend and the coast was spread out before us. On site, we found a pitch with sea view and settled in for a week.
St Agnes Beacon
Clyde had read about a local speciality at the nearby NT managed bay of Chapel Porth. The lure of an ice cream covered in clotted cream and hazelnuts was strong and enticed us onto a challenging coastal walk. The bay was popular and the cafe was busy when we finally arrived. The ice cream was very welcome and we sat on the sea wall to recover before the uphill walk home.
We had a very active stay at St Agnes with plenty of coastal walking and a trek up to the Beacon with it’s stunning views. The campsite was a short walk from an iron mine, Wheal Coates, and a more challenging walk across country to the village. The walk to the village involved 5 stone stiles which was a huge challenge for Clyde, but we achieved our aim to get provisions, and back close to the campsite we had coffee and cake at a farm cafe.
All around the area there is stunning scenery and beautiful heather and wild flowers. All of these are low growing due to the exposed coastal position.
Polperro
The time came to leave St Agnes and head to the southern coast of Cornwall. We had booked onto a small campsite about 5 miles from where the family were spending two weeks in a static caravan on a holiday park. We had not realised that the 5 mile trip took us through Looe! Not a 5 minute journey each day. However, the coastal walk into Polperro from their campsite was fabulous.
Three of us walked into town and the other three went by taxi. We met up for coffee and exploring the lovely little fishing village, before indulging in a cream tea. Obviously it was essential since we were in Cornwall. The scones were not as good as those I had made whilst on site in St Agnes!
We walked up the rocky hill behind Polperro to enjoy a stunning view of the harbour and the sea.
Looe
Our next trip was into Looe where the family recommended a speedboat trip. They had been the week before and thoroughly enjoyed it. We booked in advance and turned up on a cool, breezy day to enjoy the experience. The boat owner advised us that on such a breezy day, we would get wet. What an understatement! It was an exhilarating trip which left us all dripping. Eventually we drip dried in the gentle breeze, although Sarah was the most soaked and remained damp for hours. Looe is another pretty Cornish fishing town with little shops to amble around and a lovely sandy bay.
The few days spent with the kids was great and made a lovely change from just having each other for company. We also played games, mini golf, went walking, entertained at our campsite in the countryside and generally had a proper holiday. Good times.
After going our separate ways, we travelled back into Devon for a short break at Exebridge and Exmoor. More fabulous moorland scenery and a well sited campsite near the river Ex and a pub with a riverside garden. One day we decided to have a tour around Exmoor on the minor roads and ignored the road closed signs until we came to a barrier. That rather changed our plans and we had more of a tour than we expected. The very narrow roads were a bit of a concern and I absolutely refused to drive back the way we had come, so we did a bit more mileage than planned. Back at site my ruffled feathers were soothed with a nice glass of wine at the local riverside pub.
This ended our trip to Devon and Cornwall. We had a great trip in some glorious weather and feasted our eyes on stunning scenery.