Weekend Adventures in Cornwall

We absolutely love adventuring in Cornwall.  It is hands down one of our favourite locations for a family adventure, and we feel very lucky to live as close as we do, and be able to head down for a quick weekend trip.  This one included 3 generations, live music, lots of exploring, pasties, ice creams and, fortunately, quite a lot of lovely blue skies.  

There is something very lovely about a trip which involves more than one or two generations, I have come to learn.  Since having children, the joy of having a trip or two a year with grandparents has been a bit of a revelation.  Not just because it means some possible babysitting I promise… What I love is the joy it brings the different generations in the group – the children flipping love it.  Total 100% attention (and extra treats usually), different people to play with and laugh with, show their swimming to, tell a joke to. 

And for our parents, the grandparents, it is really special for them to spend that kind of lengthy one on one time with the little beans.  They don’t even need to say it, you can just see it.  That is quite a magical type of adventuring for me.  Doesn’t have to be for two weeks and a mega trip abroad.  But just a few days in a caravan or a lodge are special and a total memory-making fest of an adventure. I am pretty determined, therefore, to make it a ‘thing’ we do as much as we can each year.

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So a weekend in Cornwall we were a-having.

It coincided with some actual summer sunshine which was lovely, because, let’s be honest, a caravan park is a happier place in the sun than it is in the rain.  Well this is certainly true in my experience anyway!  It meant there were adventures to be had outside and deep sleeps to be enjoyed every evening after full days of exploring.

So here is the brief tour of our weekend and my 3 reasons why weekends like this are just so good for you; mind and body.

(1) Time out is time well spent…

On this particular trip we stayed in lovely little Par (Par Sands).  We have never stayed there before, but Mummy and Daddy had tickets to see the absolutely awesome Chemical Brothers at the Eden Project, and this was therefore a perfect location nearby.  So yes actually there was a bit of Grampy-babysitting involved whilst we headed out to the Eden Project.  But actually everyone was a winner. 

We got some much needed and very rare time out. Just the two of us enjoying a night with some of our favourite things – live music, a bit of dancing, good friends and a summer’s drink. We don’t get nights like this very often and I have to say it felt really good for the soul.  There is nothing wrong in admitting that actually it is nice to just be you once in a while, off duty and free to relax.  Dancing like a lunatic very much encouraged. The boys loved it as they had time with Gramps – lots of playing and a late to bed movie night. And Gramps got time with his grandchildren all to himself.  Nothing to complain about on night one.

Time out, a change, doing something just you?  Definitely time well spent.

(2) Variety is the spice of life…

It is a cheesy one, but it is true.  The longer I have been a parent, the more I know this to be true.  Our little adventure boys love seeing and doing new things, exploring, enquiring, running, finding, hiding, moving on.  They don’t keep still for that long (both a blessing a curse at times!) and so location is kind of key in Cornwall, close to lots of places and opportunities is definitely a winner for us (without too much more travelling).

In just 3 days we were able to fit in trips to:

• Fowey, one of my absolute favourite little places, and a perfect spot for lunch by the water
• Charlestown.  No Poldark to swoon over on this trip sadly, but very good ice cream and fab stone skimming to be enjoyed.  Plus the mightily impressive ships obviously – opportunities to be pretend to be pirates searching for treasure!
• Mevagissy.  Such a gorgeous spot.  We had delicious pasties, visited all the little shops, spotted fish in the harbour and then spent an hour crabbing.  No crabs were fooled by the bait on this occasion, which was of course a little tense when the 7 year old is determined to get one, but still fun (mostly)
• And of course the beach, the park and the swimming pool for what felt like a thousand times (was actually only 3 but the getting changed after in tropical heat made it feel like a thousand – you catch my drift).

The variety over 3 days was perfect.  We all got a little bit of what we liked, and because of that there was little moaning to be done.  It kept it interesting and exciting for everyone.  H didn’t even mind coming in the shops in Mevagissy, because the swimming pool was on the horizon when we got back.  An adventure weekend miracle frankly.

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(3) And finally. Being somewhere different is just relaxing 

I don’t know about you, but for us it is like when we go away – even an hour away in to Cornwall – we all just take a collective sigh and relax.  

There is no rush. No deadline. No school uniform to argue over, no running late for school or work or a club.  No washing. No messy garden to contend with.  We don’t worry about bedtime in the same way, dinner time is usually more relaxing because we are barbecuing or getting take away.  And frankly just being somewhere different where the whole purpose is exploring and having fun is totally liberating. 

I guess this is why we all love holidays so much (plus the fact we all crave a bit of sunshine every now and again!) It is magical and uplifting to spend time like that.  Where really none of the normal rules apply and you get to have lots and lots of fun adventuring as a family.  

You want an extra large ice cream?  Sure, we are on holiday.  You want to go swimming and splash me in the face and race me to the end? Sure, we don’t need to be anywhere. You want to go for an evening walk on the beach and play football until 2 hours past your bed time?  Sure, we can relax in the morning and get up late (this by the way does not happen – they still wake at 6.30am. I don’t know how to change this.  They are alarm clocks, and it seems I just need to live with this.  But, we didn’t have to rush in the morning so it was okay.  Just about).

They say a change is as good as a rest.  Amazing when it is both at the same time.

Shame it was back to washing, shouting about brushing teeth and running late for literally everything on Monday.  But then that is what makes the weekend so special I guess.

Heres to many happy and liberating adventure weekends xx