Let’s be honest. Four days in Cornwall in the rain is not really what anyone wants out of their summer holiday. But when you’re dealt that card, the best thing to do is get on with it, and give thanks for being outdoorsy!
We’re all going on a summer holiday
Of course I sulked on the drive west as gallon after gallon of rain poured out of the sky. Muttering about why we hadn’t booked a trip to Greece like sensible people… I repeatedly muttered how very unfair it was on Little B. I wanted nothing more than for him to be able to play on the beach with a bucket and spade and toddle in and out of the sea in the sunshine in his nappy. A new adventure for him, the last proper visit to the beach was in February when he was only 6 months old!
My spirits lifted when we stopped at Burger King en route and baby basically had the best time! As far as he was concerned this was his holiday! He ate his risotto in the window seat with a crown on and screeched ‘tractor’ every time a truck parked up nearby. Then we went for a little walk round the car park after lunch and looked at big wheels and he was in baby boy heaven! He was having the best time on holiday, and we’d only reached a truck stop… It was going to be ok, my spirits were restored by a trip to a truck stop and fast food joint!!
And as it happened, it didn’t rain solidly for all of our trip like the forecast implied. Cornwall is always better than the weather forecast in my 38 years of experience.
A holiday is a holiday and make the best of it we did. We are British after all. We didn’t quite sit in deckchairs on the beach with our umbrellas up eating ice cream (although we did sit outside in the pub with a cornish pint in our winter woollies…). But we have all the outdoor and waterproof clothing any family could ever need, so we put it to good use!
Fun and laughter on our summer holiday
So my best advice for Cornwall on a gloomy day is to watch the sky. If you see it brightening in the slightest then get suited and booted and head outside straight away. Make the most of any window of dryness on an otherwise grim day. And know where your nearest shelter is!
Every time the sky cleared we were on the footpath to the beach by the time a little bit of brightness or sun appeared. We made the most of every second, and that meant we normally had an empty beach too!
A fair amount of time was spent with the camera on a tripod and me clicking away using the phone remote control. I wanted to get pictures of us as a family on the beach, and of Little B up on his legs. He really mastered walking unaided on this trip. I also wanted pictures that weren’t posed, where he didn’t realise he was on camera, as I wanted to capture the his excitement at his seaside adventure. Seeing things we love through his innocent eyes is something I will always cherish.
Our first trip to the beach was pretty bleak. He was in his puddle suit with a bobble hat on and it was almost bedtime. We’d had a glass of wine at his tea time and when it stopped raining we were always going to take a stroll. He was largely unimpressed to start with (take me back to soft play purlease he chatted to us…) but quickly he became wide eyed. He was fascinated, it’s fair to say he loved it even though there were no cows or tractors!
The next trip he slept through. He was suffering from a fever and the arrival of the first of his molars during our holiday and on one day slept for most of the time. So he missed the time he was in his pram on the beach and water surrounded him entirely! We managed a sneaky coffee and cake at the little cafe in the village, trés civilised!
On our next trip there were actual shafts of bright light coming through the clouds and onto the beach. The sea and the wet sand glowed. He loved it. Still in his hat and puddlesuit, but this time he was crawling around in the sand, throwing it, eating it and generally enjoying it any which way.
As you can see, he wouldn’t wear his new wellies as he struggled to walk in them, so he filled his shoes with wet sand instead!
We’re going where the sun shines brightly, we’re going where the sea is blue
Thankfully for our final trip down to the beach there was real sunshine. And blue skies. All of the hotel guests were down on the beach, their babies in the sand, taking all the photos and making sure the little ones had their summer holiday! We also had to share our ice creams…
It was stunning, a warm and sunny afternoon like we’d wished they’d all been. But it didn’t matter they all weren’t because for the hour that we enjoyed the sunshine on the beach it was heaven and Little B was in paradise. Toddling along with us on the edge of the water and almost getting caught in the surf. Crawling through the dry sand much like a turtle and getting it everywhere. Investigating all the little RNLI vehicles that were parked up in case of emergency.
We didn’t actually stray further than the beach on our trip. There was no need. If it had been a sunny week we’d have been off on the coastal paths for miles, true. But as it was we had excellent accommodation at The Bedruthan and a great little beach to use when the time was right. I don’t remember the last time I took a holiday and moved such a short distance from the hotel. But on this holiday it worked, for us all. It’s a good lesson, that sometimes not rushing to do and see everything is the best thing to do with a little person when you all need a bit of down time too!
To make our dreams come true
He loved it. We loved it. Even the gloomy bits. Even the rain.
Yes, it mostly rained on our summer holiday. But it didn’t matter. Holiday is about time together and simple adventures. Living life through a babies eyes will teach you that if you give them the opportunity. It’s not about whichever fancy exotic place you want to visit next, but about filling their imagination and lives with adventure and experience. Have joy in the simple things.
I didn’t leave the UK on an aeroplane until I was 20 and I had the happiest time and the best holidays going to my grandparents in Cornwall. I turned out ok! And so did our holiday – for a little person it was full of adventure, whether on the beach or in the hotel. And much as I love flying away somewhere, staying in the UK is so very much easier.
Yes, we played roulette with the weather, but who cares because we had the best of times doing what we do best – relaxing and adventuring in the great outdoors. It was a pleasure to introduce Little B to the best part of the UK, somewhere I hope he’ll come to love and know as much as we do.
What a lovely holiday! The rain didn’t seem to matter at all!
Author
We went prepared and B was happy at Burger King so the beach and the hotel was all a massive delight on that basis!£