Public Transport

The weather took a turn for the better and so did Eddie's cough, although I have a fresh cold. We have had some great experiences, with Rick Stein the highlight. His session was generous, self-effacing, and entertaining. We were close to the action and they kept filling our glasses up with good wine and Chalky's Bite, his new beer. The food was also generous with three dishes from his new book, which is based on his trip through Asia. He has a real empire in Padstow, sometimes called Padstein, with a deli, a patisserie where we bought a Cornish pasty (very good), a cafe ( where we had a lovely lunch served by a very outgoing young woman from Zimbawe who had just been to Australia), a Roof terrace( where we had oysters and beer), we couldn't fit in Fish and Chips from his fish n'chip shop, or his pub which is a couple of km away from the town. The food was not expensive and the emphasis was on simple, straight forward local product. He is about to start a restaurant in Sydney where he lives for part of the year. Padstow is at the mouth of a river which rises very quickly when the tide comes in so we went on a boat up to Wadebridge one evening. We also went for a long walk -about 8 km on a coastal path then back along the beach. Padstow has very white wide sandy beaches just like home. It is very pretty but still a working fishing port.

We came across to Polperro using every kind of public transport there is. There is a great website which gives you all the options although a bit of local knowledge helps. First we got the big bus, with the driver egged on by most of the passengers, intimidateing all the other drivers into backing off in the narrow little lanes, then we got the train, then we got a smaller bus to Fowey to the ferry to Polruan. We didnt know where to find the ferry so that was a problem, dragging our luggage up and down hills, and the ferry was a very small boat. Then we got the smallest bus to Polperro. Politicians (and friends of) reading this please note- people with concession cards ride free in off peak, so there are always lots of people, sometomes just getting a ride up the hill. They all seem to know each other too.

At Polperro we had 3 days to settle in which was good. The first day we went for a 9km walk along the Coastal path, going around to Looe in a small boat, then walking back. It is only a narrow path and we were pretty tired by the time we finished, very glad to come around the corner and see Polperro which is behind a very narrow opening in the coastline. There are modern smuggler stories as well as old stories. Yesterday we went to a National Trust property which was very grand with lovely gardens as well. Today we are back to the other side to Newquay the surfing capital to go to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen and tomorrow back to London to meet up with June, Edwin and Frances,