Cornwall

I took a trip with some girlfriends earlier in the week to Cornwall. This region is comprised of lots of cute little beach towns; it was difficult to narrow down where we wanted to go because everything looked picturesque! There is an extensive walking path that allows hikers and backpackers to walk from one town to the next. In its entirety the South West Coast Walk works out to be about 600 - ish miles. Clearly I did not have the time or stamina to embark on an adventure quite that grand at this stage in the game. (I would like to attempt at least a substantial part of that walk the next time I come back to England. It's on my Bucket List.) Nevertheless, Andrea, Maria and I settled on 2 towns to explore: St. Ives and Penzance.

Bristol to St. Ives is about 4 hours by train. We left our home base early in the morning and arrived in St. Ives just after lunch time. The town has a very quaint feeling about it. It has lots of cute little shops that are peppered on narrow cobblestone streets. Pubs, restaurants, ice cream stands and B&Bs line the water's edge.

St. Ives is a popular surfing, swimming and sunbathing destination too. (Surfari anyone???)Unfortunately I packed for this little get-away the morning of. I was not exactly awake as I was throwing things into my backpack and the one thing that I forgot was - guess! - yup, my bathing suit. Laaaaame. This unfortunate mishap did not prevent me from lounging on the sand, although I will admit that I definitely was the most conservatively dressed beach patron with my rolled-up jeans and t-shirt. (Considering that it was a 'family beach' I did not think it'd be appropriate for me to strip to a make-shift swimsuit: undies and bra.)

After soaking up the sun (and taking about a dozen or so "jumping" pictures) the girls and I went on a nice coastal walk. The path was very well marked and just like Cinque Terre, every bend and turn was another picture opportunity. After walking a couple of miles we rested on the grassy rise and watched the sun set. It was so peaceful.

Dinner was at a local eatery and then we bummed around the city until we were too cold from the sea breeze. We woke up the next morning in our hostel to the sound of squawking sea gulls. Breakfast was at a bakery just down the road that sold the most amazing scones I have had while I've been in England. (Heck, in my entire life!!) They mail order and if I find that I need a quality scone fix in California I may just have to order away for some because they were out - of - this - world.

Then we hopped onto a local bus and headed to Penzance.