Friday 7th July 2023
Mia was allowed to sleep-in after her very late night but in the end she wasn’t too late for school!!
Returning from the school run, Christine joined Jane and Oreo with Tom-Tom, Rosie and headed off to Brean Beach, a short drive away for a good long walk whilst I was left to pack the car and poo-pick👹👹
Today is very sunny and warm as we hit the road heading to Cornwall for our weekend break, the highlight being our seats for the “Fisherman’s Friends” concert, my birthday treat from Christine; I’m really looking forward to seeing them. Our itinerary starts with a visit to the famous “Jamaica Inn” on Bodmin Moor for lunch. Christine hadn’t been there before and it was about 50-years since I last visited the place.
The run down to Bodmin was quick, duel carriageway most of the way and arrived at 1300hrs, “Peckish”, after all Christine had done a long walk!!!
My how things have changed, firstly the pub and surrounding are have been bypassed, Jamaica inn is no longer on the main road and their car park is enormous catering for the many holiday makers passing by.
This famous pub was built in 1750 as a coaching inn but infamous as a staging post for contraband smuggled ashore along the Cornish coast; a sort of modern day distribution point, albeit illegal!!. It has been estimated that half the Brandy and a quarter of all tea smuggled into the U.K. during the 19th century was landed on the Cornish and Devon coasts and Jamaica Inn being so isolated, made it an ideal place to distribute it from. There is also a smuggler’s museum but unfortunately we didn’t get in as time was against us; another time. Jamaica Inn is also well known for Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name published in 1936, a story of intrigue and smuggling etc. Daphne spent a lot of time later in her life intrigued by the place, there is even a mock-up of her working environment. There is also a plaque on the floor depicting where a “Joss Merlyn”, the leader of a gang of smugglers working the Cornish coast was murdered, and it is “said” his ghost haunts the Inn and comes back to finish his ale!!! We enjoyed our lunch but was shocked at the service behind the bar. There were lots of folk arriving for lunch but getting served at the bar was laborious, only two serving so there was a constant queue,very poor.
The rest of the journey wasn’t so good, heavy traffic with miles of roadworks as they are upgrading the A30; typical, always in the summer!!!, still we arrived at the appropriate time to get into our room, not a hotel but a self-catering place at the appointed hour and immediately put the kettle on.
Tonight we fancied a good fresh fish dinner so searched the internet and “plumped” for a place called “The Boatshed”, but being so late, couldn’t book so had to take pot luck. This was the highest rated fish restaurant in Penzance and it was good, simple, but fresh and tasty and accompanied by suitable alcoholic beverages, it was good choice.
The weather today has been superb, sunny and hot, let’s hope it continues tomorrow and more importantly, no rain tomorrow evening for the concert🤞🤞🤞🤞
