rainy day Cornwall: Falmouth
The current horrendous UK weather has prompted this post. The wind and rain reminds me of what we experienced last year on a little week away in Cornwall. It was in March, which can have quite lovely spring weather, but last year it was the second coldest on record. The seaside isn’t really my location of choice for a week of wind, hail, sleet and snow! Trying to make the most of a holiday around all that weather was quite a challenge at times.
Anyway, we booked a lovely little apartment called Puffins in the middle of Falmouth. If you’re looking for a modern apartment in a perfect location, then it completely fits the bill. A fondness of puffins really is recommended though, as the decor is very puffin-focused, right down to puffin salt and pepper shakers. But who doesn’t love puffins, right?
Our apartment had a great view however, with double height windows:
Due to The Amazing Molly having a work emergency to tend do, I was left to my own devices for a couple of days. My Plan A for the holiday had fallen in a heap, as there was no way in the world that I was going to do any coastal walks. Plan B was then to come up with ways to spend time in Falmouth during crap weather.
Here are my recommendations, in no particular order:
Go to a pub with a bookshop! This place was such an unexpected find. The entrance to Beerwolf Books looks like an interesting old boozer…
then you go up the staircase, to discover a lovely pub with a bookshop at the back. Sheer genius. Seriously, why doesn’t every town have one of these? I could spend a lot of time somewhere like that.
When there is a short respite from the rain and the howling winds, go for a little walk to the next town over, Penryn. Stock up on supplies at the Bailey’s Country Store Farm Shop (I got a slice of fantastic egg and bacon pie to eat on the go, and I got some frozen homity pies to eat later. Seriously, the only two places in the world I’ve ever found homity pies are Cornwall and Tasmania. There’s a huge gap in the market, hint hint. I could live on the potato-and-cheese goodness forever).
Then have a nice cup of tea and a bit of cake at Miss Peapod’s Cafe. The focus is on local and organic food, and I managed to snaffle a comfy couch just when there was a rare patch of sunshine coming in.
The cafe is part of Jubilee Wharf, a great multi-use eco-development in Penryn. Jubilee Wharf is also home to various workshops, studios, alongside flats on the top floor. I had a look around some lovely clothing and jewellery studios.
When you have some company again (The Amazing Molly eventually returned), stop by Dolly’s Tea Rooms for a delicious cocktail served in a teapot and teacups. Tasty! They’re also now hosting a knitting evening once a month, but I only discovered this a day too late to attend myself.
On the topic of knitting, there’s a traditional “wool shop” in town, The Wool Basket. I thought it would be just the place for something more on the novelty yarn end of the spectrum, and indeed it was, so I picked up something suitable for knitting an easter bunny. Worked a treat, and the staff were very lovely actually,
Falmouth actually has a great selection of little independent shops, with a good range of interesting, handmade products, as well as a good smattering of vintage furniture shops. There are also lots of art galleries to spend time browsing in, but I didn’t take any photos of those to show you.
In a nutshell, Falmouth is a lovely little place, that somehow manages to combine Cornish fishing history with tourism and university students. I’m sure it’s at its best in summer, but even in the depths of an unexpected winter, it’s a great spot.