“Not To Miss” Cornwall Villages

The landscape changed dramatically on the four hour drive from London to Cornwall. When we had to stop the car to wait patiently for a chicken crossing the narrow road ahead, I knew we had arrived. I couldn’t wait for a relaxing, peaceful vacation in the Cornish countryside, and to explore the towns I heard so much about… Weather wasn’t exactly in our favor – the majority of our six day visit would prove to be a miserable combination of cold temperatures, windy conditions, and lots of rain. But it did not stop us from experiencing the beauty of the area and getting acquainted with some serene, charming Cornish villages, and it was a wonderful last trip in the UK for Jim and I before we moved back home to the United States. Here’s the villages I especially enjoyed –

Looe

Still a working fishing port, the town of Looe is a pure picture of serenity. The town offers a pleasant day out filled with scenic walks, browsing through the small independent shops in town, and resting at a pub or a coffee shop (We loved Larsson’s Coffee House).

Polperro

I loved that we had to park our car at a designated lot a half mile or so outside of the town and then weave our way in on foot. This town was one of my favorites! It was almost surreal. It felt like we had traveled back in time to see old England.

We spent an hour watching a fishing boat enter the port, and we weren’t the only ones observing. Everyone around us stopped to watch the fishing boat, too. It was great to watch how the town functioned and went about daily life. I especially loved the Four Wheeler ATVs that operated as “taxis” which transported people and luggage through the town to get to their homes.

Padstow

We spent a morning in Padstow sitting at a bench overlooking the harbor, people-watching and feasting on a Cornish pasty.

From there we took a much needed walk through Padstow’s town centre and through a gorgeous park next to a memorial dedicated to men from Padstow who lost their lives in World War I.  From the top of the hill you have spectacular views everywhere you look.

St. Ives

From Padstow, we drove to St. Ives where we spent the remainder of the afternoon.  The Sloop Inn (a rather old building believed to be around since 1312 or so!) was the perfect place to sit outside and have a pint while we watched the rest of the people enjoying the rare glimpse of December sun.

Walking through the narrow old streets of the town centre was an ideal way to observe the people around us and take in the shopping scene.

We stayed in St. Ives until the sun went down. As we walked back up the hill, the sun was setting and we captured some of the best pictures of the entire trip.

The Cornwall area was always on our list of places to check out, but the two years we lived abroad went by so quick that we almost missed our opportunity to visit.  That would have been a huge mistake! It ranks high up there on my list of “not to miss” spots  in the UK…