Out-of-Season's Greetings

Of course I am biased but I have to say that we do Christmas so well in Cornwall.  With so many Christmas Markets and Fairs vying for shoppers attention they begin in November so it all kicks off fairly early.

It feels like the season formally begins with Turo’s City of Lights (Wednesday 18 November from 7pm) which sees a dazzling procession of withy and tissue lanterns float through the streets.  They are handmade and carried by professional artists, Cornish school children and local community and youth groups. The event includes the official switch on of Truro’s Christmas lights, plus music and dance from Truro School of Samba and other local bands. 

After this the markets and fairs come thick and fast, here’s a round-up:
Trereife Christmas Fair, Penzance - 20–22 November
Made in Cornwall Christmas Fair, Truro - 25-29 November
Padstow Christmas Festival, Padstow - 3-6 December
Fowey Christmas Market, Fowey -  4-6 December (Kate’s favourite)
Outlaw Christmas Market, Falmouth - 10-12 December
Jubilee Wharf Christmas Fair, Penryn - 12-13 December
Heartlands Christmas Market, Pool - 12 & 13 December

Then it’s time for the ‘big switch on’ with the Mousehole Lights, which are stunning Christmas lights with floating displays in and around the harbour (around 30,000 people visit each year).  The display runs from December 12 until 2 January from 5pm-11pm.

Newlyn lights are also excellent and a park and ride service runs from Penzance Harbour car park. The lesser known display (but growing in popularity) are the lights in the village of Angarrack, Hayle, you pass the village on the way home from Mousehole so worth a visit.

Outdoor theatre comes in the form of Rogue Theatre’s Winter Wood.  Voted in The Guardian as one of the 10 top Christmas walks and playing in the fading light of the woods at dusk King Arthur, will lead the audience through the trees of Tehidy Woods on a path that journeys from the rugged North cliffs of Cornwall deep into a world of myth. With Rogue’s wild mix of spectacle, powerful narrative, dance, theatre, live music, fire, physical performance, humour and imagination this is an experience for brave families and adults.  There are three performances a day, and each adventure lasts for about two hours. Performances take place from 11 December – 30 December (not 17^th Dec or 25 Dec). Tickets are £7.50 per person (under 3s free) and include hot chocolate, face painting and winter decoration making.

Indoor theatre comes from the unassuming but excellent St Austell Players', located just up the road from Poltarrow at St Austell Arts Centre.  The amateur company's next production is A Christmas Carol, to be performed at the between 25th and 28th November. 

The Eden Project celebrates the festive season really well and offers something for everyone with theatre provided by renowned company Wildworks as well as ice-skating on the magically lit rink surrounded by Christmas trees and silver birch twinkling with fairy lights.  Children are also able to visit Father Christmas and his real reindeer who arrives at the end of November.

 

 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan put on a varied calendar of events from crafting workshops to the obligatory visit to Father Christmas.  Beginning in late November there are festive offerings every week with highlights including Lantern Lit evenings where you are able to absorb the unique atmosphere of the gardens at night and listen to the enchanting sounds of the hammered Dulcimer in the Melon Yard before returning to the Tearoom to enjoy a mulled wine and soak up the joyful sounds of local choirs.

If your little ones are keen on trains then Lappa Valley (small gauge railway) and Bodmin and Wenford Railway are a must.  Each offer the opportunity for atmospheric train rides with presents for the children as well as mulled wine (for the adults!) and mince pies.  Father Christmas is on board at Bodmin and Wenford and there are various entertainers and clowns at Lappa Valley.  We have already booked tickets to take Guy and Edward on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway as it does get booked up quickly.

 

The National Trust pulls out all the stops at this time of year giving you the opportunity to visit a Tudor Father Christmas (dressed resplendently in Green!) at Trerice, or meet real Reindeer at Trelissick or perhaps discover how many of the traditions we enjoy today originated with the Victorian’s Christmas at Lanhydrock (I always enjoy the sentiments in the family’s old Christmas cards that are on display).  

 

For me it all culminates with the Cathedral’s Nine Lessons and Carols Service on the 23rd and 24th, made all the more special because Truro is where this service originated in 1880, created by the first Bishop of Truro.  The lights are shut off as a solitary choirboy’s voice, singing the first verse of Once in Royal David’s City, is carried through the darkness. The lights come back on as the enthusiastic congregation join in the rest of the carol and a feeling spreads that it is now only hours until the much anticipated big day.

 

Another highly enjoyable service in the cathedral is the popular Children and Pets Carol Service (27th December at 2pm) when the aisles are overflowing with pets of all shapes, sizes and level of furriness! You can read more about this unusual service in the December edition of Country Living - there's some wonderful photos of lots of pets (and their owners!).

The list goes on and has not been exhausted here but these are some of the events which will keep us entertained over the season and of course the beach is always calling for a bracing stroll to work off the excesses of this time of year.

Spence and Guy walking at Caerhayes last Christmas

Short breaks are available in the cottages throughout November and December and if you are quick there is still some availability over the Christmas and New Year breaks – do give us a call to discuss your requirements on  01726 67111.

Sika Cottage decorated for Christmas

Out-of-Season's Greetings,

Kate
Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Late Summer Sun

The summer gallops on (wrote this mid August) and we're already half way through the school holidays. Frighteningly though when Edward and I were walking the grounds this morning signs that autumn is on its way. Enjoy these photos I took earlier.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate

Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Days Out - Walk along the Camel estuary and Daymar Bay

This week Libby's day off was on Wednesday and she declared to husband Mark that "it was too nice a day to stay at home" so they loaded up the dogs and made their way to the North Coast and followed a walk recommended by the South West Coast Path which can be found here.    The walk is described as "a gentle walk through dunes noted for their wildlife, beside the golden beaches lining the eastern bank of the River Camel. An excellent walk for children (but keep them on the footpath across the golf course!)"

Daymar Bay, one of the described golden beaches, is dog friendly which is perfect for Libby and Mark (and Prince & Baxter!).  As children and being from south of the A30 the beaches we visited as youngsters were the mostly small, cosy coves on the south coast - the one exception was Daymer Bay which we would travel to and marvel at how far we could walk out into the sea before it became too deep (the secret is that it is an estuary beach!).

Daymer Bay

Daymer Bay

Looking back to Daymer Bay with Polzeath in the background

Along the coast path

Part of the walk is across the golf course

Libby and Mark enjoyed the walk enormously and graded it 'easy' as it mostly on the flat - it took them about an hour but they do march on a bit!

 Kate

Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Eating Out - The Beach Cafe, Caerhays Beach

On Saturday we made our way down to Caerhays beach to check out the newly opened 'Beach Cafe'.  There has been a flurry of excitement surrounding it on Facebook so we wanted to see what we were missing.  It looks fairly unassuming from the outside - before its recent transformation it was a traditional beach shop with buckets,spades, beach balls and deck chairs hanging from the beams.

Inside the new owners have gone for a reclaimed look with the walls clad in what looks like pallet wood and furniture sourced from here, there and everywhere and then upcycled with faux fur and vintage fabrics.

On perusing the menu we decided to pick a few things and share between us so we could get a good sample.  We chose the Slow Roasted Beef Brisket on a rosemary foccacia, the Bacon and Cream Cheese Croissant with spicy beetroot jam and the Beach Burger.

Our meals came in takeaway boxes, obviously suitable for taking down onto the beach if you preferred.  Highlights were definitely the Beef Brisket and horseradish coleslaw and the spicy beetroot jam which were all delicious.  We were very underwhelmed by the Beach Burger which we felt did not match the level of tastiness of the other offerings.

Service was friendly and quick (if a little lacking in experience) and there was a jolly atmosphere - I am sure that they will do well during the summer.  A couple things to note are a lack of high chairs (borrow the portable booster chair we have here for guests' use - ably demonstrated here by Guy) and lack of children's menu - although there is mention on FB that they are happy to adapt anything.

They serve teas, coffees, hot chocolates and homemade cakes which all looked tempting.  

We need to make another visit to Caerhays soon as we want to visit the castle garden's whilst at their peak - the magnolias have just started to bloom and soon will be fully out to accompany their magnificent camellia collection.

 

Kate

Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Days out - Toddlers on Ice at the Eden Project

One of our New Year's Resolutions is to get out and about a bit more and enjoy all that Cornwall has to offer.  Last weekend we decided to try out the Parent and Toddler ice session at the Eden Project. The Ice Rink is open until the end of February and offers sessions for everyone from toddlers to people in wheelchairs and everyone in between! You can read all about the different sessions here.

The Parent and Toddler ice sessions are special non-skating ice-play sessions for children aged between 18 months and 5 years, with plenty of toys to play with - brmm brmms to ride, sledges to be pulled on, ice hockey, big balls and a good old spade to have a poke and then the session finishes with a 'snowstorm'.

 

Safe to say Guy loved it as did all the other children. 

Kate

Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Farm Friends - Down on the Pond

A cold but bright day here at the farm today so we took advantage of this and walked down to feed the ducks.  Here is the existing raft of ducks which have been with us for some while now - Dad bought two pairs (two mummies, two daddies) early in 2014 and they went on to give us 4 ducklings last spring and then Dad bought another pair in late Summer to make up the raft of 10.  They are all fairly standard ducks and you wouldn't say there was anything remarkable about them.

On Christmas Day Dad opened his stocking to find some ducks that are a little more exciting - two pairs of Mandarin ducks.  These striking and unmistakable ducks originate form East Asia.  Obviously Dad doesn't want them to fly away but neither does he want to go for the usual practice of clipping their wings (cutting the feathers to prevent flying) so he has made a large enclosure on the island on the duck pond.  The idea is that they will mate and hatch their eggs in early Spring and then when they have an established family they will be less likely to fly off.  I tried to take some photos but they are still very shy and kept hiding away - I managed to capture one of the male birds - handsome isn't he?

Within the enclosure there are various houses so they can pick the one they prefer - in the wild they will nest in cavities in trees, up off the ground.   Outside of the enclosure there are also a couple more houses so if any of the existing ducks lay they can use these although last year they decided to ignore all the houses and laid their eggs underneath this pile of wood!

Kate
Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Farm Friends - Feeding Time for the Cattle

Dad and Spence were putting a new bale in for the cows so Guy and I wandered out to have a look.  Dad leaves the cows out all winter which is quite unusual normally cattle come inside for the Winter so their feet don't poach the wet ground but because Dad farms so extensively rather than intensively (i.e. his stocking density is very low - each cow gets A LOT of room so totally unprofitable but nice for the cows!).  However winter grass won't provide enough sustenance so hay is given to supplement their diet.

Can you spot the odd one out in the photo above?  The eagle eyed of you will spot a sheep tucking into the hay.  That's Mint, one of the lambs that was bottle-fed by visiting children over the summer.  Originally it was intended that they wouldn't have seen Christmas, they should be tucked up in the freezer but the travelling slaughter-man/butcher that was meant to come to the farm never turned up and we never got around to re-booking.  So, they're still here!  Here's Sauce - up the other end of the shed happily tucking in too!

Having been bottle fed for so long means that they are quite tame. 
Mint is prone to jumping through the feed barrier so he can really get stuck into the hay.

Titus tried his best to get Mint to hop back through but he was having none of it!

Spence and Dad discussing other jobs that need to be done - an endless list!

Guy busy distributing the hay - one small handful at a time

I don't think that I've shared 'Horace' on the blog yet - here he is.  The lucky boy chosen to come and visit and see if he can get a few of the ladies pregnant. 

Look at that head - a proper Billy Bull - isn't he handsome?  If he does his job we should expect calves next September.

Kate
Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall

Farm Friends - Pets Corner moves to its Winter Quarters

This week the temperature has dropped and with today's cold wind we decided it was time for the rabbits and guinea pigs to move to their cosier winter accommodation.  The rabbits were easy enough to catch and quite happy to temporarily go in the carrier whilst they were taken to their new home.  

The guinea pigs however were a little more reluctant - I've mentioned before how they like to spend most of the time underneath their house, well, this doesn't help you when you're trying to pick them up.  I tipped up the house while Dad shouted "Pig!" and Spence would dive in the direction of the guinea pig nearest him.  

Spence then had the brain wave of using the fishing net but on catching Charlie in it, a quick wriggle by him revealed a hole in the net and Charlie was once again free!  Anyway after much hilarity, diving and exclamations of "Pig!" Rhubarb, Charlie, Barley and Abigail were all caught and taken up to where rabbits, Minky and Monty were waiting for them.

Monty making sure the guinea pigs are ok

Minky up on a shelf looking on

All 'snoochied' in, warm and comfy and going against the theory that
rabbits and guinea pigs don't get on when all together!

Kate
Poltarrow Farm
Self Catering Cottages and Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in Cornwall