Sand, Sea and Sunshine at Newquay, Cornwall

After we eventually found somewhere to park our car in Newquay we wandered slowly along the cliffs, all was well with the world.

The weather was perfect and there were flowers along the cliff tops. Lewinnick Lodge could be seen on the Pentire Headland.

Looking back the Headland hotel can just be seen,  to the right of the photo.

 If you like sand and lots of elbow room the Gannel Estuary must be paradise - but beware of the tides, this can also be a dangerous place to swim or wade.

We noticed this memorial bouquet amongst the shrubs. A reminder, perhaps, to appreciate our loved ones.

It's quite pleasant to sit overlooking the sand dunes.

We then retraced our steps.

There was a reminder not to fall off the cliffs. We were happy to comply with the request.

Getting nearer to the Headland Hotel, built in 1897, and the popular Fistral beach.

A closer look at the majestic Headland Hotel. It was was opened in June 1900 and has hosted royalty. King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were the first to stay at the hotel in the early 1900s. The current Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) and Princess Ann have also enjoyed several visits - at least I presume they enjoyed themselves! Hard to tell what they are thinking at times.

Gradually the colours of the evening could be seen.

During the day, in the summer months, cars are parked along the road ... 

... this is because there are paths leading to Fistral Beach and also many hotels  - with the Headland Hotel in the far distance.

That's all for today, all good wishes ~ Mike.

P.S. It's interesting how many people worldwide are interested in Cornwall. Here are the top 10 countries visiting my blog over the previous month.

(1) UK - I guess this is expected.

(2) USA

(3) Germany

(4) France

(5) Australia

(6) Canada

(7) Ireland

(8) Italy

(9) Russia - most unexpected!

(10) Netherlands

Mawgan Porth Beach

This is Mawgan Porth beach. A while back the Times Newspaper included the beach in it's Top 10 Holiday Beaches. They wrote: There are better known and busier beaches in Cornwall, but few can match the raw beauty of Mawgan Porth, on the north coast near Newquay.  Shielded on both sides by cliffs, it has acres of soft white sand, rock pools, caves and magical sunsets.

The first five of today's photos were snapped as the tide was going out on a lovely sunny, early morning - so not very many people on the beach - perfect!

The tide goes out a long way, as can be seen by the photo above, but it leaves behind soft squelchy sand with a few clear water pools - oh, and beautiful clean air - breathe deeply - ahhhh!

When the tide is out it's possible to explore caves in the cliffs, which are normally hidden by the sea.

The following three photos were again snapped in the morning, but the sky wasn't so blue and the sea perhaps not so inviting. This is the Atlantic coast so the waves are suitable for surfing.

A small river joins the beach ...

... while the waves start to build.

Mawgan Porth is situated between Newquay and Padstow on Cornwall's north coast.

Thanks for visiting my blog, sorry it's only a quick post today. All good wishes ~ Mike.

Newquay, Cornwall and a Bus Ride

"Do you fancy a bus ride to Newquay?", my wife asked.

"A bus! Why a bus for goodness sake?"

"It would make a change and would save on petrol. You moaned the other day that the price was going up and up."

I caved in and said "Okay,  adding that the bus would no doubt be late." 

But the bus wasn't late, it was exactly on time, plus it was spotlessly clean and the driver was smiling. So I couldn't really grumble.

Once off the bus in Newquay, we gravitated towards the harbour which dates back to 1875 - see my previous post : Newquay Harbour, Cornwall In 1875

I like to wander around harbours and quays, there's usually something of interest - especially boats of course.

So a few photos of boats and the harbour follow.

We then left the harbour ...

... and was soon on Towan Beach. I snapped yet another photo of Towan Island. Goodness knows how many pics I must have of the Island - but this was the first when arriving by bus!

The photo below shows the entrance to the harbour

We also wandered around the back of Towan Island - a lot of steps and a bridge.

When returning home by bus we must have got on the wrong one as it seemed to visit every out of the way village possible. No wonder we were mostly the only two people on the bus - and the seats were so uncomfortable but - well yes, it did make a change.

Moving on a few photos now from my garden. Not a lot of colour as yet.

The yellow azalea below always puts on a display year after year

I like these colourful geranium leaves

Finally looking upwards at the back of the garden - a twisted willow and some sort of  Japanese tree which has never flowered.

 Woops, nearly forgot this one. The flower always reminds my wife of her childhood in Germany where they were known as a Farmer's Rose.

Hope you have an interesting week ahead. Good wishes ~ Mike.

A couple more Newquay Posts:

Fistral Beach - One of Newquay's Finest For Surfing

The Hue and Cry Made From A Huers Hut At Newquay, Cornwall

Newquay Harbour and Towan Island Cornwall

It was a bright, sunny day and we were in Newquay - by the harbour to be exact.

The story of the harbour goes back a long way. In 1439 a quay was built in the manor, then called, Towan Blystra. The quay though became referred to as the 'new quay' - and this is how the town of Newquay got it's name.

In the late 1700's it became an important harbour for the pilchard (sardines) industry.

In the late 1800's the harbour was developed as an alternative to Fowey and Charlestown. For a  period Newquay was used to export china clay.  

Nowadays the fishing boats mostly catch lobsters and crabs for the European market.

As can be seen below there are various fishing trips, Sea Safaris and cruises to be had from the harbour.

A couple of workers catching up with the local news.

To reach the town, from the harbour, can be a bit of a climb up lots of steps. The views are good though - so worth the effort.

From here the Headland Hotel can be seen on the hilltop, high above Fistral Beach - see my post Photos of Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall.

Looking out to the hazy sea, in the distance we spotted a Survey ship.

Two photos follow of Newquay art work on display at the side of the steps. The second pic shows the fishing nets and sardines.

The next photo is of Towan Beach and the house on Towan Island, just along from the harbour.

Before anything else though, we popped into Nile's Bakery - for pasties ... 

... and later found a perfect seat overlooking the sea. Somewhere to enjoy our pasties and the view. 

Our seat also gave us a good view of Towan Island - which is available for holiday breaks if you have deep pockets.  I see their prices start at £1,830 for a long weekend or mid week break - see their website.

And moving on to something completely different, when even the weather had changed.

This time we were walking in a dull, damp Gover Valley. All was quiet as the trees reached out, not a squirrel or any other creature could be seen or heard.

We remembered an old man we met while walking the valley. He told us how his dog never wanted to walk the section of the valley, as shown below. It seems someone had once died here. The atmosphere was certainly damp and chilly - not a place to hang about, so we walked on quickly. Not that I was the least bit scared of course!

A farm house gate was in view but what on earth was the white figure lingering nearby. Looks like Halloween is approaching.

The next day all was bright and cheerful, so a couple of more colourful photos, snapped when out and about, to complete the post.

Thanks for visiting my blog, have a happy week ahead. All good wishes ~ Mike.