{"id":30632,"date":"2018-11-09T16:16:35","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T16:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourtour.co.uk\/home\/?p=30632"},"modified":"2021-06-14T12:50:56","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T11:50:56","slug":"cornwalls-south-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourtour.co.uk\/home\/cornwalls-south-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Cornwall’s South Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

One of the great things about our lifestyle choice is the time-freedom that it gives us. So, when my best friend asked if we wanted to join her and her family for a week away in October half term, there was no checking of holiday allowance, or begging the boss to get the time off, we simply said we’ve love to go.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We left Zagan the motorhome in storage and took the car for a week exploring Cornwall’s south coast with Sue and Jon and their kids Joseph and Annabelle. We all shared a cottage in the little village of St Ewe, a short drive from several beaches and the seaside town of Mevagissy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The location of St Ewe in Cornwall.\u00a0\u00a9 OpenStreetMap contributors<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"Mevagissy\r\n
Mevagissy<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We saw a smattering of motorhomes as we drove around, but visiting in late October meant most of the campsites were closed. Nearly every car park we went to had a ‘no overnighting’ sign of some description, which I can understand in the summer, but surely not in the winter too? So while we do fancy exploring the area another time in our motorhome, it doesn’t seem very motorhome friendly. We now know that we’d need to stick to the main roads (some of the ones we drove down were very, very narrow with high stone walls either side) and do some advanced research and planning for overnight stops.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Narrow\r\n
Narrow roads in Mevagissy made us glad to be in a car<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Our week in the cottage flew by in a blur of fun, digging in the sand on many beaches and crabbing in the harbours at high tide. Sadly for the kids there was very little in the way of Halloween action in the village, except for the local pub which went all out on decorations. Pumpkin carving and spooky cake making hopefully helped fill the ‘trick or treating’ gap.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Crabbing\r\n
The gang crabbing in Mevagissy<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"Porthpean\r\n
Men at work on Porthpean beach<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As the rest of the gang headed to the Eden Project for the day, Jay and I set off to explore Land’s End on our own. I thought it would be nearby, but it was still a good hour and a half away. As I’d never been there before, we made the pilgrimage passing the first and last pub in England, and popping into the first and last gift shop. I had expected a full on tourist trap like these things generally are, but it actually turned out to be better than I thought it would be – this could be because it was now November, so nearly everything was shut.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Land's\r\n
Selfie with the famous sign (because it was \u00a310 to have one taken next to it!!)<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Having learned in Nordkapp at the top of Norway<\/a> how expensive it can be to park at ‘the end’ of a country, we parked in a lay-by a couple of miles away and walked to Land’s End. A cafe and gift shop were about the only things open which suited us just fine. We sat on the edge of England looking for dolphins and may have seen a couple (either that or they were very big, very fast jumping fish). Saying goodbye to the view across to the Isles of Scilly we enjoyed a walk along the north Cornwall coastal path back to the car.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

From there we headed a few miles along the south coast to Porthcurno and the Minack (‘rocky place’ in Cornish) Theatre which we knew very little about. It’s perched on the cliffs with the seats looking out over the stage to the sea and reminded me of the Greko\/Roman Theatre we visited in Taormina, Sicily<\/a>. As we walked around the small visitors centre, it soon became clear that the theatre was much more like the Ideal Palace in Hauterives, France<\/a>, as it too had been envisaged and built by one inspiring person.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"The\r\n
The Minack Theatre, Cornwall<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Rowena Cade planned, built and financed this amazing place in her back garden. For the first performance in 1932 the stage was a flat bit of grass and lighting was provided by car batteries and headlights. Today it holds productions throughout the summer months as well as theatre skills workshops. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"The\r\n
School children leaving the theatre after a drama lesson<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n