Late last month, I visited Newquay in Cornwall. This was just a long weekend break at a hotel and spa for a special Halloween-themed treat. I stayed at Headland Hotel in Cornwall on the coast at Newquay at Fistral Bay. On the Sunday, the bloke and I decided to walk down to Newquay for Sunday lunch, and I had a leisurely walk around Newquay and walked back along the coast.
The pub that we wanted to visit for Sunday lunch had a problem with their kitchen, so we ended up in another pub with a carvery and amazing views over Newquay beach.
Afterwards, I had a walk around Newquay and popped into a couple of shops and bought a tiny coconut ice cream from Freddo's Homemade Ice Cream along the main street through the town. From here, I walked down to the beach down a long flight of stairs to visit The Coconut Chy kiosk at the bottom of the hill and literally on the beach.
Although the town above was fairly busy with visitors, the beach was quiet with a few surfers out in the sea. As soon as I got near The Coconut Chy, the skies opened up and poured. There was very little cover here.
The Coconut Chy had some Halloween specials of hot chocolate. I selected one, which was a delicious pumpkin-spice flavour with a pumpkin-shaped marshmallow. Unfortunately, the pouring weather meant that I could not take a better photograph of the beautiful treat.
I wanted to walk along the beach, but I did not get too far. The rain eased up slightly, but it was still raining. I did walk onto the beach but not too far out.
I had to walk back up the hill and along the coast, following the southwest trail. There were some nice views over the harbour. Pity about the rain.
I came across Huer's Hut. It is a listed building, and it dates from the 14th century. It was used as a lookout for shoals of pilchard fish, and upon seeing these fish, the horn would be blown to alert the fishermen in the town. Before its use as a lookout for the fish, it may have been used as a hermitage for a hermit who was in charge of lighting a beacon for the ships to see.
The building has a Cornish-style medieval chimney and narrow stairway to the roof. There is a fireplace inside, which was altered probably in the 1800s.
After the visit to the hut, I continued to walk along the coast in the wet weather with mud and damp, being careful not to slip. I did want to go to the headland beyond the hotel, but the rainy and wet weather put me off.
The weather was not the best for my long weekend, but I did make the most of it despite the rain. Maybe I will have better luck next time with my time off.
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