China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Tourism returns to UK town after lockdown lifted
Cornwall has always been a seaside escape, but the county’s popularity is now soaring, Wang Mingjie reports.
“Dreckly” is one of the first words that you’re likely to hear in Cornwall. It is an expression that means “things will get done when they get done” — a fitting reflection of the rhythm of Cornish life. Almost everything in Cornwall moves at an easy pace, although its people are serious when it comes to scones. Jam first!
Although it sounds innocent, this is a hotly contested battle involving one of Britain’s most iconic sweets. The Cornish insist that jam must first coat the scone, before being topped with lashings of rich, clotted cream, whereas their neighbors in Devon believe that cream should precede the jam.
“Jam first, because it sticks really well to the scone. Also, when you take your first bite, you avoid a direct sugar hit from the jam, and the richness of the cream creates an optimal experience for the palate,” said local tour guide Louise West, who runs the travel company Experience Cornwall Tours.
In her tours, she enjoys taking her clients for a traditional Cornish cream tea picnic with home-baked scones at Cornwall’s most iconic landmarks.
Scones aside, there is much more to this region of England, which boasts majestic granite mountains, sweeping green landscapes spotted with wildflowers, dramatic coastlines, surfer-friendly waves, and imposing, historically rich tin and copper mines.
For British people, Cornwall has always been a popular seaside escape. It isn’t uncommon for Londoners to have cottages or summer homes in St Ives, for instance, but the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the popularity of the region to soar.
According to a local, on the first day when lockdown was lifted and British people could travel domestically again, the population in certain areas of Cornwall doubled. Accommodation prices followed suit, increasing by nearly 30 percent as new eager remote workers from cities across the country sought out gardens, larger living spaces and a more leisurely pace of life.
Cornwall’s profile as an internationally sought-out destination received a big boost during the G7 Summit in 2021. There was a huge web traffic spike on Cornwall from countries all around the world during the summit, according to Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall.
The world was captivated by images of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosting world leaders and dignitaries at breathtaking beachfront barbecues at Carbis Bay, which has nearly a mile of golden sand that was listed as one of the world’s finest by the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Organization.
“In addition to London, Cotswolds, Scotland, Cornwall is now on the wish list of destinations to visit when people come to the United Kingdom,” Bell said.
Newquay
Located on the north coast of Cornwall, Newquay is widely regarded as the UK’s surfing capital. It has the only commercial airport in the region, with year-round services from London, Gatwick and Manchester airports taking around an hour.
Catching the waves first became popular in the 1960s, thanks to four young Australian lifesavers who hit the beach with the first fibreglass surfboards in 1962. By the 1970s, people were so “dead-keen” for a surf and boards were in such short supply that an enterprising local funeral home director modified coffin lids as surfing boards. Photos of locals proudly displaying their wooden “boards” on the beach can be seen at the Perranzabuloe Museum in Perranporth.
These days, foam boards have replaced their more macabre predecessors. Thick wet suits and boots can be seen hanging out to dry from balconies, car doors, and rearview mirrors. They’re particularly necessary in Cornwall, where the water temperature is not quite as tepid as it is, for example, in Hainan province in China, but that does not stop anyone.
Newquay attracts people of all ages who surf at all levels. The sandy shores, lack of rocks, gentle waves and the abundance of instructors make it ideal for beginners and recreational surfers alike.
Fistral is one of the popular go-to places for surfing in Newquay, thanks to its geography. The area’s main west-facing beach that draws in the predominant western swells and winds makes it a reliable spot to catch a wave.
In fact, some of its most frequent visitors often park their caravans along the Newquay Esplanade, overlooking Fistral beach, where they camp out for days and spend most of their time surfing and chilling. Catching a “dawnie”, or a dawn surf, is a prized event for those keen to have the ocean all to themselves.
Dave Goodger, who is in his 40s and lives in Oxford, often takes his 11-year-old son to surf in Fistral beach whenever they visit family there. “Here you have got the consistent availability of surfable waves all year around, which is good for casual surfers like me. It does not matter whether you are an amateur or an expert, it is a fantastic feeling to charge into the sea and catch the waves.”
Matthew from Perranporth, also in his 40s and who prefers not to give his surname, started surfing at the age of five and views himself as a die-hard surfer. He usually surfs two or three times a week. He said: “Surfing is a 100 percent addictive sports. It is like when you go to the beach, you see the kids playing in the water, they are always happy. Surfing is like adults getting the same feeling.”
By car
Cornwall’s hidden gems are most easily accessed by car. Start your journey from the Newquay Airport with a drive to Tintagel, home to a castle made by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who in his book, History of the Kings of Britain, recounts the legend of how King Arthur was conceived at the castle. Legend also has it that wizard Merlin, who lived in a cave below the castle, carried infant Arthur to safety when the waves brought him to the shore.
From there, just 25 minutes of driving to the south, Port Isaac is a charming seaside village, known as the setting of the British drama series, Doc Martin. The 10th and final season of the series is currently being filmed in the center of this town, and if you’re lucky, you might see the cast and crew in action.
Port Isaac is also an ideal spot to stop for lunch. At the local fishmonger’s you can pick up cockles, crayfish, or dressed crab to nibble on by the water. For a hot meal, visit The Chapel Cafe and enjoy one of chef Chris Lanyon’s award-winning fish finger sandwiches, complete with mushy peas, chips, and homemade tartar sauce.
In Cornwall, you will never be farther than 25 minutes away from the beach. From Port Isaac, you can take in more of the Cornish coast with a visit to Carnewas at Bedruthan. It’s a good stop for admiring the beauty of the rock formations and the
sounds of crashing waves.
Don’t be surprised if you also smell coconut. Cornwall doesn’t have palm trees, but it does have the gorse plant, which is ubiquitous across the region. It grows along the road and its bright yellow flowers and coconutty fragrance make it a striking addition to the landscape. It’s also used to flavor local chocolate and spirits.
For a pleasant dinner overlooking the water, Rick Steins Fistral by the Fistral beach is a fine choice. It’s known for its fish and chips, but if you prefer lighter fare, the grilled fish is an excellent option. For Asian patrons seeking a taste of home, a variety of Asian dishes, from pad thai to curries to pho, are also available.
Spotting seals
Some of Cornwall’s most famous residents live on the shores of Godrevy in West Cornwall, which is home to a vibrant population of gray seals. Mutton Cove, just past Godrevy head, is the perfect location for seals to lounge about and breed their pups because the rocks and cliffs surrounding it make it impossible for predators and humans to access.
The seals are there throughout the year, but numbers start to increase from autumn, and January brings the largest numbers. You will have to plan your visit for low tide, because during high tide, the beach disappears, and seals take to the sea to catch dinner.
Bring your binoculars to get the best glimpse of the playful spotted pups bobbing in the water while their parents take a long nap on the sand. From this point, you can also see St Ives, which is arguably the bestknown destination in Cornwall.
St Ives
Few towns in the UK can boast both number and quality of beaches in comparison to St Ives. There are no less than five beautiful sandy beaches within easy walking distance of St Ives town center.
The fine golden sand and turquoise waters of St Ives Bay are some of the cleanest in Europe with at least two regularly receiving the international Blue Flag status. Beaches in St Ives vary greatly, from family beaches with sheltered baths to surfing beaches with constant waves from the Atlantic Ocean, to bustling or blissfully empty beaches.
Apart from the beaches, you can visit local galleries such as the Barbara Hepworth Museum and the local outpost of the Tate Gallery in London. Overall, expect to see streets lined with souvenir shops, art galleries, pubs and ice cream shops.
One of the best locations for waterfront dining is Pedn Olva. In addition to being dog-friendly, they offer innovative vegan options, including a nut roast. Bursting with hazelnuts, almonds and pignoli and covered in rich gravy, it’s a decadent alternative to the traditional Sunday roast, which consists of roasted meat and potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. This spot doubles as a hotel and occupies prime real estate over the St Ives Bay and is close to the train station.
The best place to catch the sunset at St Ives is the St Nicholas Chapel, where you have a panoramic view over the whole bay, from the well-known surfing beach Porthmeor on the west side to the sail boats on the north.
Botallack mines
A pasty is a British pastry and is usually synonymous with Cornwall. Filled with meat, onion, turnip and potato, the Cornish pasty was first created for the region’s hardworking tin miners, who used it as a quick and reliable source of calories. In those days, the crust of the pasty was meant to be discarded, as the miners often had poisonous arsenic — a byproduct of tin mining — on their fingers.
Today, the crust is happily devoured with the rest of it, and a local butcher shop is probably one of the best places to go buy one.
Although the mines are no longer active, their history lives on in the BBC epic drama, Poldark, which offers a historically accurate portrayal of the lives of the miners at the time. Fans of Poldark will immediately recognize the Botallack mines, which feature prominently in the show.
The abandoned buildings of Botallack provide a perfect stand-in for the Poldark family mines of Wheal Leisure, owned by Ross Poldark, and Grambler, owned by his cousin Francis Poldark. The buildings give a captivating insight into Cornish mining history. During the 19th century, there were more than 100 engine houses in the St Just district in Penwith, but in 1895 the entire Botallack mine was shut due to fast falling copper and tin prices.
Minack
Sub-tropical plants and turquoise water await people at the Minack Theater, a magnificent open-air theater, lovingly built by Cornwall native Rowena Cade.
The Minack’s story began in 1929, when Cade got involved with a production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was such a success that the company repeated the production the following year. They then wanted to stage The Tempest and Cade offered them the use of her cliff garden for the performance.
With the help of her gardener, she mixed and poured her own concrete (made with sand from the beach below) to create seating and used a mass of granite boulders to build a stage on the water.
Building the Minack took Cade the rest of her life. The site is extremely popular with international visitors, especially Chinese, who love to take photos among the colorful plants and against the Minack headland, which looks like it could be straight out of Hawaii.
Other places
Falmouth — San Francisco meets Brighton in this quirky seaside town — feels like a distant cousin to St Ives. It has a much more local population and vibe, although there are still plenty of reasons to visit.
For a meal that serves as a grand finale to a trip to Cornwall, The Alverton Hotel in the county’s capital city Truro, is the place to go. A restored nunnery built in 1830, it now serves up high-end cuisine prepared using the finest Cornish ingredients foraged, fished and farmed. Although the savory dishes are spectacular, the restaurant is best known for desserts like the tipped over “spring flowerpot” with elderflower mousse, fresh berries and chocolate soil.
From county houses and castles to mines and museums, gardens and galleries to theme parks and railways, Cornwall has a wealth of attractions to choose from, and as the locals would advise, you just need to visit often and visit “dreckly”.