Life's a beach!

You can't get much more bluer than this!

Yes I know another blog about Cornwall, but why not? Cornwall is always full of surprises: from food (The famous Rick Steins fish and chips) to coastal walks to long sandy beaches. Cornwall has it all. Sun, sea and sand! This is about the beautiful Cornish beaches that come in different shapes and sizes! You can discover them by just walking along the cliffs, every corner you turn awaits another cove or bay! All of them are stunning in there own special way! Yellow soft sands and crystal turquoise shallows that fade into the deep inky depths of the sea, that stretch out into the horizon! The salty sea breeze is beautiful and refreshing. The colours vary from the rich greens of the cliff tops to the sun kissed yellow sands; from the bright coloured flowers that sway in the breeze to the shades of blue that create a captivating postcard picture of the sea! Why fly away to a sunny place when you get the same here? The coast of Cornwall, the brilliant beaches and the spectacular sea's...

                                    

The life boat station at Mother Ivey's Bay!

Mother Ivey's Bay is one of my favourite beaches, it's just a small walk around the corner from Harlyn Bay. It's not a big beach, it's a small and mostly quite bay that looks out to the life boat station. The sand is unspoilt by litter and other types of rubbish and only a few people stop on that beach meanwhile the rest just walk on, round to the next. The sea is calm and the waves are small which is ideal for swimmers but not for boarders, plus  there's no life guards patrolling the bay. Over all this cute little cove is near the top of my list of beaches that I love in Cornwall!

As you walk from Mother Ivey's Bay
to Constantine Bay, this is the view! 

This is the rocks on one side of

Constantine Bay!

Walking through the over grown grass of the cliffs, that shape the beaches of Cornwall, the next beach is Constantine Bay. It's link to a small beach called Booby's Bay. Yes it's a funny name I laughed the first time I heard it too! However dividing the two beaches is rocks that create rock pools that look like mini lagoons when the sun is shining. Constantine Bay is a long beach and either side there's rocks that shield the bay. One thing about Constantine Bay is that even when it's sunny and there's no wind, the waves are massive and they come from different directions and if you're boarding you don't know whether to take the wave, go over it or go under it. Either way you have to quickly decide about what you're going to do or the wave will take you under i self and pull you back with it! It's quite scary when a wave is suddenly standing over you. A wave of panic seems to wash over you at that slight second, even though it seems like ages before the wave breaks! It certainly not a good idea for swimmers to go out or the current would just drag you out! The life guides definitely keep an eye out for you here. If you're a tad out of the flags you'll know about it! The sand dunes shelters you from the wind and makes a boundary between you and the golf course that is behind you. You then walk around the next cliff bend and another surprise awaits...

Constantine Bay!

                                    

Treyarnon! This was a funny looking beach, it wasn't long as a normal beach which stretches out for miles, but it was long as in more vertical, so you had a lot of beach to walk down before you got to the sea, maybe it was because the tide was out! Who knows? It was a quirky beach anyway. It was sheltered by cliffs and rocks, one rock pool was big enough and deep enough (well for a child anyway) to swim in. This rock pool too look like a mini lagoon. The water was a lovely greeny blue colour when the sun was out. The sun made everything brighter especially the sea! All these beaches are special however my favourite beach, and it will always be my favourite, is Harlyn Bay!



Treyarnon Beach!



Treyarnon beach with the rock pool in view!



Harlyn Bay! It's a bit cloudy!

Harlyn Bay! The one place that is special and perfect to me. I don't need to travel far to get blue sea's and yellow sands, I don't need to go to exotic places to make me feel like I've been on holiday to a special place! Harlyn Bay is my special place, rain or shine it's still a favourite of mine! It can be a place to relax or escape to or a place of discovery or even a place where you can release all of your energy. With a long stretch of beach that is golden from the sea that suddenly turns into a white soft blanket between your toes and the sea which creates perfect waves for surfers and swimmers; that shimmers in the sunlight! The sea transforms with the weather, if it's sunny and hot the sea will be a brilliant bright blue and calm, however when the weather comes in from the horizon and its heavy rain and wind, the sea will suddenly turn rough and the waves would fiercely crash into the cliffs! Hot or cold; sunny or wet either way Harlyn Bay is number one! It's a special place and it always will be...

Harlyn Bay from a different angle! It's sunny!

DofE Bronze (really wet & cold) practice expedition: Day 2

I didn't really sleep that much on the saturday night. It was raining all through the night. Well it rained all day too! I wore a vest, my thermal long sleeve top, my jumper and my hat, also my head was, face down, in the hood of my sleeping bag! So I was warm enough. Now I don't normally get a wake up call and if I do it's a soft "time to get up Jo." However on Sunday morning it was quite different! I was already awake and before I knew it Hannah ran into the tent and shouted "Jo! Wake the f*** up!" Good morning to you too Hannah. I was there thinking it's only 6:00 and Hannah was there thinking "oh my god it's 8:00 we've only got an hour to pack our stuff!" By the time I told her it was 6:00 everyone was up.

Guess who? Yes it's Lucy in her funky hat! I've got to say Hannah had a pretty funky hat too!

Everyone was up, dressed and cold, so Hannah put some hot water on and we had hot porridge for breakfast which was much nicer than the tea we had! It was hot and creamy, a good way to start the wet windy day. As people started to get up, people wanted to go home and in the end some people did! Our group went down to 5 from 7. Amber and Frankie dropped out however they did amazingly on the saturday. I was proud of them both.

Me and my group said goodbye to Frankie and Amber! 2 down and 5 more standing!

We started packing our rucksacks, ready to conquer the rain. Hannah and Georgia's tent had collapsed due to the heavy rain and strong winds. No wonder Hannah ran into my tent so early in the morning. Georgia was getting a bit upset because she didn't know whether to go home or not, Monique was upset and she didn't like it at all but she carry on. Lucy and Hannah was happy to carry on too and there was me happy as larry, hugging everyone who was upset. Some people thought I was a bit crazy that I wanted to carry on, I didn't really mind the rain or the cold wind, I just wanted to be proud of something I did and I really enjoyed it! We all manage to get our tent down in the rain and everyone was soaked. We all gathered in the teachers tent, whilst Mr Withey and some of the other teachers decided to change our route and make it shorter. Off we went through the rain and mud, with our hoods up, our coat zipped up to the top, our waterproof trousers wet already and our walking boats which nearly felt like we were walking bare foot in puddles. Before we left we went to the toilet to put our gloves under the hand dryer because they were soak through too, and that was just by putting the tent down.

Our Sunday route was the blue route which was made shorter due to the rain!

Me, Lucy, Hannah, Georgia and Monique were trudging through the park in the wet, again we took the wrong turn and we ended up on a round-about for some bizarre reason but we managed to get back on track. When we finally made it back on to the track, we saw 2 Arthur Terry vans drive past, I knew now more people would drop out whilst walking because the rain was now really heavy and the cold was pretty much unbearable. We walked past a random military training ground, then through a field! Yes another field! Its funny that we were in the middle of the countryside and there were fields! However this field went up hill and the eroded path that was going straight through the field looked like a stream. We headed up this muddy and slippery field/hill, my walking boots were definitely not dry any more and I'm sure everyone elses boots weren't dry either. The water came up to our ankles and you could hear the squelching of the water! You could also hear the wind, it was was like someone was literally trying to push us over. It was mad! We were making good progress and everyone was at the top of the field/hill, with the wind howling in our ears and it was getting colder. In the distance I heard some shout to tell me that Monique couldn't breath properly so the rest of the group decided that I should call Mr Withey, so on the top of the field/hill was where I had a nice little chat with Mr Withey. So Sir told us to walk to the next check point which was only down the road from the farm at the top of the hill/field. But we missed the check point (I would say that was my fault because I was reading the map.) So we got to this other farm and it was time for phone call 2. By the time the mini bus found us our group had extended and about 3 other groups had joined us. Luckily the bus did find us because Monique looked like she was going to collapse!

On the right is Monique! Oh and look its Lucy and her funky hat again!

3 down and 4 more standing! Lucy gloves turned into taps. When she squeezed the water out I could of had a decent glass of water. Her hands were blue and I offered her my gloves but she didn't take them. I felt so bad. I could see and almost feel the pain in her hands, but she held it in and Hannah gave her a towel to wrap her hands in. As we were doing that a lady pulled up in her car and offered us a hot drink. Everyone was thinking the same thing at that point. We all wanted a hot drink but we knew that we weren't allowed so we said no and carried on walking. We didn't really say much after that until we got to a small field with 2 furry friends looking unimpressed to see us. 2 toffee cows were casually standing in the field, and we walked around them debating if they were bulls or cows. They were cows...with horns! We walked very swiftly through that field and on to a country lane where these beautiful bluebells grew on the side on the road. They made the day a bit brighter whilst walking that little bit of the route. We were nearly there, I must of said this a thousand times whilst walking that day but it was only to encourage everyone to carry on. But we were actaully nearly there, we had to cross 2 more fields, go over a bridge and there was the finish. The pub. Everyone was exhausted and I was proud of myself and my whole group. We did it. We got back to Kingsbury waterpark and the look on Mr Simmons face was "You actually did it!" and yep we certainly did. We had blood, sweat, laughter and tears. Well we didn't have any blood which was good. We had some hilarious times like when Georgia some how couldn't get over this fence because her feet were in the wrong position and she was just stuck there. We had annoying moments like when a teacher teases you because he has a throw-in-the-air pop up tent. But the best moment was getting home and having a hot bath and at that moment in time it hits you that you've actually completed the expedition, whatever the weather was, and you just feel so proud of what you achieved! I certainly did! Just fingers crossed for good weather for the real thing!

The view of the countryside!

DofE Bronze (wet & cold) practice expedition: Day 1 Kingsbury Water Park

3 words to describe this expedition: wet, cold and windy! However it was certainly fun. Now you might be thinking why on earth is walking in the rain fun but afterwards you feel proud of completing the expedition. On the Saturday it was dry and it was a bit windy and me and my group were setting off at 10:30. Off we went and one of the things our teacher said (Mr Simmons) was most groups go the wrong way the first time you set off. And he was right. We took a left but actually we were meant to turn right and we started walking sundays route. We turned around and me and Georgia decided it was time for a sing song so we started singing "you can't stop the beat" from the musical hairspray.

This was the map of our routes. On the saturday it was the red route and on the sunday it was the blue route. Expected for the saturday we started walking the blue route!

Time went by and we weren't really getting anywhere, we saw another group they were nearly back at the camp site however they left at 7:30 that morning. So after a chat with that group we found some where to have lunch. The day went quick apart from one little bit of the walk, somehow we ended up on a busy and noisy main road. We had to walk on the grass on the side of the road and the further we went the further the group was separated. Lucky Frankie knew a stable nearby where she keeps some of her horses so she saved the day by getting us back on track.

On the left Frankie who got us back on track. On the right Amber who was great map reader at the beginning of the walk.

The day went on and finally we made it back to the camp site around 4:30-5:00 ish and everyone was happy to be back. Now putting up the tents was pretty hard because the wind would just take the tent across the field. And when me and Lucy looked over to the teachers tent, there was Mr Simmons with his throw-in-the-air pop up tent. That was slightly unfair! The tents were up and we were now cooking our food. It was getting a bit nippy so I decided to give Hannah a piggy back and she felt like she was lighter than my bag.

This is Hannah on my back whilst controlling what way I went with my head!

This is Lucy out side our tent after watching Mr Simmons throw his throw-in-the-air pop up tent!

The food was cooked and on the menu there was cold pasta with cold tomato source served with a sprinkle of cheese on top! It wasn't a la carte but it had to do. And for desert was a slice Madeira cake, which some how survived in my purple rucksack, which also included: 3 packs of pitta bread (that we didn't eat); a whole bag of pasta; sachets of tomato source; sachets of soup; sachets of hot chocolate; my sleeping bag; my roll mat; the first aid kit; my dry clothes; my lunch... Etc etc. and it was certainly what everyone needed! Who wouldn't resist a slice of cake? It was a great first day, we all conquered the first day but we still had to conquer the next ...

My packed rucksack all ready for the expedition!

Georgia, Hannah and Amber in a tent whilst waiting for the food. Happy times!

I don't just surf the Internet...

Surfs up... Cornwall! I know it's nothing like the Caribbean but to me you can still have awesome time! Cornwall is down south and it's known for many things like an area of outstanding beauty, pies and pasties and surfing. Newquay is the surf capital of the UK. And it is. Sometimes there's traffic all the way out of Newquay and it's mainly camper-vans going for the surfing competitions. The weather and the waves are perfect for surfing. Now surfing is on my list of things-to-do, however if hitting the waves hard isn't your cup of tea, then I would take a step down and try body boarding. Body boarding, I would say, is safer than surfing, it's easier and it's so much fun when you get started. I'm normally in the sea for around 6 hours a day! That's how much fun it is. Cornwall has many stunning places to go too, if you don't like the waves, and most of them are the beaches. One little cove has the lifeboat station, which is hidden away from the path which goes around it. Some boats go out from this station but if none do its still a lovely snap shot. Full of character that gives Cornwall a certain charm.

If you take the cliff path from Harlyn Bay you'll discover this little lifeboat cove.

Newquay may be the surfing capital but there's many more beaches you can try. Harlyn Bay is a beautiful bay with a long stretch of sand and with dark blue waves that hit the shore with perfection. The waves aren't too strong or weak, the cliffs shape the beautiful bay and the paths off the cliffs are stunning. Harlyn bay is a very special place to me. It stands out and it never faults me! I call it my second home!

This is one side of Harlyn Bay, taken from the cliff path which curves around the Bay.

I've been going to Cornwall since I was little and it's grown on me. Every time I go home I never want to leave the sea, the sand and the weather behind. Whitsun week is the best week to go, you have a equal balance of everything: sun and wind. You may get the occasion heavy rain, which if you enjoy the odd high and rough tides like me it's a great time to go. If you don't fancy surfing the waves, there's loads more of things to get up too. Like walking! The cliffs of Cornwall are outstanding, the best way to see the beaches and scenery. The paths will take you in and out, and through little villages. Everywhere you look the fresh, salty Cornish wind will blown into your face and you'll see beautiful snap shots of the coastline of Cornwall!

Harlyn Bay

Padstow! The village of many reasons why it's such a lovely place to go too. It's on the north coast of Cornwall. With sea front houses that look over the port with cafés, shops and restaurants especially a famous chiefs restaurant. Rick steins seafood restaurant. With very high standards and top notch fish and chips! You can't beat it! Padstow is place where you can keep on going to it, year after year, and you'll never find it the same as the last time you were there. You can enter Padstow on the Camel trail which is along side of the river Camel. Or you can take the more scenic route into the charming little village. The Trevone trail which is a cliff walk. You past beautiful beaches, scenery and wildlife, with some extraordinary views!

This snap shot is on the path leading into the village of padstow.

You'll always get a perfect picture of Cornwall. These pictures were taken by my younger sister who's only 11 and they are still as perfect as the pictures my older sister took of Antigua and Barbados. It just goes to show anyone can make this place special. Cornwall is definitely a place I'll always look back too and remember the fun times and special memories I had with my family. From scenery to boarding to just standing on the cliff watching the world go by. It's one holiday I'll never get bored off even if I go year after year. It will always be a beautiful special place to me. Especially Harlyn Bay. A place I can always call my second home!

The other side of Harlyn Bay which looks over the beach. A perfect place to watch the sunset.

Just Chillin...

Barbados! Another amazing exotic island to go to and experience. It was a much different experience than Antigua. Antigua was more of a relax-and-do-nothing holiday and Barbados was more of a lets-go-all-out-there holiday. The place where I stayed at was still beautiful. There was still clear waters that surrounded the island and white sand beaches that stretched out into the distance. Our beach stretched out for a mile. A mile of white soft sand.

However the beaches were still amazing but the wildlife beats Antigua by a small margin. From crabs to turtles. You could still see turtles in Antigua but in Barbados you could have the experience of swimming with them. It was definetly a experience you wouldn't say no too and it was certainly a highlight of this holiday. You travelled on a glass bottom boat, just a little way out of the bay, then you would stop and there they were. Waiting for you. Drifting in and out of other turtles. There must of been at least seven. They swam elegantly around you, like you weren't there or like you were one of them.

It wasn't just green back turtles I saw on the island of Barbados but I also saw monkeys. This was unexpected! Out of thin air they appeared one by one. Swinging from tree to tree, walking along the branches, casually eating chunks of apple, ignoring you as you walked past. They would suddenly stop and stare if they sensed a camera pointing towards them, just so you could get a great snap shot. The locals would just walk past them as if they were passing people in the street. I would just stand there and watched them with their day-to-day life like it was something amazing.

Before I flew over Bardabos I was thinking if it was a flat island, considering Barbados is the most developed island for tourists to go to. But as you fly over the island you'll see rolling hills, and hidden with in the hills are said to be the "eighth natural wonder of the world" to the people of Barbados. From the Aurora Borealis to the Victoria falls, the "eighth wonder of the natural world" lies beneath the hills of Barbados... Harrisons Cave! I know it doesn't sound fancy like the Aurora Borealis but it certainly had a bewitching charm to it. It seemed like it was raining inside the cave and it was a very unique natural wonder! There was pillars which were hanging on the roof of the cave and standing up on the floor on the cave. These were called Stalactites (these were hanging down like chandeliers) and Stalagmites (these grow through the floor of the cave.) The Stalagmites were gathered together to make a little "village". A steam of fresh pure water entwines through the stalagmites which leaves you with a stunning picture.

Jet Skiing! One word that describes this water thrill is WOW! One saying they say in Barbados is "Do it on water". It's one of the best things I've ever done! As the passenger, it's about the wind and the sea in your face. As the driver, it's about the speed. And this was the best part. I've always wanted to go jet skiing however I didn't think I would be the one driving! You really feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins. It's amazing! When I was the passenger I had the urge to let go and to the Titanic pose like they did on the front of the boat. However I didn't, I thought it would be best if i saved it for the next I went on. Barbados is definetly one of the greatest places I've been too.  The whole experience of swimming with turtles, the caves and jet skiing were extraordinary! This is certainly a holiday I would always remember!

Hello from paradise

A slice of paradise! The island of Antigua. With its clear blue seas and white stretches of sand. When I mean white sand, I mean white. I thought the adverts would lie about the sea and sand, but i was wrong, it was a picture perfect postcard from paradise.

It's the best place I've been for a long time. It was somewhere I could think; a space to breath; a place where you could escape to and forget about the worries of everyday life. The silence was somehow calming and relaxing. You could just sit there without being pestered. It was perfect. It was tranquil.

I stayed at a hotel called Hawksbill Bay. One of the 365 beaches on this small, exotic island. One for every day of the year. Hawksbill Bay is located in the Five Island Peninsula, five minutes from the capital, St John. A large rock, about half a mile offshore from Hawksbill Bay, is shaped like the head of a hawksbill turtle which gives the place its name. Another place I went to, which is said to be the best place to watch the sunset was Shirley Heights, English Harbour. This was on the south coast of the island. Shirley Heights looked over the boats and yachts. I don't know why it's called English Harbour beacuse the atmosphere was so bright and lively, with traditional Caribbean steel drums playing , the sound of laughter and the orange sun sinking behind the sea to end another day. It was nothing like England.

It wasn't just the beauty of the landscape which made Antigua so special for me but the wildlife was out of this world. They were all stunning in their own unique way. The mixture of colours and personalities were amazing. The birds especially were the ones which stood out. They skimmed the water so elegantly, without touching the still water, however watching them was like nothing like a piegon flying over your garden wall.

.

The sea, the sand, the people, the food and the atmosphere were captivating. I've got to say a thanks to Virgin Atlantic, who gave us six free travel-anywhere-you-want tickets with Virgin Atlantic, switched us to a British Airways flight and gave us $65 each for food and drink at some fancy cricket hotel. It was great. We used the tickets to go Barbados, it's still very beautiful too because everyehere in the caribbean is, but it wasn't a patch on Antigua. It made me think that maybe it was meant to be, to show me that such a small island can stick out from the crowd. And it did. It was certainly a slice of paradise!