Bude, Cornwall
- Glen Smith
- 19 hours ago
- 6 min read
Cornwall Blog
Susan shows me countless videos of Sadie, laughing, playing and eating, and she has my sympathy. That is Sadie I am referring to. The first time she looked at Michael and Matilda, I think she realised she is their first child and all the experiments will be done on her by two untrained parents; no wonder she is quite stubborn sometimes, she just wants them to get it right occasionally.
Monday 10th August
Destination: Bude, Cornwall
A week in Cornwall seems like the obvious choice to celebrate Robert Bruce Smith’s 30th birthday.
We all set off at 11:15 am from our house. Gary was following us; Robert and Lauren were going a different route as they wanted to try a coffee shop in Yeovil. Our plan was to meet for lunch at Knightshayes, a National Trust property that was recommended to me by someone who has been many times before. As it was not that far off the route, it seemed a good idea at the time.
The going was good until we ventured into Devon. I was not listening to Susan's directions and turned off the road too early. Realising my mistake, I saw a sign for a country cafe. To be fair, we were all a little weary of the car, and as it looked like a very quaint establishment, we parked the car under the shade of an old oak tree. Jensen was over the moon, and Gary pulled up behind us; he and Alex looked happy, finally something to eat and a cup of coffee.
After a coffee and a much-needed sausage roll, we hit the road again, but we were at the mercy of Google Maps and the Devon Road. In Devon, they decided to change all the bridle paths and cycleways into B roads. I will never complain about the roads in Dorset again.
Knightshayes Court
Further reading can be found by following the link below.
Grand old house designed by William Burges for Sir John and Lady Heathcoat-Amory in 1868. Halfway through the building of the house, he was released from his duties and another designer was employed. Sir John was not happy with the interior designs, and so he went.
The Walled Garden should have been spectacular; two months without rain have reduced it to a mere ghost of what could have been. The kitchen garden suffered from the same fate, but I am sure, once we get into the rainy season, all will come to life again.
The 262 acres were dry, and only the trees seemed to be coping with the drought. The estate is home to a number of county and country champion trees.
The Stables have been converted into a cafe and second-hand book shop, all in the trusted National Trust formula. So nothing to write home about, but you can get a savoury snack or tea and cake.
We had an interesting walk through the ground floor of the house; the library and the billiard rooms were very impressive. I was also taken by the intricately designed ceilings.
As we still had another two hours of navigating single roads, we set off in pursuit of our final destination. Google Maps took us on the shortest route, which was a stupid thing to do. The roads are so narrow, single-lane, and if you cannot reverse, do not attempt them. We finally reached our destination, which was Bude in Cornwall, stressed and disillusioned with travel in Cornwall.
2 Fenton Avenue, Bude, Cornwall
The house we were staying in was ideal. What I liked about the owners was their attention to detail. The coffee machine had beans in. Such a small thing, but we welcomed it. It was a Sage Coffee machine with a grinder, and then you filtered your coffee through. After some attempts, we pulled out the instructions, and it did become a lot clearer. We are so used to De Longhi machines, and this is so different. Lauren did make Susan many a cappuccino with coconut barista milk, which she enjoyed. For someone who never drank coffee, Susan is now into double shots and loving it.
This short holiday brought out some memorable experiences. Like playing Boules, very easy to play and loads of fun. The object is to get your ball closest to the white marker ball. The closest is the winner and the furthest away drops out. Lauren became the umpire/referee for our outdoor games. An umpire/referee is a person who is in charge of making certain that the rules are followed. Robert thought otherwise, and he and Lauren Bell-Brown had numerous discussions, some ending in despair. He calls her ‘Lauren Bell-Brown’ when they are discussing serious matters. Many a game was interrupted to discuss the rules, and neither of them really admitted to being wrong; it did take a while but was fun.
Rules of the Game Boules
Talking of nicknames, he does call her ‘Pickle’ or ‘darling’. Gary gave her the nickname ‘LBB’. Talking of Gary, he answers to ‘Gary Pants’ or just straight ‘Pants’, a nickname that has stuck over the years. Susan has a few: ‘Susy Pie’, ‘Granny Susy Pie’ and ‘GSP’, more a term of endearment. Robert did start calling her ‘Susan’ and “Freddy’, not Mother or Mum. I am not sure how she felt about that. My nickname is Pops; well, it will do.
Breaking news. If in Bude, stay away from the main Bude beach. I did not go but Susan came back and said it was horrible. Can’t argue with that.
Tuesday: Tintagel
Decided to try a different beach, a little drive down the coast, and we were there. One drawback, the car park was at the top of a mountain, and the beach was way down below. Quiet beach and good waves.
The agenda for the day: Robert, Lauren, Gary and Alex were going for a walk along the cliff tops from Boscastle to Tintagel, some 3.5 miles and from their account it was very up and down. We caught up with them in Tintagel 3 hours later, and they were eating and drinking. Very busy town with an English Heritage castle, very expensive so we gave it a miss, saved enough money to buy 5 decent bottles of wine. Lauren paid up and went for a walk around the ruins of the castle and over the new bridge. One of her goals ticked off.
After half a pint, we headed home on the cycle path roads.
I decided to stay home and do some holiday relaxation. The rest of the crowd went to Bude Beach and did not enjoy it. BBQ for dinner, which Robert cooked to perfection. I must say that the weather has been a little hotter than we expected, and tomorrow they forecast 32 deg C; that will be a challenge.
Wednesday
Robert’s birthday and we woke to another sunny day with the air already turning hot. Early swim with the surfers, and then Robert was put to work opening his many presents. Do not despair, he did get socks and boxer shorts.
We then had a lunchtime swim with everyone who lives nearby Bude. Very busy and the waves kept us honest; there was no time to reflect on the beauty of the ocean or marvel at the power of the waves. Also no time to watch those bikini tops that are a little loose-fitting to give up the struggle and let go, thereby causing much embarrassment for the owner of those said breasts, fighting for freedom.
I have often wondered what is the correct etiquette when you see a lady with one breast enjoying the sunshine; do you let her know? Tricky and I would welcome any thoughts on the subject.
The solar eclipse was fun. We sat on the hill overlooking Bude main beach with quite a few other like-minded people and watched the almost full solar eclipse. As you can see, we all had our designer glasses on to protect our eyes from the brightness of the sun. Lasted about an hour and then we made our way home for dinner.
Robert and Lauren unpacked their pizza oven and we ate pizza with a variety of toppings, and drank wine late into the evening.
Thursday.
Early morning swim and then a healthy breakfast before driving to Black Rock beach; all on main roads, our motto now is if it is not an A road we find an alternative route.
Black Rock beach is about half a mile wide and because it is off the beaten track, not that busy. Everyone frolicked in the waves and got dumped occasionally, all in the spirit of the holiday. Talking of holiday, I read recently that the word ‘holiday’ comes from the Old English of Holy Day; who would have thought that?
Birthdays
Robert, as mentioned above and then there is Sadie, also mentioned above. I am happy to say she has not only come through her first year, but she has flourished. One of the more notable presents bought for her was a reclining sofa, which she was pleased with. Happy Birthday to you both.
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