We continued west over the Tamar River on the Torpoint chain ferry into Cornwall,
stopping first at Lostwithiel,
and spent some time with friends
Gayle and Vince at St. Austell, including a lovely visit to Fowey, a beautiful
river estuary where I have sailed to many years ago.
There we had to enjoy a
Cornish Cream Tea now that Anita has discovered clotted cream.
Thanks to Gayle posting a photo in
Facebook and tagging Anita her friend from the past Lena contacted us. We did
not know she had just moved to Cornwall and we were able to meet up with her
for a few hours before returning to Plymouth.
Again David hosted us and we took a
trip out to Rame Head,
Looe
and Polperro with him.
We stopped for lunch with a
lovely lady artist, known as George.
Finally we went out for more live
music at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth where the Cabarats band were playing their lively style of Balkan
influenced music. They really had us dancing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZvVH6ZU1DY
It was time to drive back to
Sidmouth and take Mother to the Golden Lion at Tipton St. John where we enjoyed
scampi and chips and a home-made dessert. Mine was a delicious traditional
British treacle tart with custard.
The final night in Bournemouth at
the Royal Bath Spa Hotel was a disappointment. We paid a higher price to be
able to be there for a relaxing sauna evening, but it did not materialise as
the spa closed early at weekends, we had to pay 10 GB Pounds to park over night
to Bournemouth Council in a car park, and the hotel wanted another 10 GB Pounds
to use the sauna. There was not time to enjoy it, nor did we expect to be asked
to pay extra (read the small print !!). We should have stayed somewhere
different. There is street parking but only free from 9 pm to 8 am.
We dropped the rental car off at Bournemouth
airport the following morning. Weather was cold and damp and we were happy to
be heading south again.
