Cornish Adventures 2021: Exploring North Cornwall by Tour Bus

I've always thought that Cornwall, with it's beautiful coastlines and pretty harbour villages, would be an amazing area to see by tour bus, but in all my years of holidaying there, I'd never seen or heard of any in the area.

That all changed on our first night in Perranporth last September, when an Atlantic-Coaster open-top double decker bus came cruising past us, promoting tours to St. Ives and Padstow. We both turned our heads, and I think we knew there and then what we'd be doing that weekend. We looked the tour operator up back at the caravan, and decided it would be the perfect way to ease ourselves in to our holiday. It just so happened that the tour bus came right in to our holiday park, Perran Sands, which was clearly a sign we had to go.

Two days later, on our second full day in Cornwall, the morning sea haze parted and transformed in to blue skies and blistering sunshine, blessing us with the perfect weather for sight-seeing. We stocked up on cold drinks, and drove along to the touring reception, where the tour buses pick up at Perran Sands, having decided we'd get on the first bus that arrived and see where we ended up. We didn't have to wait long for a bus to come rumbling along, and I was pleased to discover it was the route that would take us west along the North coast of Cornwall from Perranporth to St. Ives. (I bloody love St. Ives).

We bought our tickets from the (very grumpy) driver, which came to just £18 for the two of us, and made ourselves comfortable on the upper deck. It was already half full with other sight-seers, but everyone was spaced out enough that I didn't feel too concerned about catching Covid.

We left Perran Sands around 11:30am, and headed in to Perranporth. Its first stop was at one of my favourite places- Perranporth Beach. The tide was out past Chapel Rock, and the beautiful golden sandy beach was already filling up with people and their dogs enjoying the late summer sunshine. It looked so idyllic, I was tempted to get off the bus to do the same, but alas, the beach would have to wait. I settled for a few photos while passengers came and went, and then we were on our way again.

From Perranporth, the Atlantic Coaster took us along the North coast of Cornwall, through beautiful countryside, pretty Cornish towns, and stunning coastlines including stops in St. Agnes, Portreath, Porth Towan, Hayle, and St. Ives- and others in between. Apart from Perranporth and St. Ives, I had never visited any of the other places before, despite three and a half decades of holidays in the area. It was great to see lots of places I'd never seen before, and to view Cornwall through new eyes. We passed so many beautiful beaches and estuaries, rugged coastlines with azure seas, working harbours with boats beached at low tide and the scent of seaweed heavy in the air, and peaceful seaside villages sheltered by hills laden with orange and purple heathers. In between, we'd pass miles of crop and dairy farms backing on to the sea, and moors of heather and scrub, drifting from scorching sunshine in to chilly pockets of sea haze that felt like we were cruising through the clouds. 

St. Agnes was a sleepy little village strung with colourful bunting that looked like a good place to stop for a quiet drink in one of its pubs or cafes.

I instantly fell in love with Portreath, a pretty seaside village on the North Coast surrounded by green hills blooming with heather on three sides, and edged by a beautiful sandy beach on the fourth. It looked so picturesque, and I'm still dying to go back and visit it properly on foot. Hopefully we will this September.

There was so much to see in the bustling port town of Hayle, from the harbour to a beautiful estuary. The tide was out when we drove along it, but the scenery was still gorgeous.

Like most city tour buses, you could get on and off the buses at the designated stops to explore places as many times as you wanted, but as we were both still recovering from the pain of the journey down, we just rode the bus in a loop, which took a little under four hours. We did have to disembark in St. Ives for ten minutes while the driver had a break- which was no hardship as we had a gorgeous view of the harbour and sea to enjoy. It was so beautiful in the hazy sunshine, and the water looked turquoise and crystal clear under the blue sky. It was lovely to take it all in, and watch the boats and paddle-boarders on the water. I will never tire of seeing St. Ives; it's one of my favourite places, and easily one of the most beautiful places in England. 

After our quick break in St. Ives, we were back on board, and enjoying the journey in reverse, noticing things on the other side of the road that we'd missed on the way down, like cute little graveyards hidden behind thickets of trees. It wasn't as interesting on the way back, but I still enjoyed the views and being out in the sunshine, as well as getting a second look at the places that had caught my eye on the way in.

The only issue we had with the Atlantic Coaster was that its returning drop off point at Perran Sands wasn't the same place it picked up. The bus stop was across the road from the holiday park, and quite a walk from the touring reception, where we'd left the car, which really isn't practical for people with disabilities or chronic pain. And probably not for people with young kids or the elderly, either. Even if you're abled-bodied, it will leave you with a trek back to your accommodation because Perran Sands is huge. Neither of us could comfortably walk it, so we had little choice but to get off the bus at the stop before in Perranporth, and grab a taxi back to the site instead. Luckily, it was only a mile down the road, so it only cost us a fiver, but still... 

We had a forty-five minute wait for a taxi, so we treated ourselves to gelato from a great little ice cream shop just behind Perranporth Beach car park called Pavilion Ice, and ate them on the sea front with a gorgeous view of the beach. The Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Bueno gelatos I had were so delicious, and just what I needed in that heat. I'd highly recommend them. I'm definitely going back to try some other flavours this September.

Despite the slight inconvenience, neither of us minded sitting on the sea front in the scorching sunshine for almost an hour. Perranporth Beach is another of my favourite places, and really, who can be unhappy sitting under cornflower-blue skies, looking out at a golden sandy beach and aquamarine sea, and watching the waves roll on to the shore?? Not me, that's for sure. It was a beautiful day, and nice just to relax, take in the view, people-watch, and see all the cute dogs having so much fun on the beach. I could've sat there all day. 

It was nearing five P.M. by the time we got back to our caravan to put our feet up with a cold drink after an enjoyable day of sight seeing. Our trip filled the day nicely, without taking the whole day, but if you used the Atlantic Coaster to get off and explore some of the destinations on foot, you could easily spend the entire day sight-seeing and making memories, and really get your money's worth. 

We had a great time exploring the Cornish coast in the late summer sunshine, and it was a great way to see more of Cornwall- and scope out places to go back and explore on our future travels- without over-exerting ourselves. Chronic pain limits how far I can go on foot, but taking the Atlantic Coaster allowed me to take in all of those beautiful places and even spot new things in places I knew well, while saving energy sitting reasonably comfortably on my backside. And all for the bargain price of £9! Not bad for over three and a half hours of sight-seeing.

We enjoyed the Atlantic coaster so much, we're already planning to take one again on our next trip to Cornwall. There are other tours I'd love to take, including one that goes down to The Lizard peninsular, on the south coast, and another that travels west along to Land's End. The Padstow tour sounds great, too, but being more familiar with the places on its route, I'd rather explore other areas first.   

If you're ever in Cornwall and want to do some inexpensive sight-seeing, give the Atlantic Coaster a try. I couldn't recommend it to you more.     

What's the best place you've ever explored by tour bus? 

                                                                                                                

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A Socially Distanced Trip to The Cotswold Wildlife Park

I did it, guys; after seven months of never-ending confinement, I finally left the house a few Fridays ago for a socially-distanced trip to The Cotswold Wildlife Park with my sister and brother-in-law.

It was probably a bit ambitious for my first venture out of bed in months, (I think all the pulled muscles in my legs the next day and for the week that followed would have agreed), but hey, what's life without a little challenge?

We'd been planning a trip to our local wildlife park for a while as we like to fit in at least one visit a year and hadn't been since last summer. I felt that it would be ideal for a day out during the pandemic as it would be easy to distance from people with so much open space, and was reassured knowing they had additional measures in place to keep visitors safe. So, once I felt up to it, we booked our tickets, and off we went the following day, armed with our face masks, and enough anti-bacterial hand gel to sink a ship.

One thing to be aware of is that you can't currently buy tickets at The Cotswold Wildlife Park on arrival. You need to book your tickets online from their website the day before you wish to visit, as visitor numbers are restricted to help with social distancing. While a minor inconvenience, the good thing about this is admission is cheaper online, so they're saving you money as well as looking out for your safety. All we had to do was quote our order number on arrival, so the process is quick and super easy, with no contact involved to exchange money for tickets. 

We arrived at the wildlife park around 11am, parked, collected a mobility scooter we'd reserved, and headed across to The Walled Gardens to begin our usual route around the park. We almost always start our visits here, and take an anti-clockwise route around the park, starting with the smaller animals and working our way up to the show-stoppers like the rhinos and giraffes. It's the best way to see everything, IMO.

As we were walking around, I was surprised to see how busy it was for a weekday. I've been on weekdays during term time before and have only passed a handful of people, but this time, there were people everywhere. Not as busy as the school holidays, but still lively. I guess it shows that there are still a lot of people out of work looking for different ways to fill their time.

I'm not going to lie, the crowds did make me feel a little anxious, especially as nobody was wearing a face mask outdoors. However, there was plenty of space to keep a two metre distance, and for the most part, everyone was being respectful of the rule outdoors, keeping apart at enclosures, and patiently stepping back to allow others to pass when needed. 

It was naturally busiest in the more enclosed areas of the park, like The Walled Gardens, farmyard, and around by the lake, but in between, there were times when we had nobody near us and we were able to enjoy everything at our own pace without worrying about distancing.

One couple didn't get the memo, though, and were on my sister's heels the whole way through the reptile houses. They were at least wearing face coverings as they were mandatory indoors, but it takes a special kind of asshole to invade your personal space during a pandemic. It made my sister really uncomfortable, and we couldn't even move away from them since it was a one-way system, she was using a mobility scooter, and we were trying to distance from the people in front of us. I'm annoyed again just thinking about it. The least anybody should be doing if they go out during a pandemic is keeping two metres apart from other people. Why are some people incapable of following rules and showing a little consideration?? Are they ignorant or just stupid?

I didn't enjoy being near people at all (well, it was my first time out of the house since before the pandemic), but after a while, I became more comfortable with it, and began to relax.

We had such a lovely time wandering around seeing all the animals and plants, from the tamarins to the lions. I particularly enjoyed seeing the new rhino calf, who was only about six weeks old and the cutest thing on four legs, and loved seeing the three new additions to the giraffe herd. All five were happily running around their paddock together and it was really lovely to see such happy animals. 

The tapirs and capybaras were as cute as ever, and there was a tiny wallaby joey hopping about that I wanted to smuggle home. 

We were all fascinated by the pelicans on the lake, and also made friends with a friendly little robin who came and sat beside us when we were having a rest on some benches. He was so tame, I think he would have eaten from our hands if we'd had anything to give him. 

As you'd expect, several exhibits were closed to comply with Covid regulations and keep everyone safe, but we didn't feel like it affected our day out at all. There was still plenty to see and do, and we enjoyed our visit as much as any of our past visits, pre-Covid. They'd done well to keep things as normal as possible under unprecedented circumstances. 

At the time of our visit, most of the indoor and enclosed exhibits, like the tropical house, walk-through Madagascar lemur exhibit, and bat house were closed, as was the restaurant and children's playground. The indoor reptile houses and children's farmyard were still open, though, and there was a new bat exhibit in one of the reptile houses so you can still see some bats, including their new hammer-headed bats. While the restaurant is closed, you can still buy drinks and snacks from the kiosks around the park, but if you'd rather bring in a picnic, you can still do that, too. There are plenty of wooden benches and picnic tables spaced out around the grounds where you can eat and rest. I made use of many of them to be able to make it around the park in one piece with my chronic pain, and have lived to tell the tale. 

If you're anxious about visiting during the pandemic, don't be; The Cotswold Wildlife Park has good measures in place to help keep their visitors safe. They've added extra anti-bac stations around the park, introduced a one-way system through the woodland area from the tapirs to the lake, and have restricted visitor numbers to help with social distancing. There are cute signs reminding you to keep two metres (or ten penguins) apart from each other by telling you how many animals make up a two metre distance, and animal talks have also been suspended to stop people congregating in crowds. Masks have to be worn in indoor areas. and you have to queue to enter the gift shop, which is currently only open from 1-4pm. The park has taken the Corona Virus restriction seriously, and it's been really well organised to keep people safe, and still provide an enjoyable visit. It was really reassuring and helped us feel safe, without spoiling or inconveniencing our visit.

We had a fantastic time, and it was so good to be out in the fresh air after spending seven months indoors. I missed the outdoors even more than I realised. Being around nature and animals for a few hours definitely did my mental health some good, and it was great to catch up with my sister and BIL, who I hadn't seen since Christmas, in our of our favourite places. We got to see so many weird and wonderful animals from anacondas to zebras, and interesting plants like climbing kiwis and carnivorous pitcher plants in a safe, relaxing environment so we came away happy. We're now thinking of buying season tickets so we can visit more regularly, and support our local zoo. We only live a few miles away, so it's something we'd likely get good use from during the pandemic. I don't feel comfortable with the idea of going shopping, eating at restaurants, or going to the cinema just yet, but I can totally get on board with more trips to the zoo. Cute animals, cool plants, fresh air, good company... what more do you need? (Except maybe a cheeky ice cream)?

I personally think it's more important than ever to support our (good) zoos right now. Many were hit hard financially when they were forced to close during lockdown, and are still struggling since they aren't able to open to full capacity. Zoos rely on visitors to be able to feed and care for their animals, many of which are endangered and close to extinction. If you want your favourite zoos and wildlife parks to survive the pandemic, pay them a socially-distanced visit, adopt an animal, or shop from their online gift shops. Find out if there are other ways to donate. Every visit or purchase will help make a difference.

I'd recommend a day out at The Cotswold Wildlife Park to any animal lover looking for a fun and safe day out during the pandemic. It's a great place to visit for people of all ages, with so much to see and do, despite Covid restrictions, I promise you won't be disappointed, and will love the place as much as we do. Just remember to book your tickets online the day before your visit or you won't get in!

Would you visit a zoo during the pandemic? Have you visited one lately?

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Photo Diary | September 2016

Just a quick one from me today as I'm absolutely shattered after spending the weekend away from home having a little fun on the south coast with one of my sisters. I'm so done in I can barely keep my eyes open, so I'll tell you all about it another day so I can finish this quickly. 

For now, I'm going to share some of the little snap shots I took during September; some I Instagrammed, some I didn't. (The Instagram Beta app still isn't working properly on my phone, even after uninstalling and reinstalling a million times). I only left the house a couple of times last month, and didn't get up to much at all, although I did manage a trip to a small private zoo, and a couple of scenic drives through the countryside on the way to appointments, so it wasn't all bad. 

1 and 4. Passing over the pretty Thames near Kingston Bagpuize, Oxfordshire. // 2. Amazing hazelnut Lindor chocolates from my sister. // 3 and 6. Driving over Swinford Bridge near Eynsham, Oxfordshire. 5. Enjoying an orange Calippo on an unusually hot sunny September morning.

The following eighteen photos were all taken at Heythrop Zoological Gardens a few weeks ago, which I'll be blogging about properly very soon.

1.  Zebra and giraffe pretending not to notice each other. // 2, Zebras like cabbage; who knew? // 3. Cute pygmy hippo enjoying its breakfast. // 4. Mr Giraffe looking down at the world below. // 5. Penguin waddling along to the pool. // 6. Stork taking a stroll.

1.  Macaque people-watching. // 2. Pelican having a clean. // 3. Squirrel monkey enjoying the human exhibit. // 4. Crowned crane fascinated by all the people. // 5. A shy red kangaroo. // 6. A ring-tailed lemur preparing to jump in to a hammock, just for fun.

1-3. // Beautiful white Bengal tiger. // 4. A large grizzly lazing about. // 5. The cutest cross-eyed raccoon. // 6. An adorable newborn dromedary camel who does not approve your shenanigans.

1.  Honeysuckle in the garden. // 2. Apples on our tree. // 3. Blackberries beginning to ripen. // 4. Happy Rosie. // 5. Rosie during a game of fetch... with an apple. // 6. Pretty girl.

1.  Progress on my Christmas cross stitch. // 2 and 5. Harvest time. // 3. Passing over one of Oxford's canals. // 4. One of many corn fields close to home. // 6. Harvested countryside.

What did you get up to in September?