Grannie Day Care

Today Grannie Day Care is full to capacity with all three grandchildren insitu.  We have Jessica who is 2 1/2 years, Bethany and William who are both 10 months.  It is mayhem I am sure.  In fact the very reason I am able to write a blog is because I do not have a baby or toddler trying to help me type right now - so thanks Grannie!

Grannie herself has been very busy preparing the cottages for the half term visitors.  As usual we have had our winter makeover with painting happening throughout, new curtains, plastering and lights in various cottages.  It is always a mad dash in January to get everything done but we are finished and ready to welcome guests for the February Half Term.

Spring is really springing in Cornwall, it is getting warmer and there are flowers out left right and centre.  If you are visiting in the next few weeks here are some great ideas of things to do:

• The Lost Gardens of Heligan - not only do children get in free in February but you can try your hand at making a wildlife hotel, explore the garden and try out the rope bridge.
• The Eden Project - try your hand at survival skills at Eden
• Cardinham Woods - one of our favourite pushchair family walks with a fantastic cafe and children's play area
• The Maritime Museum - discover the history of tea this half term - you might even get to enjoy a cup!
• Spring coast walk - enjoy a refreshing stroll on the north coast followed by lunch at Lenwinnick Lodge watching the waves crashing, both child and dog friendly.

Spring is springing

One of the many joys of living in Cornwall is that Spring seems to come that bit earlier.  The snowdrops are out in full glory and the daffodils are starting to appear all over the place.  We went for a lovely walk to The Lost Gardens of Heligan this week with the balance bike in tow for our two year old - it was absolutely delightful and perfect for the younger riders who can't make it that far.

We have also been making the most of stunning sunny weather here with breakfasts on the beach, long walks and lots of playing outside.  Why not come and stay at Tregongeeves and make the most of the early sunshine?  What's better than taking the camping stove down to the beach and listening to the bacon sizzling in the pan - we were the envy of the beach that is for sure.  If you don't fancy bringing your stove then why not enjoy breakfast Lenwinnick Lodge.  The family friendly restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere with stunning views nestled on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the North Coast.

Our younger guests can make the most of the ice skating rink at The Eden Project.  On Wednesdays they have a dedicated toddler skate in the morning which is great fun for all the family and over half term there is Survival event for you all to take part in.  If flowers are more your thing then why not take in the 7000 daffodils that make up the Mawgan Church Daffodil Festive - well worth a visit on 14 - 16 February.  The Lost Gardens of Heligan are hosting a Love Wildlife event with trails and events for all the family.

Happy Christmas from Tregongeeves

Happy Christmas to you all from Tregongeeves Farm Cottages, we hope where ever you are spending Christmas you have a restful and happy time and wish you well for 2015.

walk along Pentewan Beach

The cottages are full of Christmas cheer with trees and decorations up.  Within the farmhouse where Judith lives there is a whirl of excitement as she prepares to host Christmas lunch for us all - it will be quite a busy day with a two year and two 8 month year olds, but one we all are very much looking forward to.  Having watched Paul and Mary's Christmas Bake Off special last night I have promised a ginger and white chocolate cheesecake - lets hope that goes ok.

This time of year the donkeys seem to fit in perfectly to the festive spirit.  Although they are a bit grumpy at the moment as they are in two separate fields as two of them are a bit fiesty and stopping the older girls getting as much food as they need.  As Judith has more time on her hands in the quieter months Tom the horse is getting lots of lovely rides, which I think Judith is enjoying as much as him.  Alice the Shetland Pony does a good job of looking disheveled a lot at this time of year, mainly due to long hair always looking a mess.  Do give her a comb if you see her.

Hot chocolate at Watergate Bay Beach Cafe

We have been making the most of how quiet the roads are down here at this time of year and have been on plenty of adventures.  We have discovered The Beach Cafe at Watergate Bay.  The dog and child friendly cafe is a real treat for breakfast and serves the most amazing hot chocolates - well worth a visit.  We have also taken several trips to Lanhydrock.  There is a new, huge play area along with miles of cycle tracks.  Right next to the new play area is a fantastic cafe which again does amazing hot chocolates are great food too.

Living so close to the beach of course we have been making very regular trips to the beach.  Just last week we took a wonderful stroll down to Pentewan - I could count on one hand the number of people on the beach, it was magical having it to ourselves.

Once again we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happ

y New Year

Best Wishes,
Judith & John, Richard, Heidi & The Girls, Alison, Patrick and William,

We made it through our stay

Our friends at Heligan

Jessica making friends with Diggory

Last time I told you I was in charge of the animals whilst Judith and John had a well deserved holiday.  I am pleased to report, all animals made it through my custody period - albeit a bit fatter than normal as I may have given them one or two scoops too many of food and got my wires crossed and fed Tom the horse each morning, even though someone else was feeding him!  All in all we very much enjoyed our time at Tregongeeves.  Jessica, our two year old loved feeding the animals each morning with the guests.  Luckily last week I had some brilliant helpers collecting the eggs and making sure I gave the pig enough food and Alice got her special breakfast each morning.  The hard part was getting Jessica to come back from feeding the animals without a go on the 'bouncy bouncy' (trampoline).  We took advance of the facilities on site though and took Bethany, who is 5 months for her first dip in the swimming pool and went on some lovely walks around Tregongeeves.

With the temperatures on the rise again this week it is hard to believe we are in autumn, but September is whizzing by.  We enjoyed a spot of blackberry picking last week to make a delicious apple and blackberry crumble and we have been crunching through the leaves.  Cornwall is fantastic at this time of year.  Not only is it a lot quieter but the seas start to get a bit rough making for some fantastic sights.  One of my favorite things to do through the autumn is to enjoy a lunch whilst watching the waves crashing and you really are spoilt for choice as where to go.

Our own pig - Ronnie

Locally you could pop down to the Driftwood Beach Bar, which is part of Pentewan Sands Campsite but open to non residents.  The small beach hut offers stunning views from the warmth of the recently refurbished bar.  The food is good and with a selection of hot and cold drinks you could sit back and watch the waves roll in.  My favourite cliff top location to enjoy breakfast from is Lenwinnick Lodge.  The Lenwinnick Lodge offers a great blend of relaxing dining with breathtaking views - even on a rainy day it is worth a visit.  The waffles for breakfast are my all time favourite.  Or slightly further along the coast why not try out the Watergate Bay Beach Cafe.  The stunning views are complimented by great food in a very family friendly environment.

If the great outdoors is more your thing then why not undertake a lovely walk - to be honest there are far too many to list - from local circular walks to long coastal walks - so ask us when you see us for recommendations.  A great circular walk is the Fowey Hall Walk - the views back over to Fowey are stunning and you can be rewarded with a great big slice of cake from one of the many cafes in Fowey!

I have to say with the piglets at Heligan I am there a few times a week to keep the children happy - we have a local pass which means we can go as much as we like.  The piglets are adorable, I know I mention Heligan a lot but it really is worth a visit right now the gardens are looking stunning.

animal antics expected

I don't want to count my chickens too soon but I expect some animal antics over the next ten days as Richard and I have moved into Tregongeeves whilst Judith and John take a well deserved holiday to Ireland.  Usually there is some sort of animal antics  - I moved the children and me in at about 10am, we went and did our animal inspection, and by 11am I have noticed that a chicken has managed to escape their paddock and is currently down by the house.  This is not good.  Chicken catching is one of my least favorite activities, especially with a two year old as a helpful helper and a five month attached to me!    Other than escaping chickens everyone else looked good; Alice is much better after recovering from a sore eye, the pigs were in good voice grunting for a carrot and the sheep looked a bit disgruntled about the slightly damp weather.

I was every excited to spy a healthy helping of blackberries waiting for us to pick and the elder bushes full of berries - I am hoping to make elderberry juice.  Jessica on the other hand was every excited to spy the trampoline, swings and slide; luckily I managed to distract her long enough to get past them without too much of a fuss.  If you are staying over the next couple of weeks we look forward to meeting you and showing you around the animals.

Last week we had a great train adventure.  We went for lunch at Lanhydrock - a beautiful national trust property.  The House is one of the finest examples of upstairs downstairs living - it is really lovely.  We went to the new cafe at the huge bike centre and had lunch there.  We enjoyed one of nicest hot chocolates I have had in a long time - it was HUGE.  If you do go make sure you read the menu board just inside the door - we missed that and missed the seasonal soup.  We ended up having homemade burgers which were delicious.  After lunch we hopped in the car and drove a mile down the road to Respryn and walked the path up to Bodmin Parkway Station.  With a train obsessed child this was brilliant - we got to see two normal trains and the steam train part of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway - a real treat.  It was spotting with rain but this didn't matter as the walk is tree lined so we were well protected.  This will be a brilliant walk over the autumn and winter months and is buggy friendly.

Last week we had not one but two trips to The Lost Gardens of
Heligan.  Mainly because of the piglets.  They are adorable - there are two litters there and the mothers are working very hard to keep all the hungry mouths full! It really is worth a visit.  Obviously we had to sample the cake just to make sure the cake was up to the usual standard.  It was!

Sunday adventures

Working in this trade it is sometimes a struggle to make time to enjoy Cornwall during the summer, but this year we have been having adventures every other Sunday.  Judith has been having adventure days with us as Richard, my husband works so the girls and I go on a magical mystery tour with her.  Without fail they involve very small roads and an element of reversing, a cake stop and somewhere to enjoy lunch.  Yesterday we had our latest day out - off we went with the car loaded with a picnic, pushchair and baby carrier, with me hoping I would not have to do too much 'skinny road driving' or even worse too much reversing.

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.

Regatta Season

It is regatta season here in Cornwall at the moment.  This week sees the fantastic Fowey Regatta - the Red Arrows  will be flying over on Thursday - their display is always awesome.

Next Saturday is Portscatho Regatta - a traditional regatta with an exciting highly visible course. Followed by the Newlyn Fish Festival on the 25th August - the festival celebrates all things fishy and is a real incite into the Cornish fishing trade.

Then the icing on the cake is the Falmouth to Royal Greenwich Tall Ship Regatta.  I am really excited about this as 47 tall ships from around the world - including 12 square rigged tall ships will be in Falmouth for the week culminating in a Parade of Sail on 31st August 11am -2pm.  With a small person obsessed with pirates we will certainly be taking a tour around the boats!