Happy Birthday Doug!

After opening numerous presents this morning Doug was ready for today’s adventures.  Within an hour of leaving our little cottage we were in Padstow – we quite like Padstow (and the Cornish north coast in general).  Having said that the shops are now full of high priced clothes and tourist tat but there are some lovely walks along the River Camel estuary especially on the sands when the tide is out.

Looking across the very wide Camel estuary to the very over priced village of Rock.  In the dunes to the left of Rock is the little church of St Enodoc,  Trebetherick where the poet laureate Sir John Betjeman is buried.

The outer harbour at Padstow with tide out – very muddy!

The inner harbour – not so muddy!

We wandered around some of the back streets (giving Oscar a reasonable walk) and found this delightful mews of Alms houses built in 1875.

After a little more walking we decided on where would eat (Oscar having to be allowed in as well!) – so we had a very nice lunch at the Harbour Inn.

Here’s the birthday boy after lunch.  The big coat seems to suggest it was cold today but we’ve had temperatures of 10 degrees – very lucky.

After lunch a thick drizzle came down the estuary so we decided to motor on to another old haunt of ours – Port Isaac (where Doc Martin is filmed).  Like so many of the lovely old fishing villages of Cornwall, this one has succumbed to the dreaded “holiday home” blight and is now virtually a museum piece. 

The is the view across the natural harbour of Port Isaac.  The white house on the right is one we rented for a holiday about 10 years ago.  It is perched on the rock edge and felt very much as though we were in mid air as we looked out across the water.  The small cottage to the left of “our” white house is Doc Martins’ surgery in the TV series.

A view showing the harbour and old village.  Much of the old village has only very narrow streets and alleyways and anything big has to lugged by hand to the houses………..

Here is James (looking very worried for no reason!) about to walk down the narrowest “street” in the village.

A last picture of birthday boy.  We had another great day today!