Back to Home Base

I am finally back from my blogging hiatus as we have returned from our first major family road trip. Last week, we explored the gorgeous coastlines of Devon & Cornwall in the southwest of England, while at times being less than totally healthy. I have pegged it as our 'Awesome-Horrible Vacation' wherein we enjoyed fantastic summer weather and beautiful vistas and also suffered either a quite nasty stomach bug or food poisoning, while taking care of a sick baby. Don and I were hit simultaneously at 2am on the third day of our trip and struggled to change Aiden's nappies and keep him fed (while he was also unhappily dealing with the dirty aftermath of a stomach bug, which struck Friday night before we left the next morning). Fortunately, for me & Don, it only lasted 24 hours and we were back on our feet, having stayed an extra whole day & night in our hotel room in the seaside town of Torquay.

We continued on Tuesday down to Penzance (no, didn't see any pirates), stopping to see St. Michael's Mount along the way. Wednesday, we drove to Land's End along some very narrow country roads. After admiring the views, having lunch and taking some photos, we drove to the ruins of Tintagel Castle, the rumoured birthplace of King Arthur. Arriving late in Ilfracombe, we settled into our beds in a quaint B&B/restaurant. Thursday was a 'take it easy, we're tired of driving' sort of day during which we stayed local and enjoyed climbing along the rocky shores and peering into tide pools. On Friday, we tasted cheddar in the actual town of Cheddar and walked through a rather lame cave that had been de-naturalized by neon lights, opera music and a fantasy quest. The actual gorge was quite beautiful. After staying the night in Bristol, we headed back to home base.

My photos are located on my Picasa page (click on the photostream above). There is also a map in the right-hand margin that has the photos placed directly onto a map so you can see where we were.

Here are my top five favourite trip moments (aside from the moment I didn't feel nauseous anymore):

5. Equestrian surprises on narrow English country roads.

4. Watching Don & Aiden dance to 'Hot Stuff' at a rest stop.

3. Touring the castle at St. Michael's Mount and wishing it was my house.

2. Taking the steam train to Dartmouth and getting to say 'choo choo!' because I was holding a baby.

1. Watching the sea fog roll in at Land's End, while eating a Cornish pasty.