Riviera Hotel Newquay

... very dramatic in the cold November light. Tucking in to our pasties from the previous night and a take away coffe, The Tom Tom then took us falteringly (the cable connection was rather dodgy) to Port Isaac which lies on the western coast of England in northern Cornwall.and is probably more familiarly known as Port Wen in the TV show Doc Martin.<br>Although the weather turned cold and ...

Today we went on a day trip to Tintagel and Newquay.<br><br>Tintagel Castle (now the ruins of) is the legendary birthplace of King Arthur, and lies on an exposed headland on the north side of the Cornwall peninsula. There is a lot of history there; some findings suggest that it was occupied as long ago as 200-300AD! There is a small chapel (well, ruins of) which dates from around 1000AD, and the castle itself was established around 1233AD.<br>

It was a shopping and driving day today. We went for a bit of an impromptu tour around the Bodmin Moor area (didn't see the beast unfortunately) and then went to a big department store called Trago Mills where I bought a big road map for when I get a job driving around Europe.<br><br>Not much else to report for today, but we did see a cool scooter with thousands of mirrors and a tail!<br>

For our first full day away, we did some shopping in the morning, then went for a walk around Looe, a small seaside town. Looe was mainly based on the fishing trade, but also had quite a lot of shops to browse. <br><br>We saw quite a few people fishing for crabs, using a small mesh bag with some bait on a line, and it was amazing at how quickly the crabs were being picked up...20-30 seconds was enough in some ...

For my next trip I was off to Cornwall in the South West for a week with my Nan, aunties Jeanette and Marion and uncle Roland. We stayed at Lakeview Villas, about a 5 minute drive out of Liskeard.<br><br>Today we drove down from London, and aside from a bit of a holdup at Bath, it was a smooth drive down.<br>

... Walkabout (she normaly hates walkies... either the couple of pints or the lack of mental exercise has made her brain soft). Anyway we had another beer there. The best thing about the place is the view of the beach and the free wifi. We both lost our heads and ordered food which was edible but nothing to get excited about and then watched the free movie they put on the big screen.

The previous night was a shocker trying to find somewhere to park... we thought it would have been nice to stay in the village of Fowey, but by the time we got there it was well after dark and I was jack of driving.<br> It looked like all good roadside parks were double yellow lines(for those that don't know, in the UK that means no parking) We discovered later that it only applied during the high season, but we couldn't see those signs in the dark. The rest of the town ...

... castle was spectacular, built on the island site just off the coast in the 11th century. Painting and drawings through the castle showed the long history. It also housed some unusual gifts like a 2000bc mumified egyptian cat and a Samuri suit of armour. <br><br>The Island is also a pilgramage site and still has a church at the top of the castle. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited once unannounced and the family were not home ...

We spent the morning wandering around St Ives. <br><br>It is a beautiful village full of art gallaries and narrow streets. <br><br>All the walking around made us hungry. <br><br>How could I pass up the opportunity for a hearty Beef and Stilton Pasty.<br><br>Kim equally splurged on Cornish Cream Scones and coffee ...

... until 20.00, which was little less than 5 hours. I read John Peel's biography in a pub. Really I should've listened to the taxi driver getting me to the railway station in Par, saying it's, I quote: "tacky". I did have a best burger in a pub though.