It’s been a while since I last blogged. I spent a lot of the summer tending the vegetables in our garden and making a start on decorating our house. Am feeling fairly happy with the progress so far but now wondering where the time went!
Well Autumn is now officially here and the weather has taken a cold turn – yes we finally cracked this morning and put the heating on! I started to reminisce about the warm summer days and our holiday road trip around the South of England. So I thought I’d do a review of our trip and the places we stayed and visited.
We started our trip visiting friends near Redruth, Cornwall. Such a relaxing way to start the holiday catching up on news and enjoying excellent food and the odd local gin/ale too. They are currently busy building a ‘Cabin-in-the-Woods’ on their land for holiday rental. So hopefully once completed we’ll be able to test it out and I can do another review.
From there we headed up to the north Cornish coast to St Agnes. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Canteen – a simple concept, they offer just 1 meat and 1 veggie dish each lunchtime for £5. The lunch menu changes daily using fresh locally sourced food. Oh and I can confirm the cinnamon buns (from Da Bara bakery) are to die for! Canteen is rightly very popular so just make sure you get there early to avoid disappointment.
We spent the night in Padstow at Rick Steins Seafood Restaurant. As it was peak holiday season Padstow harbour was very busy, so after ambling around the shops we sought solace in Ruby’s Bar. We found a cosy spot to relax with G&T’s before dinner. We dined in the Seafood Restaurant which was very busy, as expected, but the service and food was excellent. We stayed overnight (rooms are above the restaurant) and treated ourselves to an Estuary room as it was our anniversary. The room was styled beautifully, the bed was super comfy and the bathroom was big. The front desk staff were so friendly and helpful and they even provided a welcome gift of fresh strawberries & cream – a thoughtful touch. Special mention too for the fluffy pancakes and berry compote I enjoyed for breakfast in the morning!
The next stop on our road trip was Devon. After stocking up on supplies in Tiverton we headed to nearby Rackenford village to stay in an eco cabin at the Bulworthy Project. We met the friendly owners Anna & Pete for the cabin keys and info. Pete gave us a wonderful guided tour of the woods which I highly recommend. He told us all about how they have transformed the woodland and created a special place for their charcoal making business. Pete’s knowledge of fungi is also incredible – there are some really interesting species to be found on their land. The cabin was well equipped with comfy bed, ensuite bathroom, kitchen area and wood burning stove. The stove creates the hot water to serve the shower and kitchen sink. Lighting is powered by solar. There are no traditional sockets (so don’t bother to bring a hairdryer!) but there is WiFi and a USB charging point for phones. So think Off-Grid but with benefits! Anna & Pete had kindly provided a bag of charcoal so we made full use of the BBQ – we agreed it was the best charcoal we’ve ever used. They also gave us a bottle of homemade Woodland wine which went down a little too well – a very potent tipple and so delicious! We really enjoyed our stay at Bulworthy and would love to return.
After Devon we headed into Wiltshire to the Beckford Arms. This is a country pub with rooms set in the beautiful Fonthill Estate. We began our stay with a cream tea on the terrace outside. The scones came with some really incredible berry compote although we did attract the attention of a few wasps! Our room was very comfortable and the bathroom was well stocked with gorgeous Bramley products. The dinner menu was excellent – a great mix of well-executed pub classics like Fish & Chips and Steak and also more inventive dishes. The breakfasts were also excellent – the Full English was especially good with high quality ingredients like Marmalade sausages. The Beckford Arms is perfectly positioned for day trips. Whilst there we visited Stourhead House NT, Old Wardour Castle ruins, Messums Art gallery and also enjoyed a walk around the Fonthill Estate. We also took a trip to the Prince Leopold Inn in Upton Lovell a village near Warminster. The beer garden backs onto the idyllic River Wylye which is gently flowing and such a peaceful spot to while away a few hours. We enjoyed lunch and some excellent local beer.
Sadly this was the final place on our road trip – we really didn’t want to head home! This holiday was so relaxing and varied and allowed us to make the most of the UK countryside and connect with nature. Hopefully this will inspire you if you’re planning a visit to the south-west of England. Maybe you have recommendations too, I’d love to hear your travel tips!
Sitting in the Kitchen Sink 