A Lady in London

After 15 unseasonably hot days of traveling in the Balkans, I expected to return to bitter cold weather in London. But when I arrived at Gatwick Airport, I was greeted by such warmth that I wondered whether my flight had been rerouted to the tropics. As it happened, the UK was experiencing a heat wave. It made me all the more glad that I would be traveling to Cornwall over the weekend.

The heat showed no signs of abating on Friday morning when I met a friend at Paddington station for our train to Newquay. First Great Western trains had generously given us first class tickets, and after we boarded, we settled into large leather seats and enjoyed complimentary tea and biscuits as the trip got underway.

Unfortunately, our progress didn’t go as planned. Due to a signal failure on the route, we missed our connection at Par. We were told to stay on the train and travel to the next station, where “alternative rail transport” had been arranged. That came in the form of a bus that arrived 31 minutes after we did. I was sad to be delayed an hour, but happy that we eventually got to Newquay.

From there my friend and I took a taxi to our hotel, Bedruthan Steps, which was located in nearby Mawgan Porth. I had stayed there for my bread making class in Cornwall in January, and I was excited to have been invited back for another of their themed weekend breaks: Vintage Pleasures.

Upon arrival we checked into our large sea-view room, which the hotel had offered us on a complimentary basis for the next two nights. Our first order of business was to walk down to the beach and enjoy the last hours of beautiful weather that day.

The beach was gorgeous, and the coastal path that ran on either side of it provided us with stunning views of cliffs, fields, and rock formations. After we returned to the hotel, we enjoyed a glass of wine on the outdoor terrace overlooking the water.

When it was dark, we walked down to the small village by the beach and had a great dinner at a restaurant called Fire. The local mussels I had for dinner were the best I’ve eaten in years.

The next morning we woke up and enjoyed the great Cornish breakfast buffet at the hotel. The spread had everything from the Full English Breakfast to locally-sourced yogurt, fruit, bread, and jam.

After breakfast we set off for the beach to explore the offerings for the Vintage Pleasures weekend. First we saw the body boarders jumping into the water for their activities. Then we walked up the beach and found vintage volleyball, skittles, and hula hooping.

On the edge of the beach was a cooking demonstration featuring the hotel’s chef. He was making Szechuan squid with Chimichurri sauce and rocket, a dish that would feature on the new menu of the hotel’s restaurant after an upcoming renovation.

At the end of the demo we were able to try the calamari. The dish was packed with spice and flavors, and I was impressed that the chef had cooked it on a camp stove on the beach.

The sample had made us hungry, so we took the advice of some locals and walked along the coastal trail from Mawgan Porth to Watergate Bay. There we found ourselves in the middle of a farmers’ market.

The market featured goods from all over Cornwall, and we sampled everything from local Cornish beer to bread, milk, and chocolate. At the end we had lunch from the stand staffed by Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall restaurant, which was located right behind the market.

Back at Bedruthan Steps, our Vintage Pleasures fun continued. First we decorated cupcakes with everything from colorful frosting to sparkling sprinkles.

Then we perused several tables of beautiful vintage wares to get some inspiration for sewing our own cloth bags. My sewing skills were nought, but with the help of the patient staff, my little polka dot bag turned out okay in the end. More importantly, I had a lot of fun making it.

And there was more vintage fun to be had afterwards. My friend and I took a rock n’ roll dance lesson in the hotel’s ballroom. We learned basic steps for rock and jive, and by the end of the class we were able to do some turns as well. Later there was a live band playing music to which people could test out their new dancing skills.

But before that we needed some sustenance. That evening we had a complimentary dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Indigo Bay. The menu featured both contemporary dishes and vintage classics, and the dining room was decorated with festive bunting for the occasion.

My friend and I both had scallops in mashed potatoes to start. They were good, but came out of the kitchen at lightning speed, making us wonder how long in advance they had been prepared.

I had the coq au vin for my main, and she had the veal ossobuco with risotto. The chicken was tender and the sauce had just the right balance of flavors to support it. I really enjoyed the dish. The large dessert of chocolate cake was a great way to finish off the meal.

Speaking of meals, the next morning we enjoyed another round at the breakfast buffet. Afterwards we took one last walk on the beach before getting a taxi to Bodmin Parkway train station.

No trains ran from Newquay to London outside of the summer season, so we picked up the train in Bodmin and enjoyed another first class ride along the coast and through the beautiful English countryside. This time our train even arrived in London a few minutes early.

When we alighted, the weather was still gorgeous. I wished we could have spent a few more days in Cornwall enjoying the vintage festivities, but the hotel has plans to do more vintage weekends and other themed breaks throughout next year. With an excuse to back again another time, all that’s left to do is hope the weather is as good as it was last weekend.