Continuing the braless theme of my recent fashion post; I didn’t even have time to put one on on the Saturday morning we visited Godrevy beach. As we approached the National Trust hut at the carpark entrance, I covered my chest with one arm, and hung the other out the window to flash my membership card at the volunteer. The bed at the back of the camper van was still out and it must have been obvious I hadn’t been awake long…
The early morning was worth it though, and although the lower carpark was already full; we joined the queue further up the hill with only four cars in front. The gates opened at nine, and we did it; we bagged one of the best spots to park our VW T25 camper. There are a couple of fields that are open for parking in the summer, however if the weather has been wet, the fields close, there aren’t spaces for many cars, and you may have to keep driving to the next beach on your list. We managed to be amongst the first row that get to pull in and face right out to sea with no interruptions. And the view is amazing.
We came prepared, and had stocked up at the nearest Tescos the day before so we had enough food with us for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which makes it sound like we had three square meals, when the reality was we just snacked all day long!
It was obviously a good day for surfing – the wind was blowing out to sea and the waves were rolling in – I was quite jealous I wasn’t amongst the many surfers who turned up to take advantage of the perfect conditions. Hopefully next year I’ll bring my board and it will be just as good. It’s not that I’m after huge waves or anything as I only tend to go waist deep, but I like a bit of power behind my white water! And I am going to be a surfer when I grow up.
The water was calling me, so I went for a swim. Swimming at Godrevy at the top end of the beach below the cliffs can be tricky due to the seaweed. I’ve tried on previous years and had to give up (these are huge great sea plants with leaves 20cm wide and about 2 metres long – not the tiny bits of seaweed you get on the Kent and Sussex coast) but for some reason, although the second cove along was chockablock with the stuff, the first cove nearest the steps was clear, so I was able to swim there. It took me a long time to get used to the cold temperature – I’m not a dive in head-first sort of person! But when I did, it felt absolutely fine. The waves were difficult to handle though, and it made the swimming doubly exhausting, so I wasn’t in for long. I was really glad I did it though – very invigorating!
After that, I did my best impression of someone able to relax, and even read a few pages of Bella Grace magazine, but it wasn’t long before I was restless and jumped up with my camera to take some photos. However, the lighting wasn’t great, so I wasn’t gone for long.
That evening we went to watch The Rogue Theatre Company in Tehidy Woods. It was another impressive performance, so if you’re visiting Godrevy, I’d recommend finding out if they have a theatre show on. The next morning we went back to the woods for a photoshoot for Threads of a Fairytale, and we decided to take it easy again in the afternoon and returned to Godrevy Beach. Again we were lucky, and the morning visitors were clearing out, so we managed to nab another space at the front of the field! I went off with my camera again, and these are the photos I took that day:
I think Godrevy is one of Cornwall’s best beaches, and we always try and visit on our Camper van holidays to Cornwall. It’s a National Trust owned car park, so free if you’re a member, but £6 for the day if not. There are lifeguards at the main beach, but not at the bays below the cliff parking. There are also loos at the back of the field carpark (probably at the main beach as well). It’s a bit of a walk from the field parking to main beach, so we’ve never actually done it! It can get quite crowded at peak times, so that’s why we like sitting in the camper and just enjoying the view!
(I’ll be posting my vlog of our camper trip around Cornwall on my YouTube channel soon – subscribe if you don’t want to miss it!)
Joining the #sharealllinkup at Not Dressed as Lamb.
