Everyone woke up to another beauuuutiful sunny day. Mum and Dad thought it was a great day to do some walking and explore Cornwall on foot. The Boy, on the other hand, thought it was a grand day for the beach. Granny and Dave invited him along to the beach with them, so Mum and Dad finished their breakfast, put on their walking boots and had a good look at the big map of the area on one of the walls of Tamarisk.
They chose a seven mile walk which would take them over to Padstow, down some lanes, across a few fields and then all the way around the headland via the SW Coastal Path. They agreed to be back home for 4pm, to give them time to get ready to go out for a nice family meal with everyone.
Here's the walk that Mum and Dad chose.
They set off for the foot ferry, enjoying the views across to Padstow on the way.
And they enjoyed the sound of the waves lapping on the shore as they waited for the ferry.
Aha, here it is! The wait wasn't too long.
Once they arrived in Padstow, they tried to find the path they needed based on memory. It wasn't the right path, but the wrong path did take them to...........
A very real and proper....MEADOW! And look, there's Rock in the distance. Cooeeee Rock!
Mum was absolutely beside herself with excitement. Sometimes it is well worth taking the wrong path, isn't it!? Dad scratched his head and tried to find out where they were on his phone. Mum didn't mind it taking a while for his phone to load, that's for sure! There was a nice bench in the shade for Dad and so Mum snapped away to her heart's content. Cue oodles of beautiful, wildflowery, pretty pictures.
Ooooh, the colours!
Cornflowers
Cornflowers in a colour Mum has never seen before.
Some of the flowers were so vivid, Mum loved them.
Another cornflower
Looooads of cornflowers!
A nice view from ground level.
A busy bumblebee
COR!
COR! again.
A very pretty poppy in shades of pink.
Mum could have stayed there for hours, but it was time to head off on the right path towards the coast on the other side of the headland. They made their way round the back streets of Padstow and past this lovely Dower House with it's multicoloured stone.
The Dower House.
And past the deer park, which really did have deer. Yay!
They walked past Prideaux Place, a very posh family country house which looked interesting but definitely not the right thing for such a sunny day. Their path took them to a well-tarmacked lane with high hedges. On they walked, up the lane, looking for a public footpath to take them over the fields. They found it, climbed the stile and....OH!
Fields and fields of barley!
Now it was Dad's turn to be excited. The footpath would take them over the fields and through the golden barley. The crops whispered in the gentlest of breezes, the ears tickled their bare legs and hands, and the colours changed at every angle. It was a very happy place to be and it will be a fond memory for a very long time. *meltymoment*
Turn your sound up to hear the whispered words of the barley field.
Dad led the way through the fields.
They crossed several fields in the rising heat of the day, until the lichen-dappled slate roofs of the hamlet of Crugmeer came into view.
Ahoy, Crugmeer! And a big thank you to the farmers who keep the footpath over their land so well-maintained.
Crugmeer is very small. There are a few houses, but they are very nice houses. No shops, no pubs, no busy roads....life here seemed very pleasant and peaceful.
Oh yes, very pleasant indeed!
Once again, Mum and Dad took the wrong path. They ended up alongside a very spooky abandoned farm but hey ho, they could see the sea and knew they weren't very far off from where they needed to be.
Mum and Dad's first good views of the very blue Atlantic Ocean.
Before long, Mum and Dad were on the right path again, and soon found the proper footpath to take them onto the SW Coastal Path. But when they got there, they weren't sure which way to go. So whilst Mum marvelled at the rocky coastline, Dad scouted on ahead.
"Hmmmmm," Dad said. "You may want to come and take a look at this." So Mum did.
Woooow! Mum and Dad were enthralled by the cliffs, the heights and the turquoise sea down below.
A wonky photo, but goodness...the water was so turquoisey blue and so clear!
Mum and Dad made their way along the coastal path, stopping from time to time to enjoy the stunning views. They were quite fearful of getting too close to the edge as it was such a long way down. So they stuck to the path and climbed up until the it levelled off a bit. By now, they were definitely ready to take a good rest and refuel.
They found a lovely hillock to sit on, and munched sandwiches, crisps and raisins and drank plenty of water.
It was a fantastic place to sit and absorb the sights, sounds and smells of the Cornish coast, but if they were to make it back to Tamarisk for 4pm, Mum and Dad felt they had to start getting a bit of a wriggle on. So they packed up their sandwich wrappers and crisp packets and continued on their walk along the cliffs.
They saw some fearless cows along the way, who didn't seem to mind the dizzy heights or steep inclines.
And witnessed the power of the ocean as it thrust upon the jagged purple rock. Oh my, the colours are almost indescribable. 
As they rounded the headland, they saw more HowNowBrownCows,
This tower, although Mum and Dad still aren't sure what it is,
And an interesting weather station.
The pace was picked up even more, but there was still time to enjoy the views over the Camel Estuary.
The boats that are harboured between Rock and Padstow can just about be seen as tiny dots.
Hawker's Cove, a splendid beach with golden sand and not as many people there as one might expect.
Another photo of Hawker's Cove. This could easily be a beach abroad!
Finally, after a very, very hot walk along the bank of the estuary, through some scorching dunes and a strange boardwalk in what looked like a prehistoric mangrove swamp, Mum and Dad made it back to Padstow. Footsore and leg-weary, they waited for the foot ferry back to Rock. Once on it, the breeze blew pleasantly and the journey was made in near silence. Time to absorb the wonderful treasure of experience and sights...
A five minute, not-all-that-exciting video of the full crossing to help Mum and Dad to keep those memories. Turn the sound down, the breezy noises are a little excessive (but their cooling properties were most welcome!)
And there ends Part 1 of Day 3 in Cornwall. There will be a short interlude whilst Mum and Dad catch up with The Boy after his lovely day on the beach, then shower and dress, ready for an evening out with The Big Family.
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