Padstow and Port Issac

John and I at Watergate Beach.

Watergate Beach. 

 Mawgan Porth.

 Bedruthan Steps.

 Padstow.

My screen saver.

 Port Issac.

 Port Issac from the opposite hill.

Billy and Trish from Australia.

Wednesday, August 30^th.

Well that was an interesting evening. Mr. Semi Planner, John, had booked this accommodation without realizing we had to share a double bed. Very cozy and quite warm as well. But we had shared a tent for weeks, so this was no problem.

One thing I forgot to write about is the narrow winding roads here and the hedgerows or forests that come right to the edge of the road. That plus being on the wrong side of the road makes for some interesting semi-blind corners and turns. John rides his bicycle along roads like this. I would find it intimidating as there are no shoulders and it is tight enough for cars let alone a bicycle as well.

It rained overnight and was still cloudy and misty this morning, but we set off anyway, after a cup of coffee and a chat with our hostess Jill, and headed toward the north shore of Cornwall. Our first stop was at Watergate Beach. This is the surfing capital of England. We found a restaurant overlooking the beach and had a full breakfast while watching the surfers. It's amazing how many people were out there or taking lessons, when the weather was cool and the water is cold. However, they all were wearing wetsuits. We walked up and down the beach enjoying the sunshine when the clouds cleared. Then we drove to another smaller surfers beach called Mawgan Porth for a short visit.

When we left there, we came across a place advertised as the 100 Beruthian Steps. We stopped at the parking lot and asked what that was, and the attendant told us it was like the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Australia, so we decided to go see it. What it is actually is some rock formations just off the coast and 120 stone steps down to them. At low tide there is a beach there and you can walk around the formations, but unfortunately we were there at high tide. But it was still beautiful.

Our next stop was the fishing village of Padstow. Apparently this town has been put on the map because of a local man, Rick Stein, who has become a famous food author and owner of a chain of very successful seafood restaurants. As a result the town was very busy and the restaurant was lined up well down the road. The port was pretty and there were a lot of shops, restaurants and stores, but I couldn't see any other reason for so many people to be there.

From there we continued north east to the historic fishing village of Port Issac. An aerial shot of this town appeared as my screen saver at home and when I checked where in the world it was, it turned out to be an hour and a half from John. So I asked if we could visit it. Visitors cannot park in the village as the streets are too narrow and steep, so we parked outside and walked around the headland to the village. We spent a couple of hours there walking around, exploring and then hiking up the headland to a view from the hill. Really a pretty town. We had a couple of pints in a pub before going to a restaurant for a sea bass dinner. Then we drove back to our farm Bed and Breakfast and spent some time computing.

It is always interesting the people you meet while travelling. I was wandering around the port and two motorcyclists saw my beanie with the Australian flag on it, and said hey you are one of us. I told them how I got the hat and asked where they were from. Turns out they are from Broome in Western Australia. They are probably in their late fifties and have been travelling the world on their motorcycles for seven years! They both retired early and occasionally go home to make a bit of money. They have traveled the world thoroughly and are camping. Amazing. I would have loved to talk to them longer but they were on their way. Personally I can't imagine riding through some of the countries they have, riding in the crazy traffic, camping that long, all the rainy riding and the hassles of getting visas and then taking your bike with you on the flights to other continents. Not to mention where do you put your bike and stuff to keep it safe when you are exploring? Nice people who are living a very different life from most people.