English Seaside

A weekend away was much-needed

and we headed to the English seaside with Marcus and Lucy.

Off to Devon for our first stop to visit Lucy's family in Plymouth.

They were such generous hosts, with a great home and garden.

We headed to the beautiful Bigbury Beach.

Crystal clear (cold) water, soft sand and 

a backdrop of rolling hills (with sheep)! 

We are used to beautiful beaches, but to stand at the water and look back

to not see flat land with palm trees was quite different for us!

At low tide 

(when we were there)

you could get to Burgh Island.

It's a teeny little island with very limited access

but of course it has a great old pub overlooking the beach. 

Pilchard Inn - established in 1336.

Yes - 1336!

We then had a chance to wander around Plymouth before 

grabbing an awesome dinner at Rocksalt.

(if you're ever in Plymouth - go there! Awesome food.)

Plymouth has a rich history

especially military history, as well as a little US history.

The Mayflower left from Plymouth to bring its first settlers

to the good ole US of A.

After saying goodbye to Lucy's sweet family,

we headed towards Cornwall 

with our first stop in Polperro.

(Marcus and Ian loved butchering the pronunciation of this village!)

  

It was a quaint and charming little fishing village

and somewhat reminded me of Cortez Fishing Village...

but very English... (or Cornish)! 

The areas are very tidal and it looks a bit strange to see a harbour 

without any water and boats just sitting on the ground. 

On our way to our final destination, 

we realised how close we were to Camel Valley Trail.

Which meant we had to be close to Camel Valley Winery.

And of course, no trip is complete without a stop at a winery in our family.

So, we drove through the skinniest of roads, 

winding through the countryside...

some being single lane roads with another car coming towards us.

Thank goodness for Ian's good driving! 

We made it to the award-winning UK winery.

We sat on their terrace over looking the vineyards while sipping 

some great sparkling wine.

Our favourite was a Pinot Noir Brut.

After a beautiful day soaking up the sunshine, 

we headed to our B&B for the night.

Old Mill House, just outside of the village centre of Padstow,

was recently bought by a kind and helpful family.

We wandered the village, finding quiet little beaches, and had fish 'n chips.

Being able to just relax during this visit was so nice... 

we saw a lot and did a lot in our long weekend escape.

And loved being able to do it with our tour guides, Marcus and Lucy.

We are soon off to Croatia with them, 

and can't wait for our next shared family adventure! 

(oh and Croatia has been on my top 3 list for years and years...

so, I'm beyond excited to check this off my list!!)

 

Thank you for continuing to follow along on our "across the pond" adventures.

I'm not a very good blogger... 
and surely don't keep it up-to-date like I should, but I try. 
Please keep coming back.

Makes doing the posts (even if a little late) all worth it.
Sending lots of love from London.
xx

the mcgees