Just had an especially atmospheric swim off Quay Rocks, Seaview. Early morning -
there is a heavy sea mist – visibility maybe only a 100 yards. The tide is up.
There is the occasional booming fog horns from the commercial traffic in the
shipping lane a couple of miles away. They resonate - vibrate in a brooding
melodic way. I can read the tide from the bobbing dinghies on their moorings.
The low sun is breaking through onto the dark gentle ripples as I swim into it.
The light is fantastic - the sea seems especially salty. The water is so
invigorating – not warm like the Med – not cold like the Atlantic – in between.
Another year. We are just back from our annual family pilgrimage to the depths of deepest Cornwall. I have written blogs about our St Buryan camping holiday which has taken place at this time of year for many years now. We go to the same place and do the same things and we love it.
What do I especially want to say about this year by way of record?
The Roseland Peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean has a climate officially categorised as “oceanic”. An oceanic climate is typified by cool winters with warmer summers and precipitation all year round – ha! I have probably quoted the joke before – if you do not like the Cornwall weather – wait 10 minutes.
I drive through the night – towing a trailer – crammed with everything we should need for a week. I arrive at St Buryan early in the morning in heavy rain. Fortunately Phil and Vic and the girls arrived a couple of days before. Their substantial air beam tent is well set and I am amazingly comfortable. Later my brother Mike and his son Jack arrives. We sit in the tent observing the horizontal rain and are pessimistic about getting our tents up. My tent especially is a mammoth task – an ancient 8 berth Cabanon Espace – which amongst other things serves as the village hall. It has a steel frame and a heavy gauge proofed cotton fabric. But typical Cornwall – there is a break in the weather and with a communal effort we are set for the week. In all the assembled family party is 16 and 6 tents and a van! A good turn out campers!
Thereafter we had fine weather – all were beach days – every evening we were outside – despite the occasional night time shower that kept everything fresh. One thing I would recommend for a Cornwall holiday however is good wind breaks and those new beach shelters have proved themselves as useful. James has invested in a good one. He has the smartest house on the block now!
We go to the far end of Cornwall for the waves that come in off the 3000 mile Atlantic fetch. We love bodyboarding. We camp because camping is a change from normal domesticity. We decline electricity and while it is hardly wild camping – and we are hardly travelling light – it is a real change. If I could I might live in a tent – easy to say – but it offers so much. In reality who would choose to live without electricity but for a while at least it ensures a much simpler life. It is great to see my two little granddaughters flourishing in a camping environment. They are not scared of creepy crawlies – ha!
Sennen Cove is our beach of choice and in many ways we were lucky that the tide was out for most of the day. This fully exposes the vast sandy beach which we love. Sennen Beach is pristine - goes through a maelstrom of a wash and rinse in very cold Atlantic water twice a day. The sand at Sennen is different too – the granules are flat – they stick to you in a lovely way. One feature is the Atlantic rollers rip up huge fronds of seaweed – great strips of it and it sometimes gathers in the shallows. My grand daughters loved wading through it – it is a very unusual experience – Gulliver scale linguine! There was some talk of jelly fish – you do see them in the water - but I assured them they cannot hurt in our waters.
But a downside this year at Sennen was a combination of low tide and sand banks caused a concerning rip tide as the tide turned and for that reason we spent a couple of days on Porthcurno Beach. We had one especially good day for body boarding. The waves were perfect. Regretfully I never learned to surf – but bodyboarding is exhilarating when you catch a wave right. I catch fewer waves than most in my fam but it fills me with pleasure when I do – fills me with pleasure when I don’t - ha! Fills me with pleasure when I see anyone in the fam riding a wave. They are always so chuffed. A fair ground ride. But you need a wet suit. Unlike the Solent where I swim daily in the summer – the Atlantic rollers are relatively freezing!
Other little pleasures I personally want to record – the petanque championship – setting the world catching record with Ayla (31), James’s beach shelter, a sneaky beer with Vic in the Swordfish Newlyn, Rich no hands on a wave, seeing the kids run from St Buryan to Porthcurno - those hills -The Logan Rock, 16 for dinner at St Buryan, George and Laura’s barbecue putting the 3 Uffculme barbecues to shame for yet another year!, the joy of Snakes and Ladders with the girls, Rob and Kay's big night out (the pub was not serving food!) Phil’s curry, James catching a wave or two, Laura thriving with the camping life, how well Vic and Phil are set up and how they are bringing up the girls, the character that is Jack, Jade the scientist, Kay keeping Rob on his toes, Margaret’s pasties, my morning jogs to the end of Sennen, the nightmare of rock climbing with the girls, Andy and now Pete joining the throng, the camaraderie of doing the dishes, 2003 malt vinegar, Mike and his van and his no nonsense approach, micky taking of my bungalow and getting it up and down, early mornings asking the girls questions - well done Annabelle. And no bloody Brexit – ha!
I cannot express easily what it means to be with my two brothers Rob and Mike and their families. Needless to say it means so much.
One final reflective note on my offspring. The dynamic has gradually changed. They are now fully fledged – experienced, capable, competent grown ups. It is a wonderful to see and feel. And Annabelle and Ayla the darling treasures. I count my good fortune indeed (mega touchwood) xxx
Here are a few photos :-
Another year. We are just back from our annual family pilgrimage to the depths of deepest Cornwall. I have written blogs about our St Buryan camping holiday which has taken place at this time of year for many years now. We go to the same place and do the same things and we love it.
What do I especially want to say about this year by way of record?
The Roseland Peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean has a climate officially categorised as “oceanic”. An oceanic climate is typified by cool winters with warmer summers and precipitation all year round – ha! I have probably quoted the joke before – if you do not like the Cornwall weather – wait 10 minutes.
I drive through the night – towing a trailer – crammed with everything we should need for a week. I arrive at St Buryan early in the morning in heavy rain. Fortunately Phil and Vic and the girls arrived a couple of days before. Their substantial air beam tent is well set and I am amazingly comfortable. Later my brother Mike and his son Jack arrives. We sit in the tent observing the horizontal rain and are pessimistic about getting our tents up. My tent especially is a mammoth task – an ancient 8 berth Cabanon Espace – which amongst other things serves as the village hall. It has a steel frame and a heavy gauge proofed cotton fabric. But typical Cornwall – there is a break in the weather and with a communal effort we are set for the week. In all the assembled family party is 16 and 6 tents and a van! A good turn out campers!
Thereafter we had fine weather – all were beach days – every evening we were outside – despite the occasional night time shower that kept everything fresh. One thing I would recommend for a Cornwall holiday however is good wind breaks and those new beach shelters have proved themselves as useful. James has invested in a good one. He has the smartest house on the block now!
We go to the far end of Cornwall for the waves that come in off the 3000 mile Atlantic fetch. We love bodyboarding. We camp because camping is a change from normal domesticity. We decline electricity and while it is hardly wild camping – and we are hardly travelling light – it is a real change. If I could I might live in a tent – easy to say – but it offers so much. In reality who would choose to live without electricity but for a while at least it ensures a much simpler life. It is great to see my two little granddaughters flourishing in a camping environment. They are not scared of creepy crawlies – ha!
Sennen Cove is our beach of choice and in many ways we were lucky that the tide was out for most of the day. This fully exposes the vast sandy beach which we love. Sennen Beach is pristine - goes through a maelstrom of a wash and rinse in very cold Atlantic water twice a day. The sand at Sennen is different too – the granules are flat – they stick to you in a lovely way. One feature is the Atlantic rollers rip up huge fronds of seaweed – great strips of it and it sometimes gathers in the shallows. My grand daughters loved wading through it – it is a very unusual experience – Gulliver scale linguine! There was some talk of jelly fish – you do see them in the water - but I assured them they cannot hurt in our waters.
But a downside this year at Sennen was a combination of low tide and sand banks caused a concerning rip tide as the tide turned and for that reason we spent a couple of days on Porthcurno Beach. We had one especially good day for body boarding. The waves were perfect. Regretfully I never learned to surf – but bodyboarding is exhilarating when you catch a wave right. I catch fewer waves than most in my fam but it fills me with pleasure when I do – fills me with pleasure when I don’t - ha! Fills me with pleasure when I see anyone in the fam riding a wave. They are always so chuffed. A fair ground ride. But you need a wet suit. Unlike the Solent where I swim daily in the summer – the Atlantic rollers are relatively freezing!
Other little pleasures I personally want to record – the petanque championship – setting the world catching record with Ayla (31), James’s beach shelter, a sneaky beer with Vic in the Swordfish Newlyn, Rich no hands on a wave, seeing the kids run from St Buryan to Porthcurno - those hills -The Logan Rock, 16 for dinner at St Buryan, George and Laura’s barbecue putting the 3 Uffculme barbecues to shame for yet another year!, the joy of Snakes and Ladders with the girls, Rob and Kay's big night out (the pub was not serving food!) Phil’s curry, James catching a wave or two, Laura thriving with the camping life, how well Vic and Phil are set up and how they are bringing up the girls, the character that is Jack, Jade the scientist, Kay keeping Rob on his toes, Margaret’s pasties, my morning jogs to the end of Sennen, the nightmare of rock climbing with the girls, Andy and now Pete joining the throng, the camaraderie of doing the dishes, 2003 malt vinegar, Mike and his van and his no nonsense approach, micky taking of my bungalow and getting it up and down, early mornings asking the girls questions - well done Annabelle. And no bloody Brexit – ha!
I cannot express easily what it means to be with my two brothers Rob and Mike and their families. Needless to say it means so much.
One final reflective note on my offspring. The dynamic has gradually changed. They are now fully fledged – experienced, capable, competent grown ups. It is a wonderful to see and feel. And Annabelle and Ayla the darling treasures. I count my good fortune indeed (mega touchwood) xxx
Here are a few photos :-
 |
| some of the fam on Sennen |
 |
| walking to the St Buryan Inn. Stange pose from George |
 |
| quiz questions in the luxury of my tent! |
 |
| going for the world catching record |
 |
| Porthcurno taken by Rich and Andy up near the Minack |
 |
| Base camp Porthcurno |
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| Annabelle and Ayla xxx |
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