2007 Summer Holiday, June/July
Friday June 15th 2007
Left home about 1435 hours. Stopped once at Warwick Services for relief. Michael Drove all the way. 166 miles. Arrived Richard and Julies at 1750 hours, Julie at hairdressers getting her hair cut short.
Had to watch the talent show on TV, every night, Julie was hooked.
Saturday 16th June
Richard and Julie took us to Towcester for shopping and lunch at a delightful restaurant near the supermarket.
Sunday 17th June
Richard’s family arrived to celebrate Father’s Day with him. Weather was kind, sunny periods. Barbecue lunch.
Monday June 18th
Left Richard at 1150 hours. In rain then torrential rain on the M40. Cleared up on the A34 towards Oxford.
Stopped at Leigh Delamere Services for relief and sandwich purchase. 78 miles. Ate sandwiches and Suzie drove to first lay-by off M5. Arrived Dorothy’s at 1735 hours. Approximately 200 miles.
After a cup of tea went for short walk down to Duncannon Quay. Nice evening with occasional sun.
Tuesday 19th June (No photographs)
Late start
Wednesday 20th June (No photographs)
Thursday 21st June
We walked down to the quay and saw the wind whipping up spray at the edge of the dam.
Friday 22nd June
In the evening I couldn’t persuade Sue and Dorothy to go for a walk so I went off myself down Duncannon Lane to the river and along the ‘permissive path’ to the quay. This time it was dry along the ‘permissive path’.
Dorothy said she was too tired to walk which was quite a shock as she’s usually keen and bursting with ‘get up and go’.
Saturday 23rd June
After tea we all went for a walk anticlockwise round the village, past Bryden Mill – very picturesque garden. Sue and Dorothy got talking to a couple who had just arrived from Sheffield and pitched their tent successfully. The lady pointed out, she had binoculars, that the birds across the Mill Pond were in fact herons and not little egrets as we had thought. We had seen egrets earlier in the week. I’d left them to walk along the Mill Pond shore to the quay.
Sunday 24th June
Sue’s Birthday.
After lunch we all walked down to the quay and watched to people enjoying themselves. The children were fishing for crabs, there were a couple of men fishing from the dam. In the river Stoke Gabriel Boating Association were holding their Junior Sailing day. There were two or three Toppers and an Optimist sailing around. There were children in a canoe and a family playing around in a Swift 18.
Monday 25th June
Left Dorothy’s after lunch, about 1450 hours.
Called at ASDA before going on to Daphne and Frank’s to stock up with breakfast cereal and Evian water.
Arrived at Daphne and Frank’s at about 1710 hours. Approximately 90 miles.
Tuesday 26th June
We went to Trebah Gardens for lunch and to save money (we have to pay to go round the garden at Trebah but it’s free for us at the National Trust garden at Glendurgan) Afterwards we went to Glendurgan Gardens and wandered down to the shore. There were spots of rain now and then but it was mainly dry.
After toasted tea cakes and tea Frank drove us round to Helford Passage where we parked the car and walked along the shore road to the end and then along the beach towards Porth Navas but we couldn’t get there because of the rocks on the corner. We were asked by a group of young people “is that Daphne Du Maurier’s House?”. Somewhat amused we pointed out hat Daphne’s house was at Foy, which we explained as Fowey. The buildings, which we were told by a local man walking his dog, belonged to the house above and were some kind of school for teaching youngsters to sail. There were about twenty Optimists on the beach.
Daphne used to work at another big house there when she looked after children. Now belongs to pop star Roger Taylor? Judith’s school friend Lloyd is the caretaker come manager of the place.
Wednesday 27th June
Lizard Point was today’s destination. We arrived at lunchtime and parked on the Green. We wandered down to the point and ended up having lunch in the ‘Furthest South Café in Britain. I had a crab salad, which was delicious, in honour of Sue’s parents who came down here regularly for the Helston Furry Dance.
After lunch we set off along the coast path towards the lighthouse but it started to rain so we made back for the car. On the way home Frank took us to Gweek where we stopped for a few minutes to look at the boats.
Thursday 28th June
Michael’s treat.
We drove into Falmouth, parked on the Quarry Car Park and got on the 12 –o-clock boat for Malpas for lunch at the Heron Hotel. It was a lovely sail, not much sun but it was dry, followed by an agreeable lunch. We returned on the 1430 boat from Malpas, still dry.
Friday 29th June
Rained all day! Yes it did.
After tea I walked round the block. South along the road to the roundabout then down the Penryn bypass to the bottom of Hill, up the hill and back along Treliever Road – just over twenty minutes.
Saturday 30th June
The weather was still dampening our enthusiasm for going out and we couldn’t make our minds up where to go. Frank decide that he would take us to St. Keverne and from there we would walk to Roskilly’s Farm for ice cream. Suitably feasted we walked round the farm and then Frank took us to Coverac where we admired the scenery, boats, and soaked up the atmosphere – it was till dry.
Sunday 1st July
Eventually, after lunch, and the rain had stopped, we went down into Falmouth and to the English Heritage Pendennis Castle. We wandered round a little and had toasted tea cakes just before closing time. You can see from the photographs how misty it was. On the way home we stopped at Pendennis Point were Sue and I wandered round the point visiting Little Dennis.
Monday 2nd July
Daphne’s birthday, 71st!
We had a lazy start, I was first washed and dressed for a change.
Frank took us to Trevaskis Farm for Daphne’s birthday lunch. For the first time I couldn’t stomach the food! It was a bit greasy and stodgy and there was too much of it.
So far it had been dry so we went off to Tregwainton NT Gardens. As we reached the top of the garden it started to pour quite heavily. Daphne had only a tweed jacket making Sue concerned for her to the extent that she bought an umbrella for her from the shop.
We made it to the restaurant without getting too wet and had toasted tea cakes and tea. We sat next to a young German couple who spoke beautiful English. They had a little girl and come to Cornwall regularly and previously, like us, had always had good weather. Again similar to the UK they had had a summer like April.
Tuesday 3rd July
Left Daphne and Frank’s at 1015 hours in light rain.
Stopped at Taunton Dean Services for sandwiches, petrol and relief and to change drivers. First time since we got contaminated diesel over ten years ago. Now broken that taboo. Weather had improved but further up the M5, Sue now driving, we encountered spells of very heavy rain.
Stopped again at Frankley Services for relief and driver change.
Slowed down to get onto M6 but first real delays encountered as we crossed Cheshire border. A few crawls from there onwards but we arrived home safely at 1715 hours. Well we would have done but we called at the doctor’s and then chemist’s for Sue’s aspirin. Approximately 350 miles.