It felt like an age since August when we were down at Mullion, the Cornish village where I was born and where my mum still lives. We decided to take Chaz the camper van as it hadn’t really had a long run since October. We set off on 22nd December and as Mullion is at least 6 hours drive from Paddington in the van we decided to split the journey and stop over at Brixham.
We camped up at Hillhead Camp site overlooking Brixham and having set up a small turkey crown aves vino in the slow cooker (this was to be our Christmas dinner in the van) we headed off mid afternoon walking via the cliff path and Berry Head then down into Brixham. It was a perfect December day and the views were stunning.
Brixham is a lovely and very much working fishing port with plenty of boutique shops and small locals pubs. Just the job.
It got dark pretty quickly (well it does doesn’t it! shortest day and all that)so we got a taxi to take us the 6 or so miles back to the camp. There were quite a few campers and tourers that had turned up since we left – they maker a big thing of Xmas and New Year at this camp site so families tend to make a week of it. We’d heard that the camp’s bar/club was pen and that tonight they have live entertainment so in for a penny we checked on the food (cooking nicely) and thought we’d pop in for a couple of drinks to show moral support. Nobody could have predicted what happened next!
As we approached the bar it seemed very quiet but in we went and surprise surprise, we were the only two people in there apart from two bar staff and the entertainer, all of whom were sat at the bar! We felt too guilty to turn around and go back to the van so ordered a couple of drinks and got chatting. They shared that they would go ahead with the entertainment and sure enough at about 8pm the female solo artist kicked off. We were still the only two people in there so felt compelled to go and sit in the cabaret style seating to lend moral support whilst waiting, willing, more people to turn up.
The singer was very good but with zero feedback apart from us and the bar staff we felt terrible for her so got up and danced. As we did another couple came in and sat on their own without a drink then one other chap came in for dinner and beer and asked if he could sit with us for company – ever felt trapped. Anyway long story not so short, we stayed til the end and our Turkey Christmas dinner was massacred; it had dried out :-(. Ho hum, we’d had a bit of a laugh.
The following day we packed up and set off for Cornwall via Dartmouth, another lovely town famed for its Naval history and college. we went across on the free ferry and then parked up for a while to have a look around and some lunch. Dartmouth is definitely a very pretty ‘go back to’ place.
After lunch we hit the road for Mullion so that we’d get down in reasonable time ahead of Xmas eve when my sister, Ginny, and brother-in-law, Chris were heading over to stay also.
When they arrived we had a lovely walk down to Mullion Cove harbour via a lama farm and then back up to the village and of course into the Old Inn Pub, my local when I lived there 35+ years ago. Gotta be done of Xmas eve. We met up with lots of family and old friends that I grew up with and had a good old chin wag and a few pints 🙂
After muchly fun at the pub it was hope for customary roast pork and salad. In my youth back in Cornwall it was always a race back from the pub, usually later than we had intended, to get the crackling fresh off the joint (yum!).
In the evening Anthony and Ian, mum’s fantastic neighbours who we had seen in the Old Inn earlier, called in for a Xmas drink (they, like us, had had a few at the pub so we were all quite joyous :-)).
We all fancied Gin and Tonic – quite a lot actually. Ian disappeared home after a couple of hours, a bit wobbly, and later Ant followed. We all missed midnight mass! Sorry mum.
Ian was nowhere to be found when Ant got home and was later discovered asleep in their side alley. Christmas Day was scratched from their diary – sorry boys. And apologies to James; they missed lunch with him. Postponed 🙂
On Christmas Day we were up ‘reasonably’ early (unlike Ant and Ian :-)). It was a beautiful sunny day as so often Christmas Day is, so Sal and I made preparations for breakfast on the camper van with mum, Ginny and Chris. Mum protested… she couldn’t see the point when she had a perfectly good kitchen and dining room! Once on the van mum relaxed and enjoyed it. I got a rare photo of mum with a) glass in hand and b) smiling and eyes open. Result!
Traditional Christmas breakfast of scrambled egg and smoked salmon with Dutchy of Cornwall organic oat biscuits.
We cooked and ate on the camper whilst mum looked hard to see if Ian and Ant had surfaced. Bless.
All was washed down with a glass or two of Camel Valley fizz. Christmas Day had started :-). A lovely day was had; we filled our bellies with fab food and then slept in front of the TV.
Whilst down in Cornwall we popped into Helston to see Watsie, a good friend that I’ve known for c 50 years. Unavoidably went to the Blue Anchor pub for a pint with a few old mates. The “Blue” is a lovely old pub on Coinagehall Street with its own brewery in the outhouses at the back. They brew the infamous ‘Spingo’ which is a cracking beer but avoid the Special in anything other than halves…it’s lethal! The pub is full of local characters and the building itself is comprised of lots of small cosy rooms. There is a beer garden at the rear and a very old traditional bowling alley. I am biassed but its well worth a visit.
We took the van over and ended up staying on Watsie’s drive. The spooky thing is that within a few weeks of us buying the camper, Watsie had bought a caravan – very weird!
On the 27th December we took mum down to Cadgwith Cove Inn for lunch. Cadgwith is a lovely village with thatched cottages and a fabulous natural fishing harbour just around the coast from The Lizard Point – the most southerly point in Great Britain. The very narrow, steep, and windy roads leading down to the harbour are not for the faint hearted but it’s worth it when you get there. The views and the food at the Inn are yummy – go fish 🙂
We had to head back to London for New Years Eve so on the 28th we set off, having decided to split the journey again. This time two stops, one in Dawlish on the south Devon coast and secondly near Castle Drogo on the edge of Dartmoor.
Dawlish is a place I’ve passed through many times on the stretch of spectacular train line, always wanted to go to but had never got around to it. Sal had never been either so off we went. We took the coast road to get there enjoying the views of Paignton, Torbay, Torquay and Teignmouth along the way. We managed to get one night at a site about 5 miles outside Dawlish – it was very busy (as were all the sites in Dawlish if open) with folk arriving ahead of New Year’s Eve for which they were full.
We set the van up as it was getting dark and then jumped a bus down into Dawlish to have a look at the lights and get some food.
There is a river/ canal that runs down the valley through the centre of Dawlish and they had really gone to to town with the lights.
The following day we packed up reasonably early and drove down into Dawlish for breakfast and to have a walk along the coast to Dawlish Warren.
It was a beautiful clear day. We walked as far as we could along the stunning red cliff coast; the stretch of coast and train line that had very recently been restored after storms washed it away.
I’d admired the graffiti many times on the side of one of the tunnels so it was good to see that close up 🙂
Mid afternoon we set off for Dartmoor and a camp site near Castle Drogo. It was getting late when we arrived so we cooked some food and hunkered down for the night. It was a ‘Adult only’ site so very quiet and beautifully crisp as the sun rose. Get the coffee on!
The plan for the day was to go and visit Castle Drogo and then head back to London ahead of New Years Eve the following day. Castle Drogo is another one of those places that I’ve driven past many times so wanted to go and check it out. It’s at Drewsleighton, just off the the A30 on the edge of Dartmoor. The castle is relatively modern and was built by the Drewe family starting c 1910. It opened to the public in 1975 but in the 80’s and 90’s fell into disrepair and started to deteriorate. Conservation work started in 2007 and was due to complete in 2018 but is still ongoing today. The gardens are stunning and worth a look in the own right and the views over Dartmoor are worth seeing also.
Roger & Sally's Travel Blog & More 