On Friday, the 11th of August 2017, we packed all our stuff and left Lulworth direction Cornwall. You may wonder why we put Cornwall onto the list for our year-long trip. Well, I have to admit, that this is my doing. Cornwall was on my traveling bucket list for a while. So I thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to go and visit now. Let’s go to Cornwall then.

Seen that none of us likes sitting in the car hours on end, we planned a pit-stop on the way. Lyme Regis, a pretty seaside town famed for its fossil hunting caught our eye. And we were not let down. With the wet weather gear on, John and the girls hit the beach to hunt for fossils while I was getting comfy in a café to enjoy a hot chocolate and a decent wifi connection. They came back to proudly present me their findings: A handful of ammonites and (Lilly) a pocket full of porcelain pieces. After another round of hot chocolate (with marshmallows for the girls) and a Cornish pasty to fill our bellies, we carried on driving west towards Cornwall. As we were driving, the weather got worse and worse. It was still drizzling when we turned into the Bay View Farm Campground near Looe. We had no other option than pitching our tent in the rain. Nobody’s favourite.

We were supposed to stay in the Looe area for six nights. But, a little worried by the wet weather forecast and the distance to the places we definitely wanted to visit further south, we decided spontaneously to change our location for another three nights. And to sleep in a proper bed. A nice idea. But this time of year, Cornwall is pretty much fully booked. Lucky for us, someone cancelled their stay in a cottage called Noongallas near Penzance – and our booking on AirBnB went through. The sun’s not out, but the gods are shining on us.

And the move to the south was a very good move indeed. We enjoyed our time in Kay’s warm, cosy cottage – especially when there were heavy rains outside. Also, we really liked the area, mostly the coastline. Climbing the rocks at low tide in Priest’s Cove and being chased by the big waves at Porthcurno Beach, entertained the girls for hours. And our stay down here was crowned with a unplugged concert with Will Wood and Tim Loud in the Noongallas barn. How cool was that! Noongallas – we had a fab stay… and will return one day.

Some of our highlights:

• Fossil hunting in Lyme Regis.
• The view on Bay View Farm Campground when there is a view 😉
• Polperro: A quaint little fishing village with a lovely vibe.
• Massive shire horses on the campground. The girls visited and fed them several times a day.
• Chilling on a sunny Sunday. On Bay View Farm Campground we enjoyed our first extremely relaxed day on this trip. Our promise: There will be many more.
• St. Agnes Head: Headland beautifully covered in heather and gorse.
• Cornish pasties for lunch. In all varities.
• Kay’s AirBnB. We could not have asked for more.
• The buzzing town of St. Ives with all its pretty bakeries and cafés. You could café-hop all day long…
• Rock climbing and pooling at Priest’s cove.
• Watching the kids jump off the breakwater in Mousehole.
• Being chased by the big waves on Porthcurno beach.
• Unplugged concert with Will Wood and Tim Loud in the Noongallas barn.

The learning curve so far:

• Parking is so expensive! Always carry at least 10 pounds in cash in your pocket. And: Don’t be scared into taking the first obvious parking opportunity. There’s usually a better one. Closer to where you wanna be.
• Also: When camping, always carry an emergency ration of food with you. You never know how far from civilisation your campground will be.
• Consider that a great view sometimes comes at a prize. Sleeping on a slope, for example – and sliding down the hill all night long.
• Setting up the tent in the rain makes us all a bit grumpy.
• Washing on a campground is a proper challenge. At the latest when you have to answer the question “and where do we hang up the washing?”. Improvisation is the key. And by the way: Washing dries quicker lying on the ground. At least that’s how it was this time…
• Nights are also chilly in Cornwall.
• Cornish pasties give John indigestion.
• Playing in the sand might result in being eaten by sandflies. All of us have paid for a chilled afternoon on Weymouth beach. Itchy!!!
• Bring a coat when going to a British supermarket. They are soooo cold.
• The names of the Cornish villages are always pronounced differently than you would think.
• Back to basics: Our life all of a sudden turns around basic needs. What will we eat? Where will we sleep?