A while ago, I asked my followers on Instagram which posts on The Secret Life of Maggie May they enjoyed the most. The most popular answer? Stories about my travels and adventures - and I was so happy to read this, because they're some of my favourite posts to write!
As a child, I adored reading Enid Blyton novels and imagining I was exploring distant lands. At a time when our travel options become more limited, I am finding myself revisiting that youthful phase, with a curiosity and interest in reading about what others are up to all across the world. It is an escape, as reading often is, and to imagine where I might visit in years to come is optimistic and exciting, as opposed to depressing. I will continue to share my tales of recent travels, in the hope that you find the same joy and pleasure as I do, and today's post is one any lover of Cornwall will enjoy.
We headed down to south Cornwall at the end of February for a few days with my parents; Mr MM and my dad had recently celebrated their birthdays, so it seemed like a good excuse to have a little holiday. My parents lived in Cornwall for many years, but I am still yet to explore a lot of it, and when I asked them where would be a good spot for a quiet retreat, they suggested looking around the south east of the county.
They mentioned in particular Looe, a small coastal town which Mama Maggie May had visited with her mum when she was young. They were so keen on visiting that we decided to stop off on the way from Somerset, before arriving at our holiday cottage. It made sense as we couldn't check in until late afternoon anyway, and so it was around lunchtime on a sunny but nippy Thursday that we parked up next to the harbour.
We spent the next couple of hours wandering around, snapping photos and pointing out the aggressive looking seagulls. We also stopped off at the lovely Daisy's Café, where we were served the largest and scrummiest scones we'd had in a while - cheese for me, plain for the others. They were delicious, and I would have taken some photos if we hadn't have devoured everything so quickly... Definitely worth popping in for cake if you're looking for somewhere to rest between sightseeing!
Once we'd walked off the scones, we decided to make our way to our home for the next few days. I'd heard good things about National Trust holiday cottages, and after a quick Google search, found one in a tiny, sleepy village in the middle of nowhere - exactly what we wanted!
We knew we'd found a winner as soon as we saw the view from the front of the cottage, looking directly out to the sea - the coastal escape we were looking for.
There was a lovely welcome from the National Trust team on our arrival - tea, coffee and biscuits awaited us in the dining room, as well as helpful guides and information about the local area. I excitedly ran around the cottage, taking in all the cosy rooms - especially the living room with a log fire ready to go.
Mr MM and Mama Maggie May headed off to the nearest village to pick up supplies, while dad and I got the fire going and settled in for a quiet evening. We feasted on pizza and salad, and played a heated game of Scrabble which Mr MM inevitably won {I hate playing Scrabble with him for this very reason}. There was something very peaceful about staying in an old, slightly chilly farmhouse, with the fire crackling, my parents' spaniel stretched out in front of it, and us nursing our Scrabble tiles on our blanket-covered laps - it was just the way I had imagined we'd spend our evenings.
The next day we headed off to one of my favourite Cornish spots, Fowey. But this time we were visiting somewhere Mr MM and I hadn't been before - Fowey Harbour Hotel. Admittedly it was a dreary, rainy lunchtime when we arrived, but we still had a view right across the estuary.
^ Mama Maggie May looking particularly fabulous while I enviously eye up her Chablis. My rose lemonade was still nice though.
We ordered a few different dishes between us, sat back and enjoyed the quiet - and then the twice-baked cheese soufflé arrived.
Hot, bubbling cheese surrounding a fluffy, sweet middle, that still had a satisfying crisp edge when you bit into it. Amazing! Maybe one of the best things I've ever eaten.
The mains were pretty good too - I went for the classic fish and chips {when in Cornwall}, while Mr MM opted for the sorrel & kale tagliatelle, with goats cheese and nutty pesto.
We spent a long time just chatting and looking at the view, while my loved ones enjoyed their apparently gorgeous wine {I'm not bitter about this at all, clearly} and we suddenly realised we'd better get moving if we wanted to nip into the shops before they closed. We picked up a few things in our favourite shop Brocante, popped into the bakery to buy their last few Cornish pasties, and headed back to the cottage to eat them by the fire. Quite simply? Heaven.
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