Lau On Tour Day 10: Cornwall

Part 10 of my new series, Lau On Tour. Catch up with my previous destination and find out what the series is all about before you join me in today's destination, Cornwall.

Image: Harry Kessell/Unsplash

The itinerary

One of the biggest tourist sites in Cornwall is the Eden Project, a series of giant biomes which house plants from all over the world. I've visited twice in real life, though beyond being very sweaty, my memory of the experience is a little hazy. I haven't managed to find an official video tour, but the website has many photos of the various attractions to click through, including the rainforest canopy walkway.

The Eden Project. Image: Jack Young/Unsplash

If that's got you in the mood for nature, Newquay Zoo lets the public snoop on its meerkats via a live webcam, and its sister site, Paignton Zoo in neighbouring Devon shows off its flamingoes and macaques too.

For a dose of the Cornish seaside, you can't do much better than St Ives, a charming fishing village with a sandy beach and plenty to keep tourists busy. It's one of several destinations in Cornwall which can be viewed through a live webcam - the downside being that you have to provide your own ice cream.

I'm finishing off my day in the south-west with a look at some of the scenic railway trips in the area, adequately summed up with this short but beautiful video clip. Beats the 8.14 into London Cannon Street any day.

Where I'm staying

Image: Luxury Lodges

The accommodation which comes to mind when I think of Cornwall is the Headland Hotel, sitting proud on the cliff overlooking Newquay's famous Fistral Beach, and used as the filming location for The Witches. Tempting though the spa and six (!) swimming pools are, I'm using my time in the south-west to reconnect with nature, at the Treehouse on the Lake Lodge in Camborne, where I can sleep in woodland above the forest floor, wallow in a copper bath, and gaze out from my timber terrace.

In pop culture

TV series Poldark and 2019 film Fisherman's Friend both spring to mind for on-screen representations of Cornwall. But instead I chose to revisit an old favourite, cosy TV show Doc Martin, which is set in the fictional fishing village of Portwenn, and filmed on location in Cornwall's Port Isaac. With its sweeping cliffs, glistening water and cute cottages, it's a beautiful look at England's south-west county.

On the menu

What could be more Cornish than a cream tea? I dug out my old scone recipe and made a batch of fruit and plain scones, and served them up with clotted cream and fruity jam. I'd rather have been eating it in a beautiful clifftop garden looking over the coast of St Ives or Penzance, but made do with my kitchen table. One confession though... I take my scones Devon-style (cream first) rather than Cornwall-style. Some things just have to be done properly, regardless of your destination.

Souvenir shopping

Remember in the 1990s when it felt like every other car in the UK had a rainbow-coloured Fat Willy's window sticker? You could always spot a Brit abroad by their Fat Willy's Surf Shack t-shirt, which came in all manner of sizes and colours. The brand still has three shops, in Falmouth, St Ives, and the flagship in Newquay, which I remember visiting as a child. I didn't get a t-shirt when I was a kid, but perhaps I'll take on home this time around.

Image: Fat Willy's Surf Shack