As it happened we stuck to good roads yesterday and took the main road out of St Austell towards Lostweithel - once through the lovely village famed for it's antiques we turned off towards Bodmin - here it was revealed to the car of excited travellers that we were going on a Bodmin Moor Adevnture. First stop was Golitha Falls. Just follow the brown signs to a free car park and head into the woods following the river. With a two year old in tow the first thing that sprung to mind was the Gruffalo Woods. The stunning wooded valley is a magical mystical place with the tree canopy providing shelter from the odd spot of rain. The path is an adventure itself littered with tree roots for little people to explore - thankfully we took the four month old in the baby carrier as it was not pushchair friendly. As the river crawls through the woods the anticipation to the falls grows. The river falls a spectacular 90 metres in altitude and provides a peaceful setting to enjoy a Cornish valley at it's best. I am very much looking forward to an autumn walk through the trees taking a flask of soup with us in a few weeks time as I am pretty certain it will be spectacular.
Back in the car we then drive a short distance to Siblyback Lake Country Park where we unpack the picnic and enjoy the view over the huge lake. I forgot the picnic blanket so we are rather squashed on a series of baby blankets! A great location for a picnic with toilets, play areas, cafe and free parking. Not a great location to allow a two year old to play with a ball though - I am sure a few people laughed watching me run after it as we get to the top of the hill and she lets it go as it hurtles towards the water (the ball not the child!). We got to enjoy gig racing on the lake and watch Granny teach Jessica how to roll down a hill - thankfully we all made it back to the car in one piece.
Next stop was a ride out on Bodmin Moor to the Cheese Ring in Minions. Park in the free car park and wander over the Moor to the Cheese Ring Stones. Jessica loved this, the soft ground with hills to climb and stones to explore proved a great natural play ground - you could spend hours up here just in one location or go for a circular walk (signposted). Within the village there is a pub and cafe for food, or on the Moor with views across to Devon you could enjoy a picnic.
Final stop on our tour was Tregongeeves for a well earned coffee and homemade biscuits. Here at Tregongeeves we have enjoyed a busy summer, with the animals having lots of visitors paying them lots of attention. Alice the Shetland Pony has been getting some TLC as she has a sore eye, it is on the mend, but she has needed a bit more attention than normal. The Pigs, who were new this winter, are well and truly settled in, and sometimes seem to think they are the boss of Judith. As for the chickens, well they are well and as always ever increasing in numbers...or so it seems anyway - Judith always seems to have acquired a new chicken from here or there!
Do have a look at our website for some brilliant autumn offers to entice you down to enjoy the stunning Cornish coast during the winter months.
