Bright skies and blue seas in Cornwall

Didn't I say the skies are brighter and the sea is bluer in Cornwall? And how right I was - I've just returned from break in Cornwall that was both energising (breathe in that sea air) and relaxing (stoke up that log fire).



Like a flock of noisy seagulls, we descended with six other families, on Treyarnon Youth Hostel in Cornwall for a long weekend. The hostel occupies the most enviable position on the cliff above Treyarnon beach, which is only one in a string of near perfect beaches, with sand to build castles, rock pools to dabble in, and rolling surf. Seven bays for seven days is the local saying, and you could try out a different beach for each day of the week.

The youth hostel is open all year round and as hostels go is pretty top of the range (and I've tried a few!) In fact it's so popular that there's not a bed left for August this year and they're taking bookings already for summer 2009. But better to try an out of season break before the crowds hit Cornwall and you can have the place to yourself.


They have a cafe here for evening meals, a bar where you can sample Cornish real ales, or cook up your own seafood feast in the self-catering kitchen. Big efforts have been made to jazz up the sitting and dining areas with trendy burnt orange and sea blue walls, surf boards hanging from every surface and the work of local artists and photographers decorating the walls. With an open fire in the evening, this was the place to cosy up with a board game or a good book.

The rooms sleep from 3 to 6 people and are all kitted out with pine bunk beds, primrose walls and cheerful curtains - the best of 1980's design. It's perfectly suited to families and out-door types although romantic couples or style gurus might be disappointed. Some of the rooms even have en-suite bathrooms, although on the functional side - think school dorm rather than Travel Lodge. Oh yes, the days of communal potato peeling are long gone as the YHA re-invents itself, to serve a new generation of happy hostellers.

The cliff path runs in both directions from outside the hostel. We wandered along round to the next beach at Constantine bay, passing stone benches set up in memory to those who must have also enjoyed these views. Who were the Captain and the purple lady? I wondered as I sat on their bench and mentally toasted them with their motto; the sun is always over the yard arm. Or Nick, who lived from 1973 to 2000, and whose beautiful stone bench and table, gazing seaward, was engraved with a motor-bike and adorned with a bunch of fresh flowers.


At low tide there are rock pools enough to keep children happy for hours - there's even one that's big enough to swim in, known as the Treyarnon swimming pool, which the children dipped a toe in. This area is a mecca for surfers - there's a surf school just round the bay and we saw plenty braving the freezing water, bobbing like seals in their wetsuits. We strolled along the broad sandy beach of Constantine bay, backed by dunes, past the more rocky Booby's beach which only reveals itself at low tide, and on to the lighthouse at Trevose head. Then back to the hostel to enjoy that cosy bar and roaring fire.


There's plenty more to keep you busy here and I'll be posting soon about our visit to the fishing village of Padstow and a stroll through the sand dunes to find a half buried church and the final resting place of the Poet Laureate, John Betjeman.

See many more photos on my flickr site here.