My goodness how easy it is to get out of the habit of my daily routine. I needed a holiday to realize that I needed a ‘proper’ holiday. I gave myself permission to do nothing and take the day over it.

I have just read a fascinating article entitled Good vibrations: how listening to the sounds of soil helps us monitor and restore forest health. I got some small idea of how healing nature can be by standing in the sea, listening to the waves and the birds, allowing the wind to blow through me. The wind blows right off the Atlantic and made Newquay feel cold even though the sun was shining.

We stayed in a BandB called St. Breca which I booked through Booking.com. I prefer them because you can change your mind up to 5 days before the event. We paid £288 total for four nights which included a decent continental breakfast. The average price of a chain hotel varies by the day of the week but don’t expect much change out of £100 room only.  Fridays and Saturday night are at a premium.

Cornwall has a good bus service. It is fun to sit upstairs and view the scenery. They would have to be subsidized as the £2 rule for a single fare is nation-wide in UK.  A visitor without a car does not have to suffer inconvenience as all major popular points are connected.  An area timetable, available from local bus stations and information bureaux, is a good investment. Do check the times of the last return buses which can be as early as 5.30 pm. It is best to start in good time if you are going to have a day out. Warning – taxis are expensive ….if you can even get one.

As for food, you will need a deep pocket. OK you can get some takeaway Fish and Chips for say £15 but anything else expect upwards of £20 for a main course. We saw an offer in one of Rick Stein’s outlets. 6 oysters plus two glasses of champagne for £50. To be fair there is a general difficulty in getting fish and indeed fishermen.   Who wants to work these days?  Yes there is unemployment in Cornwall but also work shyness. I attribute this problem in part to the work from home mentality acquired during Covid.

If you want cheap eats then tripadvisor.co.uk contains a good guide. Look under ‘restaurants’ in a particular town and you will see they are classified by price range. I found one in Newquay, Andy’s Cafe,  using this method. A good English breakfast for £4.95 plus drink. Cheerful service.