Seaside Adventures.

Weary starts seem to be a Monday morning regular now, as I find myself rising on auto pilot and making my way to the tube station without even realising. The heat finally seemed cooler overnight so I was hoping for a smoother night’s sleep but with the summer vacation of one flatmate reaching its end, and bringing a friend from home to stay, we’ve got a busy space. Add to that someone who turns sides in her sleep like a volcano erupting and a sleep talker who is constantly mid-sentence with his “primo buddies” and my previous vehemence towards the heat slid away.

So despite a restless night’s sleep in which I felt like I was trapped in an earthquake simulator while being awoken by a boy I had actually not yet meant who seemed adamant that we were “going the f’in wrong way, man”, I woke before my alarm with the sun streaming in the windows. 

The morning rush and tube dilemma’s seem all the more bearable when followed by such a long and wonderful weekend at the seaside. I rode the Piccadilly line in comfort; oblivious to the balding, sweaty men and latest Heathrow arrivals with their bulky suitcases and lack of spacial awareness, for I had bruised ribs, sore arm muscles and shining memories of a well spent weekend to delight in.  

THE road trip to surf began late Friday; I was late. Work seemed to stretch out the length of a week in a day before ending suddenly as the mention of a drink at the local pub signalled an early start to the weekend. Gliding along to the local pub, unable to believe my luck; myself and two colleagues drunk cool beverages under the glorious early evening sunshine; chatting like old school friends. The time passed so quickly it soon became time for one of us to rush for the train home, while I realised my flatmates were probably at home waiting for me while I guzzled wine spritzer’s in the sunshine; but it was work, right?

I made a mad dash through the throngs of other workers enjoying their cool beers and weekend prospects outside dark pubs and joined the packed tube to inhale gallons of underground toxins before sprinting the final stretch home. I packed as quickly as possible, ticking off my internal checklist as the boys’ patience lowered and then fizzed out completely. Chucking a sleeping bag in at last minute (because it took up residence at the bottom of my list; beneath music, tennis racquet and road trips snacks) we descended into the Friday night traffic that spread out in front of the setting sun. 

Newquay, Cornwall is at the South West end of England, and around 250 miles from London; meaning we bopped to the beats for around four hours, watching the sun light the sky brilliant shades of pink and purple before being cast completely into darkness. Arriving into Newquay we managed to find our campsite with surprising ease and we tucked into some G & T’s in the warm outside air to celebrate our successful arrival, with only an emptying campsite bar filled with intriguing seniors for company. As the camp lights dimmed and then switched off entirely; we felt we had been unwillingly cast into a bad horror movie and didn’t wait long before heading back to our site and heading to (air)bed. I pulled my sleeping bag tight around me with all my layers worn haphazardly on my body and still woke up continuously to be made aware I was still freezing and there was still nothing I could do about it, before rolling off into sleep again with the melodic sound of our neighbour’s snoring.

Waking up in a stuffy tent with way too many layers of clothing on, a rhythmic tapping let me know the others were up and ready to move; I discarded a few layers, zipped my pop up tent shut and we drove into the beautiful Newquay morning. 

Walking down the typically beachside lanes, the aroma of pasties an ever present linger; we grabbed a delicious, fuelling breakfast (I chose a more ‘feminine’ porridge with berry compote with tea, amongst the super-sized male breakfast deluxe teeming with sausages, eggs, toast, beans and hash browns.) Bursting with energy, we drove to the beach and quickly hired wetsuits and boards before walking excitedly along the small stretch of sand to the (high tide) ocean.

The waves looked fun, the water looked amazing and the beach was packed. It seemed there were more people in the ocean than out of it, and we headed straight out into the waves before being blasted by the beach intercom to come back in and make our way to the designated black and white flagged ‘surfers’ area, which translates to the area where they pack in all the out-of-towners and learn-to-surfers so the locals can rule the rest of the beach. While the others stayed a little closer to shore, J and I headed out the back to join the hassling and heckling for waves. Paddling out, gliding over the top of forming waves and getting bashed about by the whitewash felt so good after almost a year’s absence and it was enough just to feel the stroke of your hand glide smoothly against the cool rush of water. The water was a perfect temperature in a wetsuit and we were able to stay out for hours.

After almost getting run over twice on my paddle out, the session was off to an interesting beginning, but the first wave and the feeling of soaring down the face was enough to keep me out there for days. Manoeuvring amongst the chaos with learn to surf boards flying at me from every direction meant there was less focus on the wave and more on making it to the end alive. The majority of the crowds were learning and there wasn’t an inch of whitewash left to spare which meant it was impossible to ride the wave to the very end and I found myself constantly pulling off the wave before it broke completely in order to avoid the mayhem that was closer to shore. With sizeable lulls in the action, we found ourselves drifting about on our boards enjoying the ocean, but allowed me to notice the difference between Fistral beach and home; a noticeable absence of tranquillity and stillness amongst the crowded jumble of surf chatter.

It was amazing to be out with a surfboard beneath my body and after a couple of waves I felt right at home as my balance slowly came back to me. After a good couple of hours we headed in for a delicious healthy, energizing smoothie followed by fish’n’chips (obligatory English seaside snack) before walking along the path around to the top of the headland and admiring the stunning coastline view that stretched for miles in both beautiful directions. The numerous inlets, bays and coves could be seen for miles and the ocean was a vibrant blue beneath the peeking sun. We clambered down the steep rocks to get back before finding ourselves at the mercy of a rising tide and as our path got trickier and I got significantly wetter; sacrificing my only pair of shorts, I turned back and took the seaweed covered rock route instead. The water had completely drenched my bottom half and I was sliding precariously close to rocky outcrops barefoot. 

After practically rock climbing my way back to solid ground, I was more than ready to get back into my wetsuit and out into the surf. Grabbing a board with a bit more length due to the dwindling swell, we decided to risk our chances and headed in the opposite direction from the black and white flags, towards the ‘locals’ area we had previously been kicked out of. The waves were considerably nicer and I was already dream riding my way along the unbroken surface.

A couple of waves later and we felt we had successfully merged our way into the locals line up, almost high fiving each other in our triumph; before being almost ridden over by a lunatic lifeguard on his jet-ski, shouting that learn to surfers can’t surf there and practically staring down anyone he decided to. J and I managed to avoid his wrath but the others were cast back to shore, to walk the length of the beach and endure the whitewash circus that was the learn-to-surf brigade. Sargent Jet Ski decided to stay and circle, patrolling his prey and observing rides; ever ready to unleash his blasphemy on a nose dive, a bail or the smallest quiver in the surfer’s ride. I caught one wave that Mr. Crazy was circling so close to that I encountered a giant bump in the wave’s otherwise smooth unbroken surface and just managed to ride it out; my anger bubbling at his careless approach to surfside patrol. He finally migrated to the body boarding area where his shouting could still be heard; followed by his victim’s wailing, crying and the consequent reluctant trip to shore.

Despite this one-man Hitler performance, we had another great session and the slightly longer board I chose meant I was able to paddle myself into a few more rides; my lead-like arms thanking my quiver choice as their power quickly subsided. After a few more hours our surfboard hire was almost up and the day was nearing to an end. I could barely lift my arms at a ninety degree angle, let alone use them to direct myself out of the path of the Newquay local surfers and so we headed in.

Well spent from a fantastic day in the ocean, we headed back to the campsite, had a shower to empty the buckets of sand we had unknowingly accumulated and played a bit of Frisbee before loading up on BBQ supplies and timing our outdoor dinner on the beach with the giant raindrops that swiftly began to fall. We searched for shelter and the best we could find was a cluster of trees overhanging a small space of pavement which we piled into; four bodies and a whole heap of BBQ equipment in a space designed for little more than a toddler. Our instant BBQ’s didn’t fare too well under a broken sky, and our dinner became a long awaited procedure; complete with endless billowing smoke and an absence of heat. We broke into our burgers and sausages eventually and the rain stopped long enough for us to eat them in peace; a dinner with a spectacular view of the ocean, and a house on its own island, complete with 90ft high foot bridge suspended on the horizon.

Heading back to Fistral beach, the location of our surfing triumphs; we watched the few lone surfers ride their last waves before the darkness blanketed the ocean; catching the lasting beauty of the setting sun across the rhythmic rush of the ocean advances. As the raindrops once again began to fall, we turned our back on the coastal wonder; bidding goodnight to the sea and letting the crash of the waves fill the still night-time air.

Waking early inside the stuffy tent after a slightly more bearable night’s sleep, I was the first to rise; and while contemplating the most alarming way to wake the others, they sensed the threat and all opened their tent flaps bleary eyed. We quickly packed up our tents with the darkening sky a foreboding threat as the rain begins to sprinkle. My ‘pop up’ tent, which takes all of 2 seconds to assemble (one step instructions: bend and throw) has an eight step plan to follow to put down and took all four of us a good 10 minutes to manipulate/force back into its case.

J’s expert knowledge of the town directed us to a cute café for breakfast that was perfectly placed in a surf town. A haphazard mixture of brightly coloured furniture, much of it apparently child’s size, surf images hanging from every available wall space and patterned bunting adorning the fireplace and bay windows. We relaxed into the easy atmosphere and attempted to choose breakfast amongst the delicious array of options. I opted for a pot of English breakfast tea and organic muesli with soy milk, yogurt and honey. The boys all got hearty breakfasts while I devoured cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, almonds, shredded coconut; the works! With an utterly content stomach, J led us down to the harbour, located in a small inlet where the many boats fill the tranquil bay. The sun shone long enough for us to get a taste of the scenery bathed in sunshine before we headed back to the car to avoid the next ensuing downpour.

With the weather packing in, we decided to forgo another day of surfing (an audible sigh of relief could be heard emitting from our arm muscles) and decided to take a scenic route back, making numerous stops along the English coast. Our first stop was Fowey; a small harbour town bustling with energy that reminded me a lot of the Marlborough Sounds in NZ. A small bay dotted with boats and a backdrop of green mountains rolling in to the shore. We wandered through the old town and admired the many pasty shops, clotted cream cafes and even took a visit inside a spooky antique shop complete with 1920’s exercise equipment and matching leather shorts (we asked, thinking it was ancient torture apparel.) From Fowey we caught the car ferry (!!) about 20 metres across the water to continue our journey to Looe (its real name, promise), which we reached by taking another car ferry to Plymouth. Real life English car ferry experience! I couldn’t help feeling sucked back into the early 1900’s, thankfully minus the horse and carriage and laborious attire.

We reached Plymouth around lunch time where we caught up with J’s University friends who still live in the town he studied in. Another gorgeous harbour town that instantly reminded me of Bristol, old stone buildings lined up on the foot of the water; boats bobbing up and down as the cool wind swings through. We caught the town in the middle of a Jazz and Blues festival and wandered to a restaurant for a late lunch with the melodic sounds providing a rhythmic beat. 

We chose a delightful looking Seafood and Pasta restaurant and encountered the waitress training day, or so it seemed. A half hour wait to get served, an easy 20 minute wait for drinks followed by another 20 for the meal; luckily, the food was delicious. A spicy Cajun chicken sandwich (and they do mean spicy) with home-made fries and a delicious salad. Chatter drowned the music and we took a walk around the small central town, up to the Hoe (the aptly named top of the hill) which afforded views of the Navy barracks, the Lighthouse and right out into the expanse of ocean that rolled as far as I could see, before our parking ticket expired and we were back on the road; winding our way through beautiful English roads, towering green trees lush from the rain flashing past.

Getting stuck in bizarre, intermittent traffic in the middle of nothing seemed to sum up the venture home, but we managed to make a slight diversion to hit Stonehenge before dark – my very first visit! We arrived to a ‘closed’ road sign which we swerved around and headed down anyway. The rabbits had obviously been made aware of the road closure and taken it as their liberty to commandeer the area. This meant they were running around the road with careless abandon, and unfortunately, one such floppy eared, soft furred cutie met its fate that night. Discussion was split as to whether the preceding swerve was to target or avoid the rabbit, and I’m still unconvinced it was to spare its life, rather than end it.

Scarred and stunned; we arrived at the gate to Stonehenge with yet another closed sign, and decided now was no time to be discouraged and refused to turn back. Scaling the fence and running across the damp, untouched ground; we managed to squeeze in one photo before encountering a large, bearded man who actually appeared out of nowhere. For a vast field with nothing but giant, untouchable rock in it; I have absolutely no idea where this large man was waiting. Nevertheless, we were practically chased from the grounds; but with one photo happily tucked away for future proof.

Passing our road kill on the road back was awful and I couldn’t help but look at the forlorn face, squashed into the middle of the road mid-run. The only mild solace is hoping its fate was quick and painless, with a thought sent to its bunny family; awaiting its return. 

Despite more traffic queues as a reminder we live in an over-populated country, we finally arrived in London past bed time; and after a quick recall of our latest adventures with our freshly returned (and seriously tanned!) flatmate, we all scurry into bed and collapse, the sleep talking filling the humid night air and a whole stack of memories tucked away into the depths of our thoughts.