Of the more sensible inhabitants of the cold, rainy islands located in the North Western backwater of Europe (often referred to as the UK), most would take the opportunity to holiday in sunnier climes when winter rocks up on the doorstep. Others though, head to the West Country in search of horizontal rain, hail and freezing temperatures. But why, and what does Cornwall in November offer the beleaguered traveller? More than you might imagine.
Excuses Excuses
Apart from the 650 mile round trip, the 45mph winds and inclement weather patterns, what other reason was there for me to visit “Kernow” in the chillier stages of 2023? Well, I have a daughter who lives there, so it seems appropriate to visit once in a while.
The last time we visited, was in May 2023 and at that time the prevailing winds were much more appealing. Literally. But when the weather is good and flights from Stansted to Newquay are £20 return, it would have been remiss of me to not take advantage of such an offer. Sadly though, this offer was temporary, so we had to resort to a more old fashioned system of transportation. Driving.
Mapped Out
But rather than use Google Maps to get there I would have preferred the old school, OS paper map system, because then you can fold it somewhere around Swindon and voila! the border of Cornwall magically appears on the outskirts of Reading, rather than where it seems to reside; out in the distant, mid Atlantic horse latitudes.1
Wednesday
Now, because Vikki does this thing where she drives to a building in Witham, stays for the day and they give her money (she calls it work) we were unable to leave until Wednesday lunchtime, so we decided that perhaps an overnight stop en route was in order.
The Mitre
We stayed at a place called The Mitre Inn, in Sanford Orcas, Dorset, which has a quaint charm and was very reasonably priced, especially since we left without paying.
Bonnie & Clyde
How we chuckled when a somewhat agitated owner phoned us later in the day asking us if we had any intention of settling the bill? We said no and hung up.2
Thursday
We spent Thursday in nearby Sherborne, which is a very old but pleasing town, which sits on Dorset’s northern border with Somerset.
Ethel Who?
Now, due to a passing interest I hold in the olde worlde, I discovered two Saxon Kings were buried in Sherborne Abbey: King Æthelbald (who wasn’t) and King Æthelberht (who was). I’m going to be slightly disappointed if you’re now not saying to yourselves, “King who?”
Well, Æthelbald died in 860, and it appears he was not averse to a little scandal since he married his stepmother, ran a brothel and invented a reality TV series called Thee Only Waye Is Wessex.3
Æthelbald was also brother to the slightly more famous Alfred the Great (of Great British Bake Off fame).
Abbey
We had a walk round the Abbey, was given the full history of the building (even though we only asked if they were doing Cream Teas) and continued our ‘pilgrimage’ to the west.
External view of Sherborne Abbey, Norman Vaulted Roof (including Third Reich Eagle in foreground) and view of Sherborne High Street (Cheap St.)
We didn’t get very far because I discovered Sherborne also has a record shop which is so old the owner could remember the 1960’s. It was called Ye Olde Recorde Shoppe and sold wooden records by The Beech Boys (ha ha).
We then discovered Sherborne has an artisan coffee shop too, so I was really warming to the place.
We bought coffee and continued west.
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Greensplat
One thing I like about driving to Cornwall (and quite possibly the only thing) are the place names en route. Like Pathfinder Village, or London Apprentice; Greensplat and Merry Meeting; Posha and Polyphant. And yes, they really do exist. Just off the A30.
The Heavens
As we continued on the A30, we noted the weather had been particularly kind to us (for the time of year) until we got to Bodmin, about 15 minutes from our destination. That’s when the dark clouds descended, the heavens opened, and the horizontal rain began.
Friday
Now safely ensconced in Cornwall proper, we spent Friday afternoon at a place called The Pig (really) which is near Padstow. It’s an old manor house, now an upmarket restaurant and hotel, with on-site home grown fruit and veg and home reared animals (so not vegan).
After spending the afternoon shovelling down several, small but perfectly formed plates, we went home, watched The Sinner on Netflix and planned a trip to Mevagissy the next day.
Saturday
Now, Mevagissey often comes out as Megavissey (at least when I say it) so it seemed appropriate to sing the “Binley Mega Chippy” song over and over until people became slightly disturbed by the troubling mantra. Binley Mega Vissey…
You sing “Binley Mega Chippy” to the tune of “For he’s a jolly good fellow” and that’s it. However, it doesn’t scan correctly, as there are 8 syllables in the original tune and only 6 in the Binley version, but that just adds to its simplistic charm (apparently).
However, Binley Megavissey, or just Mevagissey does have its own Mega Chippy ironically enough.
Other interesting activities in Mevagissey include the underwater museum (a must for all scuba divers).
The Marine Aquarium where a permanent sign on the door reads “Back In 10 Mins.”
Other attractions are the harbour and the bracing lighthouse walk, where you can transform into a real life ice sculpture on the way.
But it also has a shop called Brocante which, when you go in you have money in your bank account but when you come out, it has mysteriously been transformed into a framed picture (of vinyl records admittedly).
5th Dimension
I’ve been reading this book about 5th dimensional thinking, which is where you connect to your ‘higher-self”, and live without fear or judgement. Now, it suggests that you can ‘ask’ the universe for guidance in times of difficulty or confusion. So, regarding buying the picture I thought I’d give it a go.
So, Vikki gave me a 50 pence piece and I put it out there. I flicked it into the air. Heads I would go with my head i.e. the logical, rational decision e.g. “No.” Tails would be the heart driven, emotional “Yes” decision.4
It was the most expensive 50p I’ve ever had. So, my bank account is empty but I have a nice picture on the wall as a reminder of my halcyon days of financial stability.
Sunday
We left on Sunday but the 5D imagery was clearly having a profound and powerful effect on me. Because this is what happened.
We drove up the A30, the A303, the M3, M25 (South), through roadworks, the Dartford tunnel, onto the A13 and back to Maldon. And didn’t hit any traffic at any time.
Stonehenge
Not even at Stonehenge. It slowed, but anyone who’s used the A303 at Stonehenge will know that sometimes you’re there so long it feels as if you arrived before Stonehenge even existed.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: multidimensional, higher plane transformation I can accept, but no traffic at the Dartford Tunnel? What utter nonsense!
Cornwall in November – Conclusion
So, that’s my little trip to Cornwall in November. Cold yes, but surprisingly dry. And there are places to go, things to do, stuff to buy, Mega Chippies to eat at (and more refined restaurants) and no traffic on the way home. Perhaps I was the only one foolish enough to think driving to Cornwall in November was a good idea. But get this: it was.
Thank you for your time.
- The Horse Latitudes are an area of ocean where becalming winds prevail. In times past, cargo ships travelling to the New World could be stuck for weeks at a time. To preserve water, horses being transported would be left behind.
- It was a mix-up with Booking.com and we did pay…eventually.
- Sadly only the step-mother part is thought to be true.
- This is not strictly 5th dimensional thinking, this is gambling on a two-horse race