Here's One I Made Earlier.

I've no idea why I didn't post about my little 'getaway' trip at the time, but I'm thinking it might be good to remind ourselves that we had actual SUNSHINE not so long ago.  Well . . in October . . .

I live in a perfectly nice bungalow in a moorland village in rural Cornwall but every so often I have the urge to get away from it all, an urge that won't go away.  I have always loved camping (and caravanning) but last time out with my tent I found myself struggling against a stiff breeze on my campsite on a Cornish cliff top; indeed I was ready to bundle the darn thing back into the car and come home until someone took pity on me, came across from his caravan and helped me to put the tent up.  But that experience was enough to make me realise I could no longer manage hauling all the camping equipment out and then packing the car, driving to a campsite, setting up the tent, filling it with a carload of 'stuff' before being able to sit down and relax with a cup of tea.  Oh - and the dog needed walking and feeding!

Decision made, the tent was put up for sale and I parted with some of my camping gear.  (The tent still hasn't sold so I'll try again in the Spring.) In the interim, I perused t'internet to find a bargain holiday which doesn't require all that effort.

Result - in October, Benji and I had a lovely, relaxing holiday in a static caravan near Hayle and the weather was fabulous.  We were close to a golden beach where dogs were allowed (the seasonal dog ban having ended 3 days before we arrived; that's why I booked those dates! ;)) The caravan had an enclosed balcony facing the sea, so it was great to have the sliding doors open without Benji being able to escape.  He shifted from his bed to the balcony depending on how hot he felt!

The view from the balcony.

Pub terrace overlooking the bay (Bluff Bay).

Hot, golden sand, blue sky and Godrevy Lighthouse in the distance.

This footpath led from the caravan site, down past the pub and straight on to the sands. I couldn't have wished for better.

St.Ives, across the estuary

My camera had a hissy fit, so I visited Penzance to find a camera shop - Penzance centre is extremely busy and parking spots are hard to find: I spotted one but was unable to stop and reverse into it because of following traffic, so I carried on . . and on . . and on . .  There's a huge gyratory system which takes traffic out of the the centre, out of the town and I found myself heading for St Ives! I must have missed a sign and taken a wrong turn somewhere. St Ives is very photogenic, but of course, my camera was on strike, so you'll have to take my word for it. I did eventually manage to reach the camera shop, problem solved and drove back to Hayle.  

We headed for the Cinnamon Trust headquarters and were warmly welcomed by the staff there, who were very pleased to see Benji and remarked how good he looked.  He ought to after losing half his body weight since coming to me. I was quite surprised at his shyness when he was fussed over - he's far from shy normally, but he clung close to me and was keen to leave.  I wonder if he thought it was the vets?  

And that turned out to be our final day as overnight, the weather changed completely.  We woke to torrential rain, a partly flooded site and as my car was parked alongside the caravan on the grass, I was concerned about getting stuck, so decided to pack up, put the rubbish out, clean the caravan and head home a day early. Horrendous journey and I was very glad to reach home.  But we had both thoroughly enjoyed the break and change of scenery - and how nice not to lug all the camping equipment around. Here's to our next trip!  

But first -  just a few miles from home we visited . . . well, here's a clue -