The last time I was in Cornwall was when R and I got married – 2 years ago. Time and money always tend to get in the way of me making the 800 mile round trip. But eventually I couldn’t stand it any longer and hopped on a train to take the 9 hour trip down to my favourite place in the UK – Falmouth – to see some old friends and have a couple of days to myself in the sun.

I usually stay with friends when I go down but this time I didn’t want to impose, and wanted a bit more control over my schedule, so I booked a room in the Gyllyngvase House hotel. I got myself a cute little single with a shared bathroom, which was all I needed really. The hotel was old and a bit musty, but clean, comfortable and quiet, so it served me well. In fact, I spent the majority of my time sitting in the garden in the sun, reading an Ursula Le Guin novel.

I also caught up with my 2 favourite Fal people, Ilka and Laura, met Laura’s lovely fella Dom, had dinner at the Jakes with an old pal, Rich, and spent some time sunbathing at Gylly beach. The sun was so hot I burned in about 10 minutes, leaving me with an embarrassing case of trucker arm. I also had lunch at my favourite cafe – The Courtyard Cafe – picked up a couple more books at the famous Beerwolf Books, and spent a couple of hours shopping in Truro. Overall it was a really good visit: quiet, calm, sunny and restorative. Exactly what I needed. And next time I go down I’ll be able to fly and rent a car, which will give me a bit more freedom to visit some of the other places I love in Cornwall, such as Kynance and Trebah.

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