There are some friends who are worth travelling six hours for, in a car with two restless children. My friend Annie is one of such friends. I met her when I was in China, both in our early 20s, with a love of music, food and a good natter. So with no cajoling needed, when she asked if I was free and fancied visiting her and her daughters in Newquay, Cornwall for a few days, I packed and was off to meet her. I love Newquay and I love her company even more! We’re very rarely in the same country so we make the most of the time when our paths overlap. Nothing beats a Cornwall Summer too!
For Princess and me, it was our second time making the journey to Cornwall, though last time, four years ago, it was via train. This time, we drove as the idea of travelling into London, then having to shepherd a one year old, ten year old and luggage through the underground was too much. That and having to entertain them on a six hour train journey! Driving to Cornwall meant being able to take rest / food stops whenever we needed to. It also meant we could listen to music loudly, explore places we found interesting along the way and generally be in control.
Boardmasters 2018
As it happened, we didn’t need to stop much and completed the journey within about 6 hours. That gave us enough time to change clothes and drive over to Boardmasters Festival and catch the last day! My friend had already introduced her two children to the joy of music festivals. For mine, it was their first! In true festival fashion, it rained throughout the day and we were left soggy but happy. The food was epically over priced with tiny portions but the kids didn’t care! I think they were in awe by the amount of people, half naked teens and the enormity of the sound stages.
Watching Rag and Bone man perform was the highlight for me. Fat Freddy’s Drop performed before him. I’d not heard of them before but absolutely loved watching them! The headliner for Friday was George Ezra. Admittedly, I didn’t know anything about him. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but although he was the night’s headline act, the name meant nothing to me. Another highlight of the festival, though it didn’t seem it at the time, was trying to wade through miles of ankle deep mud to get back to the car after said festival. I kid you not, it took us an hour. I was in brand new limited edition Nikes (foolishly) and they’re still caked in mud and in need of TLC.
A day of rest
We had a much needed rest day after our music festival adventure. Music festivals with kids are great, but we all needed a chance to recharge afterwards. We went out locally and visited a park. The kids fed the ducks, went on a pedal boat and the cutest model train. We mooched around the house and generally just enjoyed ‘being’.
Durgan and the Red Arrows
We drove about an hour away to Falmouth to watch the Red Arrows and celebrate a friend of a friend’s birthday a couple of days after Boardmasters. It was on a small campsite, advertising great views over Falmouth Bay and the Red Arrows display. They had both, along with live music and a BBQ. It was a really chilled way to spend the day and before we set up shop at the event, we had a chance to explore Durgan and its beautiful pebble beach. It’s got a National Trust presence and is really well looked after. There was a lovely little visitor’s centre offering free bucket and spades for the children to borrow. This was such a lovely touch, particularly as we came to Durgan unprepared.
Our last day in Newquay
A day later, back in Newquay, we had another beach day. This time at a beach walking distance from my friend’s house. It was beautiful and sandy, with lovely places to eat within a short walk. The older girls didn’t want to leave. I had to promise Princess that we’d aim to go on a beach holiday next year as she absolutely adored the sea. She’s had a body board for about 4 years now, even though we live in a land locked area. I forgot to pack it on our Newquay trip so she was gutted. Hopefully next year, we’ll go somewhere she’ll be able to enjoy being a water baby for the duration of our trip!
The next day, we left and faced an enormous 7 hour journey home. We only took one rest stop and traffic wasn’t terrible so who know why it took so long. Again, it was totally worth it as I got to spend some face to face time with a very good, old friend. We both got to meet each other’s baby’s and the older girls got to reconnect. I do love a Cornwall Summer, and as I said already, I absolutely adore spending time with good friends.
Who knows if it will be another four years before we visit Newquay again. Next year, I’d love to take both girls away to somewhere hot and sandy in Europe. If they’re lucky, we might even travel further abroad. Have you had any beach time this summer? Where did you go? Where’s next on your list?
