In June my little brother Ben who is very nearly 3 and me, Sam, 4 and ¾ so I’m much bigger and more knowledgeable about dinosaurs, went on holiday to Cornwall. We were looking forward to spending sunny days playing on the beach.
“Weather’s not looking that great” dad said as we were setting off.
“Better not forget the Regatta then!” mum replied rushing back in for my favourite softshell and coat which are both red and make me look grown up and like a footballer. Mum said Ben had a different green checked softshell and a blue coat because he is the littlest but I think it’s because I’m the best at football. They loaded yet more bags into the car and we set off on the very long journey to Cornwall which is so far away because it is right down at the bottom of the country.
For the first few days the sun shone and we paddled in the sea which was very cold, built sandcastles and played frisby on Porthminster beach in St Ives. It’s a big sandy beach with lots of family friendly facilities so was great for us to play on though you have to be fit as a footballer to climb back up the steep hill that leads down to it. On Wednesday the skies turned an ominous grey so we busied ourselves inside colouring in dinosaurs but they’d soon rampaged around the holiday apartment eating everything in sight.
“We can’t stay in here all week” mum said despairingly to dad “Come on boys let’s see if it’s raining outside”
It was a bit drizzly outside but luckily Cornwall still has lots of places to visit on a wet day so we got into the car and drove to Sennen Cove to get something to eat and watch the surfers from the shelter of The Beach restaurant – www.thebeachrestaurant.com. We had a yummy lunch, I had pasta which looked like wiggly worms and I even tried some of my dad’s Newyln crab sandwich too. Then we decided to put our hoods up and go to get a closer look at the stormy sea.
It was really windy on the beach but running and jumping soon warmed us up.
The rain got a little bit heavier so mum decided we should put our coats on too. We had lots of rainy day fun.
Dad said that when we are a bit bigger we can do an adventure walk from Sennen Cove to Lands End which is at the very bottom of Britain. The walk is about 3 miles to Lands End and it takes you round the coastal path, there is even the remains of a shipwreck to be seen on the way. I would like to go as I think I might find some dinosaur bones too. You can find out about this walk and alternative routes back to Sennen Cove at www.southweatcoastpath.com.
The next day was also rainy so this time we decided to drive down to St Michaels Mount to visit the magic castle there. People say a big giant called Cormoran used to live in it, if I lived there I think I would have a pet dinosaur to scare away any unwanted visitors .You can find out all about the place and how to visit at www.stmichelsmount.co.uk. It’s a national trust property so members can get in for free which made my dad very happy. Unfortunately the sea was so rough that the castle was closed because the boats couldn’t get across with visitors. If I lived there my pet dinosaur would be able to paddle through the rough sea so people I liked could still come to see me on stormy days.
So instead of the magic castle we went to visit a little fishing village called Mousehole but the people in Cornwall call it “mauzel”. The village has lots of narrow streets so Ben and I found lots of secret passages which we don’t think many people knew about. I couldn’t take my pet dinosaur for a visit here as he would get stuck down most of the streets! The sky had brightened up a bit but the sea was still quite stormy here and waves were crashing against the harbour walls.
We decided to put our hoods up and walk along it daringly to see if it splashed us. A huge wave battered the wall as we got close to the end though Ben and I were fine in our Regatta coats but my Auntie Jo got a very soggy bottom.
To dry off we went to play on the beach again looking for shells and throwing pebbles in the sea. Mousehole harbour is very pretty with lots of fishing boats and I got to sit in one to test out my sea legs. I was hoping to see some pirates too but I think they were busy looking for treasure.
Mousehole has lots of things to do if you visit– you can go on boat trips and fishing trips where you might even catch a shark! You can walk on the coast path or play on its small sandy or pebbly beach like Ben and I did when we were there. It also has a Wild Bird Hospital www.mouseholebirdhospital which we visited where people can bring injured birds so that they can get better. We saw some birds with only one leg or one wing who will have to live there for the rest of their lives now and some seagull chicks who will hopefully return to the wild. It is also famous for its artistic community and has lots of little shops and galleries to visit. I had to be very careful not to knock anything over and am wondering if there might be a market for some of my dinosaur artwork? You can find out about Mousehole and the places to visit nearby at www.cornwall-online.co.uk
In the afternoon mum said we had been very good boys so we could have an icecream. It was really yum.
By the end of the day I seemed to have a big splodge on my softshell and nobody was sure whether it was icecream or a present from a seagull
But Mum says there’s nothing to worry about because it will easily wash out though.
Sam, Dinosaur expert and fan of holidays in Cornwall aged 4 and ¾’s
