Well I had the best nights sleep, I think either Hunter was so tired he slept and didn’t fidget or he was closer to Luke than he was to me and kept him awake most of the night instead! Whichever one it is, is completely fine by me, as I woke up (at 8am) feeling much more awake than previous mornings.

Luke and I have another free day today, and to be honest we were really not sure what to do with ourselves. As I have previously mentioned I am finding being here with Hunter really difficult this year, and I think this Staycation will be our last, and if not ours then most definitely Hunters. Whilst dogs are welcome in most cafes, restaurants, tea rooms and on the beaches, that is kind of it really. Most of the attractions don’t allow dogs, so unless you have a well behaved non anxious dog that can be left alone, you may find yourself in our position.

The weather was lovely today and the sun was out so it seemed an awful shame to waste the day away sitting in the house. Whilst I was showering Luke made the executive decision to check out the little fishing port of Boscastle which was a short 30 minute drive from the house we are staying in, in Bude.

I knew nothing about Boscastle but as soon as we got there and parked up in cobweb car park (yes honestly that was its name) I instantly fell in love with it. This place is far more stunning and quaint than Padstow and is officially my new favourite place in Cornwall!! The village itself is so picturesque and it’s not hard to see why it is a popular tourist destination. Among the attractions are the Museum of Witchcraft, Uncle Paul’s Emporium, and the Boscastle pottery shop.

Luke and I spent time walking along the Harbours edge just admiring it’s breathtaking views and clear waters, it looks like a place that belongs in a film.

Of course we indulged in a clotted cream vanilla ice cream (I whole heartedly think it would have been rude not too!) and for the record it was the best ice cream I have had so far on both trips to Cornwall.

Feeling hungry from all the walking, we decided on a spot of lunch, there are so many pubs, tea rooms and cafes to choose from all with delicious menus that I really couldn’t decide on what I fancied! After careful consideration we settled on eating at the Wellington Hotel because on the menu was a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich that quite honestly had my name on it! The Wellington Hotel was old looking and just fitted right in, in beautiful Boacastle, the staff were super friendly and gave Hunter lots of attention. We sat outside and the sun had continued to shine, and for that I was very thankful for. I ordered my sandwich and Luke went for steak, and it was lovely to be sat outside with the sun on my face with my fiancé and Hunter. The smoked salmon sandwich is highly recommended!!

Tummy’s completely full and satisfied we continued our leisurely walk around Boscastle taking in all it had to offer, including a phone box that had been brilliantly turned into a book shop! How amazing!!!!

We popped in and out of shops and treated ourselves to some delicious pieces of cake (it’s a staycation okay, calories don’t count!)

I was sad to leave this beautiful place at the end of an amazing day, I think I could have stayed all day wondering around and never getting bored, when a place is as beautiful as Boscastle how can you get bored?

Today has by far been the best day, and the sun shining up in the sky was like the cherry on top of a very scrummy, delicious cake.

The post Staycation Day Four appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

I woke up this morning not as groggy as yesterday although Hunter was still a pain most of the night and did nothing but move and fidget about, and even though I swapped sides with Luke he still seemed to gravitate towards me! Lucky he is super cute, and I love him!

Okay, so it was an early 06.45 alarm this morning as we were heading to my favourite place in Cornwall (so far) Padstow! I fell in love with Padstow last year for it’s beautiful scenery and surroundings, and so it was understandable that I couldn’t wait to get back there this year.

Doing things slightly different this year, it was decided that we would drive to a place called Rock park up in the car park and get the ferry over to Padstow. Last year we didn’t do this and even early in the morning the car parks of Padstow were packed and trying to locate a driving space was challenging. This idea was far better as the car park at Rock had plenty of spaces and the ferry only takes about 10/15 minutes!!

Full ferry information can be found here

The weather was a little fresh today however it was brighter than it had been on previous days, and that meant it was playsuit time although i did change playsuits about 3 times as they all were a bit too summery, and even though its August and technically summer, its way to chilly to embrace the summer vibes!

Arriving in Padstow just before 10am, I was surprised to find it SO SO packed, the harbour was so crowded, and I literally couldn’t believe how busy it was!! Far busier than Padstow was last year, like I have mentioned previously, Cornwall this year is super super busy, it seems everyone has picked it for their summer staycation.

Although I like Padstow I have come to realise that there isn’t actually an awful lot to do, and after a while it becomes I guess a little bit the same. The queues for the restaurants and even pasty shops were a long 20 minutes plus, and unfortunately Luke and I are very restricted because of Hunter and I don’t think I noticed it as much last year as I am this year. So Luke and I had a walk around the shops 5 times to pass some time whilst the others did some crabbing, and to be fair Hunter was in his element as he loves meeting and sniffing and playing with other dogs. He just gets restless if we’re not on the move, so we have to keep going.

Luke and I managed to grab some lunch on the go from the seafood stall located near where the ferry docks and leaves. We had 2 delicious (but small) prawn salads which cost £14 for both (a little expensive?)

And I got my coffee frappe (okay more iced coffee than frappe) but whatever it was amazing!

By early afternoon the sky was pretty overcast and you just knew that rain was imminent, so it was time to pack up and catch the ferry back to Rock. Whilst the ferry is a great idea on the way out, on the way back to the car park it was packed and a good 45 minute wait, although it did seem to move quite quickly.

Unfortunately whilst waiting for the ferry the rain did come down, which kind of scrapped any further plans that had been made for the remainder of the day, so back to the house it was for a BBQ, a delicious BBQ at that I might add, and my absolute complements to the chef who BBQ’d outside in the chilly august weather.

Happy to chill in the evening with a good old horror film, is there anything better?

Check out last years Padstow blog here

The post Staycation – Day Three appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

I woke up feeling pretty groggy this morning, and that is because Hunter was not so well behaved sleeping on the bed with Luke and I as he had been the night before! Hunter discovered that he could get IN the bed under the covers, and being covered up is something Hunter LOVES! So he was more than happy to bury himself under the duvet which was all fine until he got hot and then he likes to get out the bed and find his own cool spot. So all night I had Hunter jumping on my head, climbing over me to get out the bed, then doing exactly same when he wanted to get back into the bed! I had barely any room and woke up completely stiff from sleeping on the very edge of the bed…… Luke was completely oblivious and had a great nights sleep!!

So today Luke and I had a free day as everyone else was off to Carnglaze Caverns in the afternoon and out for a meal in the evening, but unfortunately dogs were not allowed. That was fine though as Luke and I wanted to head off and check out the little town of Bude.

Once again the day was a little overcast and chilly however the rain so far has held off and for that I am extremely thankful. A little sad that everyday has been jeans and sweaters with not a jumpsuit in site, BUT I’d rather that than RAIN.

Anyways Luke and I left the house just after midday and headed into Bude, and for the record it was BUSY! Everywhere seems extremely busy! Far busier than Cornwall was last year! We really struggled to find a car park that had any spaces and seemed to drive around for ages!!

Finally we found a space (at last) parked up and headed into town. Again town was packed full of people and dogs, there was just no spare room!!

We had a slow walk around the town, bought some fudge and had a cheeky ice cream before deciding on a spot of lunch. With the queue for most places being long we settled on eating at the Coachmen’s bar and grill as there was no queue and dogs were welcome. Well I wouldn’t be in a rush to eat here again, we were told that there was a restricted menu which was more than fine, however once seated and settled and the menu in front of us I realised that when they said restricted menu that actually MEANT restricted menu. There was a choice of Fish & chips, pizza and jacket potatoes – I mean all I wanted was a baguette!! Luke had fish & chips and I decided to share some of his chips as there was absolutely nothing that took my fancy! The food according to Luke was nice enough but they needed more choice on the menu!!

We walked around town for about an hour more before living the absolute high life and heading off to Morrison’s in search of a single iced coffee!! And YES I found my STARBUCKS finally!! Happy Lisa!! And okay it’s not a coffee frappe with oat milk, but it was still enjoyable.

Back at the house we had a nice chilled dinner and I caught up on Sunday nights Love Island, and Hunter couldn’t keep his eyes open and slept on the sofa!!

All in all it was a lazy Monday.

The post Staycation – Day Two appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

A Sunday lay in was on the cards this morning, and I have to say it was welcomed! I got into bed Saturday night and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! I had some seriously weird dreams, and then got woken up in the early hours by a cockerel doing his thing.

Still overall the sleep was good, and Hunter particularly enjoyed sleeping on the bed with us, waking us with lots of licks and kisses!

So it was decided we would have a slow morning followed by a day at Sandymouth beach. The weather was overcast but at least the rain was (for now) holding off.

Sandymouth beach was just a short car journey from our holiday home, and took no longer than 15 minutes.

We arrived at the beach just after midday, they have a large, manned, car park with 200 spaces at the top of the cliff, and I was surprised to see that there were still plenty of car parking spaces. The walk down to the shore leads you through a quite steep and narrow path, with some steps, which makes Sandymouth unsuitable for those who are less mobile. This lovely beach has its own waterfall and is serviced by a seasonal café, toilets and surf-hire. There is Lifeguard cover from the 15th of May until the 26th of September (2021).

As previously mentioned it was a chilly day, however I had planned ahead and myself, Luke and Hunter all had wetsuits!! Hunter looked super cute in his, I on the other hand didn’t!

Okay so if you are looking for a Sandy beach to build a big sandcastle on then Sandymouth beach is not for you, because despite the name the beach is full of big stones and pebbles with barely any sand in site! Although to be honest that suits me better as there is nothing worse than being Sandy and as we all know sand gets literally everywhere!

The sea today was particularly rough and Hunter wasn’t too keen on the waves (he’s such a wimp at times!) And wetsuit or no wetsuit the sea was COLD! Luckily we were all more than happy to sit and chill on the rocks, having some lunch and a drinking some Gin all while watching the waves kiss the shoreline over and over, it really is quite therapeutic.

A few hours later it was time to pack up and head back to the house for an evening BBQ.

I have to say I am missing Florida this year as technically this would have been our year to go again, but at the same time I am enjoying the chilled out relaxed vibe that naturally seems to accompany a Staycation. And Cornwall really is a most gorgeous part of the UK.

The post Staycation – Day One appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Today I was Newquay bound, and even though once again the rain had returned I really didn’t care as I was too excited to head to the place of surf!!

Newquay was a 50 minute drive from our holiday home but surely you cannot come all the way to Cornwall and NOT go to Newquay! I had heard so much about this place and seen many many photos from Facebook friends, I definitely needed to visit at least once!!

Located on Cornwall’s Atlantic Coast, Newquay has previously been voted as “One of the Nation’s Favourite Seaside Towns” in the prestigious Which Holiday Survey, “Best Family Holiday Destination” by readers of COAST magazine, and recently won Gold for “Best Seaside Towns for Families 2019” by Days Out with the Kids. Newquay also has some of Cornwall’s finest beaches!

Once again we opted to arrive early, making sure we got a good car parking space, Hunter as always was excited to be in yet more new surroundings and got straight to work sniffing around!! First stop on the agenda was to grab a cup of tea, hey it wasn’t just me that needed a caffeine fix, we all needed a little super charge, and I never say no to a tea!!

I then got to step foot on Fistral Beach, Britain’s most famous surfing beach, I mean this is a seriously popular beach, it was very busy, even for an early overcast Friday morning!! I absolutely loved it though, I can definitely see the appeal, I’ll use the word “cool” because there was a surfing school having lessons right there on the beach, I mean come on cool is the ONLY word to use!!

Deciding that this wasn’t the best beach for the littlest two members to play on, everyone packed up and headed to Great Western Beach which was a short walk from Fristal. I on the other hand was keen to check out the Newquay shops!!

Hunter enjoyed his day and we found a pet shop for him, so of course he got some treats, before having a little play around on the beach!

It was a super busy Friday, and clearly Newquay is very popular, I loved it, although not as quaint and pretty as some other places that I visited in Cornwall, you can’t travel all and that way and not visit Newquay!!

I can’t believe that this was my final day here in beautiful Cornwall, I have loved every single second of it. I’ve heard from various people who choose Cornwall as a annual getaway how lovely it was, but I never quite realised just how stunning and picturesque it is. Steeped in history, with a gorgeous rugged coastline and turquoise blue sea, it’s very easy to forget that you are still in the UK

In a year that has taught me to appreciate things more and to appreciate what’s on my own doorstep, Cornwall has been a little slice of paradise in what feels like a year straight out of an apocalyptic film.

The post Staycation – Cornwall Day 6 appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

And the rain came down ….. after 4 days of beautiful sunshine I woke up to the sound of rain and grey skies.

Luckily I packed fully prepared for British summertime weather, so the rain wasn’t going to stop me!

We headed off around midday in search of Merlin’s cave, which I had seen from a distance when I first arrived, but didn’t venture down too.

The rain was pretty torrential and I’m sure my rain mac was starting to leak a little!! Still I really did want to see as much as I could whilst I was here.

The cave is actually part of Tintagel castle (but you need to prebook tickets for that and we hadn’t which is why we just did the cave) There is a lot of history, myths and stunning scenery at Tintagel Castle which is set high on Cornwall’s rugged north coast. Linked with the legend of King Arthur it’s a pretty interesting place to visit. As I mentioned we didn’t book tickets to the castle although really it looks fascinating and steeped in so much history, but we were able to visit Merlin’s cave, which is free.

Okay, it was BUSY, like there was a long NO SOCIAL DISTANCING queue stretching down the steps to the cave, I was definitely intrigued to see what was in the cave, a shrine to Merlin himself maybe OR someone dressed up as Merlin (or is that too Disney?) either way it must be something good as I was in a long(ish) queue!!

After a good 10 minutes of waiting in the rain (did I even mention that it was raining?) I was finally down on the beach and heading towards the cave of wonders! Excited much! Finally I was there at the opening of the cave, okay, nothing to see just yet, but maybe if I go in a little further…… so I did, and a little further more, Hunter was now looking up at me with a face that was questioning what all the fuss was a actually about, and then it kind of hit me, this was JUST A CAVE! There was no shrine or Merlin, it was just cold, damp and echoey (which Hunter seemed to enjoy) oh and people were pushing in front too….. not really worth the wait! I made a quick exit, followed by Luke and Hunter! Okay so I wasn’t that impressed, maybe if I’d seen the whole castle too there may have been a bigger WOW factor, but a cave is a cave, so I’m not recommending it on this occasion.

There was some good photo opportunities on the rocks below and we had a little wet packed lunch, however I only ate half a bagel as I was saving myself for something far better…..

The walk back to the car park from the castle & cave was TOUGH, it’s all fun and games going down the hill to get to your destination but the hill back up is TORTURE!! You have been warned!

Whilst the others in our group went on to have a little stroll around Tintagel, Luke and I went to get ingredients to make a Bloody Mary and head home to start prepping dinner….

OKAY so here’s the really exciting bit about my Thursday, Luke AKA the best boyfriend in the world ordered us a Burger & Lobster lobster roll! Can we just take a second to appreciate that! I haven’t had one at all this year (thank you COVID-19) and when I got an email saying that they now do nationwide delivery, Luke jumped on it and got 6 (not all for me, honest) delivered to our “staycation” home in Tintagel Cornwall!!

It was quite possibly the BEST delivery I have ever seen, I was starving and couldn’t wait to start prepping!!

The price of a Burger & Lobster lobster roll kit is £28 for 2, and inside the kit is EVERYTHING you need to make your very own B&L authentic lobster roll!!

It was DELICIOUS, it was as good as if I was sat in one of the London restaurants, I was in my element, and sooooooo happy!! You know this girl loves a lobster roll!!

We finished the night off by watching the hangover part 2 (my personal favourite) with some unhealthy snacks, it was cute and cosy and a perfect end to the day.

The post Staycation – Cornwall Day 5 appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

I have come to the conclusion that Cornwall is picturesque and beautiful no matter which part you visit! And today was no different as I found myself wandering through the little side streets of Padstow.

It was an early start to the morning (something I’m used too when in Florida) So I had my alarm set for 7am and was ready to leave the holiday home at 8.30!

Our destination on this bright Wednesday morning was as I mentioned Padstow, a 50 minute drive from Tintagel.

Arriving nice and early it was already starting to get busy so I’m glad we didn’t leave much later, parking would definitely have been a nightmare.

As soon as I stepped out of the car I instantly loved Padstow – a fishing port with a beautiful Harbour. I saw fisherman going about they’re everyday life, which I found fascinating because I don’t believe I’ve ever actually seen a fisherman on any of my travels! There is a great mixture of houses, quays, boat slips, inns, cafés, restaurants, gift shops, literally something for everyone!

The harbour is undoubtedly the strongest attraction in the town, it’s so picturesque, like something straight out of a movie. Crabbing is a very popular pastime in Padstow and it was a perfect distraction for the 2 littlest members of our group who had a fab time sat along the harbour edge seeing how many crabs they could catch.

Quayside inns and cafes overlook the calm water and there are seats all around although it is a small town so beware that social distancing again seemed to be non existent.

It was here in Padstow that I had the most delicious lunch, well it would have been plain rude not to have sampled some fresh crab from the local fish stall right! Luke opted for a traditional Cornish pasty recommended by his dad who said that the best Cornish pasties come from Padstow, Luke confirmed that rumour to be true!!

I had a delightful afternoon walking around the little side streets, and along the harbour, we made a little stop at the pet shop to get Hunter a few treats, and then carried on to check out the beach.

Then weather had turned a little chilly late afternoon, and I really feel the cold, especially when I’m dressed in my playsuit, so Luke and I decided to leave everyone on the beach and start heading home with Hunter. On my way back to the car I was SO happy to find a little tea room that did a takeaway coffee frappe with oat milk YES! My first one since March!! Okay it wasn’t a Starbucks but it was pretty close!!

Finishing off a beautiful Wednesday with a Gin and home made Quorn & Tofu curry.

The post Staycation – Cornwall Day 4 appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Tuesday was a free day for Luke, Hunter and myself as everyone else was off to the Eden project for the day, and as good and interesting as I’m sure it is we couldn’t really justify spending the money to get in when we couldn’t do anymore than sit in the park area with Hunter. Deciding to give it a miss we opted for a chilled afternoon in the town of Tintagel with a spot of lunch at the Cornishman Inn.

The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny and perfect for having a slow walk around the little shops that line the streets of Tintagel, I also couldn’t wait to have some lunch in the pub garden, I love a pub lunch and really fancied a baguette (which I hoped was on the menu!)

Always mindful of Hunter out in the sun I was glad it wasn’t too hot, it was just right for him to be able to come out with us.

First stop for me was Rolys Fudge shop, I LOVE fudge and was keen to try some delicious homemade traditional fudge! Rolys use traditional recipes to make fresh fudge every day, which is handmade in full view for you to see, it’s fascinating to watch. Roly’s Fudge started in 1987 when the founders started to make homemade fudge in their farmhouse cottage kitchen. They decided to return to the artisan method of making fudge – no oils or additives were needed, just fine quality ingredients made with only traditional methods. With quite a few flavours to choose from I ended up picking a mix of Maple & Walnut and Honey Combe……… YES I can confirm that it was DELICIOUS!

Unfortunately due to the pandemic that is still very much affecting all of our lives, there were many shops that had sadly decided to remain closed for the time being, including a cute honey shop that I really wanted to go in to get some honey – I just LOVE honey!

Browsing in the shops that were open including a sweet shop (because who doesn’t love sweets!) it wasn’t long before I was hungry. We had already decided to eat at the Cornishman because of the large garden they have outside which was perfect for Luke and I to enjoy our food and for Hunter to have space to roam around. I was delighted to see a good old baguette on the menu and so I opted for a prawn one, whilst Luke went for traditional fish & chips with mushy peas! It looked delicious!! It was lovely to chill in the sun in the pub garden watching Hunter chase butterflies, I love relaxing days!

Full from lunch we spent a little while longer exploring Tintagel, and Found room for another Cornish ice cream, which I shared with Luke and Hunter (although Hunter mainly got the cone) before heading back home to wait for the others and hear about the day they had at The Eden Project.

Luke and I lazily sat outside back at the holiday home listening to music, before ending the day with a delicious stir fry.

The post Staycation – Cornwall Day 3 appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.