We awoke to the sounds of sea gulls around 4:45. It was definitely after the early sunrise and the gulls were pretending to be roosters! This was followed an hour later by a chorus of pigeons, all cooing in unison. Then the fisherman started to arrive at the dock area, and the boat motors started. It was a funny couple of hours waking up! We drifted through some of this sunrise serenade and made it down to breakfast at around 9:00.
Breakfast (what was included with the room) was a more modest continental buffet, which was actually a nice change. Although we could have ordered a more substantial meal, we opted to take it easy........fruit, juice, yogurt, berries, croissants and coffee.
We really enjoyed our brief stay in Padstow. It was nice to see a really working town with an active fishing industry. For today's explorations, however, we were back on the road to visit some scenic coastal locations. The plan was to go down the coast line and stop at 2-3 sites that were called out on one of our maps. As we ultimately found out the sites were absolutely wonderful, but the Google maps estimates of driving time were quite a bit off. As was the scenario the day before, getting anywhere in this part of Cornwall is a challenge due to the crazy road systems here.......great for a horse or a motorcycle but somewhat stressful for cars.
Our first destination was a National Trust park called Carnewas at Bedruthan about 15 miles from Padstow. Initially the roads were almost reasonable, but then they started to narrow down. This driving remains a crazy adventure and quite a stimulant......probably not great for our blood pressure!
We are (Andrea) continuing to take more pictures out the front windshield. It is actually the best way to handle the photos as it is almost impossible to stop and park the car.
HEADED FOR ST. MAWES
We actually did not make it to all of our destinations. The first one was so beautiful that we thought it might be hard to match. It had also taken much longer than expected, so we decided to head inland and across to the east coast of Cornwall to our next destination, St. Mawes. We thought if we got some 'cross-county' roads that we could be there for a late lunch. In the end we did make it for lunch at Hotel Tresanton........but only after another Le Mans scenario!
ST. MAWES AND HOTEL TRESANTON
St Mawes (Cornish: Lannvowsedh) is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth harbor, on the south coast of Cornwall, England. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the Carrick Roads, a large waterway created after the Ice Age from an ancient valley which flooded as the melt waters caused the sea level to rise. The immense natural harbor thus created is claimed to be the third largest in the world. St Mawes was once a busy fishing port, but the trade declined during the 20th century and the village now serves as a popular tourist location.
This hotel has turned out to be magical. It is tucked into the hillside facing the beach and harbor, with wonderful outdoor terraces for drinks and dining. One of these arrangements is called the Beach Club and is located on the hillside right up from the water........but still at a high elevation. We checked in and our room was not quite ready so we went to the Beach Club for lunch. It was a nice surprise.......Andrea had a Caesar Salad and I had a POSH Burger (POSH stands for posh, but also for Port Out/Starboard Home.....to which there is a long story!)
DINNER AT THE HOTEL
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