It seems I’ve been on quite the unintentional blogging hiatus this year, though considering the life changes I've made, I think it’s understandable. I'll leave it to my end of year review to go into more detail about those but I've caught the blogging itch again.

Back in May (see, I told you it had been a while) myself and Dan spent a couple of days down in Cornwall to celebrate our sixth anniversary. I thought I'd share some photographs of where we stayed and what our days looked like incase you fancied checking any of it out for yourself.

Retallack Resort & Spa

We used one of our favourite alternative accommodation websites to find this place (link at the bottom of this post). I wouldn't necessarily say this place was 'alternative' but it was clean, modern, overlooked a lake and was well priced. Not to mention it was equal distance from several places we wanted to visit, making it a great base to explore from. The spa area with pool, sauna and steam room was a little dated but the site also boasts an outdoor watersport and aqua park, which you could see from our apartment.

The surrounding area was quiet and peaceful (though it was low-season). We loved waking up and feeding the ducks that bobbed about outside our window. The downstairs apartments were dog-friendly and had much bigger decked areas to sit and enjoy a sunny breakfast.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

On Monday we visited The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey in Cornwall. There was plenty of parking, which was a nice surprise. I would love to come back here on a slightly less sunny day as I prefer to take photos in more overcast conditions.

“Today Heligan’s 200 acres are a paradise for the explorer, wildlife, plant lover and garden romantic. Heligan, seat of the Tremayne family for more than 400 years, is one of the most mysterious and romantic estates in England. A genuine secret garden, it was lost for decades; its history consigned to overgrowth.”

Full of dreamy glasshouses and palms that have almost outgrown their homes, Heligan was a joy to explore. I highly recommend it to anyone if you happen to be in the area.

I was completely fascinated by the Victorian pineapple pits at Heligan. Made from just brick and glass, these pits are designed to be heated by a fresh supply of decomposing horse manure. The heat from it warms the air in a separate chamber and then enters the pits through vents in the adjoining wall.

Fun fact: After an initial taste test by the staff, the second pineapple ever grown at Heligan was later gifted to the Queen.

The images here are just a small taste of when Heligan has to offer. There’s so much more to enjoy then what I was able to capture on an unusually sunny English day but I hope it’s given you some inspiration anyway.

Bedruthan Steps

After visiting Heligan, we jumped back in the car and made our way to a stretch of coastline I have wanted to visit for a very long time. Bedruthan Steps is located on the north Cornish coast between Padstow and Newquay and partially owned by the National Trust.

Whilst wandering along the beach (which is only accessible during low tide) we came across an oil-painter upon a rocky ledge complete with canvas and wooden easel. Now I don’t know if you’ve ever visited Bedruthan Steps before but the descent down the steps to the bay is not easy with a camera slung over your shoulder, let alone a full painting setup. It’s that kind of passion for the arts that I love and admire. It’s what drives me to write these blog posts after a long day at work. I wanted to take a picture of the painter but the sadly the light was just too harsh.

This is another place I would love to visit again at golden hour or when it’s a bit foggier.

After leaving the coast we spent the evening back at the resort. The next day we drove to Polzeath Beach for a surf before heading home. The weather was bright and sunny but the water was choppy so we both took a bit of a beating but no trip to Cornwall would be complete without a surf.