We finished Part 1 of the Cornwall loop in Teignmouth, spending the night at the Cliffden Hotel which is quaint, quirky and inviting, all at the same time. Sunday morning arrives as a fine morning so a quick breakfast then a short trip down to the waterfront for a walk along the beachfront before hitting the road to Land’s End and onto Padstow.

The waterfront at Teignmouth is pretty with the sun rising and changing the colour of the water during our walk. It’s a tranquil location and, on a peaceful Sunday morning, sets the scenery bar quite high for the day.

From Teignmouth we head across the bridge to Shaldon then hug the coastline through to Paignton. The coastline changes along the way and starts to show more cliffs thanks to the strong winds coming off the ocean. From Paignton we take a more direct route to Plymouth and on to St Austell before heading on to Falmouth.

From Falmouth we head straight across to Marazion where you have views of St Michael’s Mount which is a tidal island in Mount’s Bay. We have previously visited its counterpart Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. They are both unbelievable monasteries and built on islands that are cutoff from the mainland from mid to high tides.

While in the area we stop into Penzance, though no pirates were seen, there was an encounter with the largest Cornish Pasty I have ever laid eyes on. I took on the consumption challenge and made it disappear, just. It is a big meal which sat with me for the rest of the day. From there our travels took us to the end of the Cornwall peninsula to Land’s End and Cape Cornwall. The coastline has changed again, this time to absolutely rugged rocky outcrops and wind-swept grasslands dotted with the ruins of mines, long closed and forgotten.

From here its tight winding country roads all the way up to Padstow where we spend the night in the Old Custom House pub and accommodation which sit opposite the main harbour. We arrive late afternoon with a bit of time to wander the streets before dark and become very aware of the investment that Rick Stein, the renowned English chef, has made in this town.

That’s it for this part of the trip. The next part takes us from Padstow back up through Launceston to The Farmshop near Gloucester, then into the Cotswolds to a town named Bilbury before returning to London.

See you next time.