Week #112 Vanlife on the Cornish Coast

In our final week of vanlife on the Cornish coast, we move on from the stunning beaches of Sennon towards St Ives and Mother Ivey's Bay. We return to St Michaels Mount at low tide so that we can walk across the causeway to explore the island and indulge in a little bit of history, visiting the Botallack mines.

Sennon

We loved our time at Trevedra Campsite so much that we decided to stay an extra night. We had a lovely morning walking along Gwynver Beach at low tide which connects with Sennon Cove and into the village. It was nice to be able to take off our shoes and feel the sand between our toes. Sennon is a really pretty little village that felt like we were stepping back in time. The quaint harbour, white sand and aquamarine blue seas were simply stunning.

We were treated to another stunning sunset from the campsite and we were finally able to have a campfire as the wind had temporarily abated! It was an idyllic evening and again we had the whole camping field to ourselves.

St Ives

Moving on from Sennon, we headed towards St Ives. Using the Wild Guide book to find places of interest along the way, we decided to stop off at the Botallack Mines at Pendeen.

These spectatcular engine house ruins were littered across the cliff edges. The mine tunnels are said to go out to sea where they were searching for the green mineral of Botallackite. only a few hundred metres along the cliff edge were the ruins of the arsenic mines with their sinister history of child labour.

The ruins are definitely worth a visit , they are now all owned by the National Trust and there was a great little cafe there and reasonably priced car parking.

From the mines we had to go across several miles of moorland to get to St Ives - here we came across another group of wild ponies who were causing quite a roadblock.

We found a great campsite - Ayr Holiday Park - based on the cliff tops over looking St Ives and within easy walking distance into the town. There was a definite shift in clientele at this campsite - our tiny VW was dwarfed by some of the biggest RV's we had seen in England. But at £33 for the night we decided it was worth it for a warm shower and we would not have to pay for parking in the Town.

We really liked St Ives. I think we probably caught it at its most idyllic, the sun was shining, it was a quiet weekday in April and the tide was low. We spent the afternoon bimbling around the shops and exploring the many little coves that surround the town. We watched the tide flood into the harbour with all the little fishing boats bobbing around in the water. We enjoyed our first cornish pasty sat on the harbour front - eagerly watched by the seagulls.

Sadly, the weather changed by the time we got back to the van, the wind had returned and the temperature dropped considerably.

St Michael's Mount

When we were travelling along the south coast of Cornwall last week, we had really wanted to visit St Michael Mount and walk along the cobbled causeway but the tide times and windy weather had been against us. We decided to head south again breifly from St Ives on our way up to Mother Iveys Bay.

I am really glad we did. It was really quiet so we could park up easily and the weather was ok. A fab bonus was bumping into an old friend from university, it was great to have a coffee and a catch up. I love these lovely little life coincidences and it really blows my mind that there have probably been dozens of occasions where we have been within a few feet of people that we once knew really well and didnt know!

The walk across to the island was really strange - to think that in only a couple of hours that road will disappear. It is really pretty and the castle quite imposing sitting high up on the hill. We had a great hour wandering around the grounds, being on the paupers tour we decided that we could see enough of the castle from the ground level - £30 is a big chunk out of our £200 a week budget! We timed it well as by the time we got back to the car the water was starting to wash over the causeway - not a disaster as the small ferry takes over to get you back to mainland.

Mother Ivey's Bay Campsite

Our next stop on the roadtrip was to the coastal beaches and coves around Trevose head and Mother Ivey's Bay. We spent most of our summers camping here when our children were younger and it holds so many fantastic memories for us!

We always used to stay at Mother Iveys Bay campsite which is tucked away down a single track which in the summer is operated with military precision to get all the caravans and motorhomes down to the 2 large campsites.

The campsite used to open up 'The Meadows' - a large non electric camping field on the cliff tops and there were so many families that we used to bump into from Cheshire that used the campsite. Sadly the meadows is being redeveloped into a souless field full of static caravans. I am sure like us, there are generations of families who returned for decades with their kids and then grandkids that will be hugely disappointed.

Whilst the campsite proved great value for us on this trip, out of season in their main permenant touring pitches at £33 pernight with EHU, it is a very different proposition in the summer months. Luke wanted to take his girlfriend for a few nights away in a small 2 man tent with no need for electric and the quote out of school holidays for 4 nights camping was £248!!! I think it is really sad that the next generation of campers have been priced out and simply cannot afford to go. I find it even more sad that the campsite receptionist simply replied that Luke could just stay at one of the other campsites if it was too expensive.

The beaches around Trevose Head

This part of the coast has some of my favourite beaches in the world.

Starting with Fistral Beach in Newquay. We always used to time our summer trips to coincide with the 'Boardmasters Festival' which is based around the World Surfing series and there is such a fantastic vibe down at fistral when this is on.

Competition surfing is awe inspiring to watch particularly when you get to see the worlds best going head to head.

Fistral is always a great place to get the boogie boards out, to people watch or to simoly sit and watch the sun set from one of the bars and restaurants on the boardwalk above the bay.

Watergate Bay has miles of sandy beaches popular with the local surfers - sadly we went past at high tide so didn't stop off on this trip.

Constantine Beach is just magnificenet - it is wild, remote and if you are ucky you might catch some kite surfers jumping the violent waves that rage when it is a little stormy. It has long sandy beaches backed by sea grass strewn sand dunes and at low tide it is connected to our other favourite beach with the hilariously named 'Boobys Bay'.

Booby's Bay This beach can only be accessed at low tide due to the rocky approach that is smothered in waves for most parts of the day. We had a lovely afternoon sunbathing on the smooth black rocks that hold the heat of the sun at low tide and boogie boarding.

Mother Ivey's Bay and Long Cove Beach - 2 small, beautiful coves that join together at low tide. The views from the coastal paths above are stunning and the sea takes on a gorgeous blue colour. Best visited in late spring when the wild flowers simply accent the views with their vibrant colours. The modern Padstow life boat station is based here and it is quite a sight to see the RNLI boat being launched.

Harlyn Bay is a short walk north of Mother Iveys and is another stunning bay. The beach extends for miles at low tide and it is a popular spot to learn to surf. There has been quite some investment in the bay over the past couple of years with some new beach bars and restaurants.

There are so many more fabulous beaches, bays and coves on this stretch of coast and we could have spent our 3 weeks just pottering around this area but we are glad that we took the time to get out and explore the rest of the South West coast.

One last place that we wanted to visit on our trip down memory lane was Padstow. We spent many happy hours crab fishing and eating fish and chips in the harbour with the kids. It is such a bustling, busy little town in the summer months, so it was nice to be there early in the morning watching all the little shops wake up and get ready for the day ahead. We sat and had a coffee and watched the world go by. The water was so still in the small harbour that the vibrant coloured boats and houses around edges were reflected perfectly. Sadly we were too early to partake in fish and chips - non of the shops were open!

An early departure from our roadtrip

We spent 3 nights at Mother Ivey's Bay. One night was at a park up just down the road to keep costs down. Sadly our time came to an end a couple of days earlier that we planned when the weather forecast changed and our last couple of days were due to have heavy rain.

Out of disappointment came a fantastic weekend! We couldn't go home as we had promised Luke that he could stay with a couple of friends in the Dales so instead we rang my Mum and had a great weekend in Sandbach. Impromptu get togethers are sometimes the best. Mum went all out and invited my sister across for the weekend and we had a few fab meals and a good catch up.

Week 3 Costs:

St Ives Ayr Holiday Park - £34.50

Mother Iveys Bay Campsite - £66

St Michaels Mount parking £4.20

Cornish Pastys - £10.60

Lidl weekly shop £90

Cards from Whistlefish Gallery (16) - £12.50

Petrol £50

Parking Padstow - £4.60

Parking Botallack mines £2.50

Parking fistral beach - £2.50

Coffee in Padstow £6.80

Total : £284.20

Total cost for the 3 weeks south west coast road trip including all campsite fees, petrol, food and treat items = £839.85

So thats it - another fun filled week has passed by and we are now back in the Dales. We have been busy tidying up the garden and getting ready for our new few adventures.

I have pasted the link below for the first part of our Cornish adventures .

Hope you have all had a great week

Jackie and Richard