Rosie Corriette

Notes from a retired blogger

  • Arundel Castle | Days Out

    Arundel Castle | Days Out

    Arundel Castle, one of those days out that is so British – nestled deep in West Sussex, close to the coast between Chichester and Worthing we enjoyed a spur of the moment adventure.

    The word castle I don’t think is a fair appraisal of Arundel Castle – from the private chapel, to the grand room and the various living rooms open – not to mention the very bedroom that was designed for Queen Victoria to stay in – it has more of a palace feel.

    There is so much history, which is not surprising as with nearly a thousand years of history.

    There are a number of ticket types, gardens only which are extensive – we were lucky to visit during the Tulip festival which was outstanding. To visit inside the castle, there is a general ticket and a type that includes the bedrooms. We opted for the general (this does include Queen Victoria’s bedroom) and found it to be more than enough. Both Castle tickets give access to the keep: it is steep at times, but the views are worth the climb.

    During our visit, we were helped along by guides who weren’t just there to help the flow but who were genuinely knowledgeable – a skill that is needed when you’re in the company of a fact thirsty 10-year-old.

    The Duke of Norfolk is considered the Premier Duke of England a fact that seemed to score bonus points with Boo: who knew there was a hierarchy of dukedoms.

    Arundel Cathedral, the Catholic cathedral church completely separate from the castle is the foundation of the diocese of Arundel and Brighton. Rising impressively over the town, it can be seen from the castle’s keep – we all know I love a Cathedral so running out of time has guaranteed our return to Arundel.

    Getting there
    Arundel train station is less than a 10 minute walk away and is served by trains from London Victoria with a regular service. If travelling by car there’s a car park directly opposite Arundel Castle and it was ridiculously cheap to park for the day so much so I had to check the app again and again – think the cost of an ice cream for the full day.

     

    The town
    Whilst you could get lost in Arundel Castle for a day or ten, the castle is on the edge of Arundel town itself. A small yet perfectly formed town Arundel is great for losing yourself (easily finding your way back to the main drag) along the small streets, popping into the numerous antique and collector shops with plenty of pubs and coffee stops too.

     

    Eating

    Whilst there is a restaurant and cafe within the castle itself it’s always nice to get out and explore the town; we settled on independent Italian restaurant for lunch, La Campania – its exterior is a hybrid of chocolate box come treasure trove which makes sense when you learn that it is a converted traditional pub. A set menu is availble at lunch and is easily one of the best hidden gem lunches we’ve had in a long time, a must if you’re visiting Arundel.

    Arundel is almost too big for it’s boots – I’m not sure you can do it justice in one day, with the cathedral next to the Castle, the town and surrounding countryside with all the walks that come with it; Arundel is a day out that will deliver again and again.

     

  • Cornwall by Train

    Cornwall by Train

    Can you realistically explore one of the most remote counties in England by rail? That’s something we set out to do on our recent trip to Cornwall; I say we but actually The Boyfriend is rather well versed in rail travel and I’m a bit of a Johnny come lately (barring the university commute of 15 years ago). Ordinarily it would be obvious to me to hire a car, break the journey up and explore our destination via four wheels.

    First up I need to be completely honest and say that I did not have a hand at all in the itinerary, I left that in the capable hands of him –  he planned every train, every move, every stop, every walk it was an absolute delight not to have to think about any of our travel plans.

    railway tracks overlooking coastal wash

    To give you an idea of what Cornwall by train looked like for us I’ve included our itinerary below; obviously it’s horses for courses or trains for tracks (I’m here all week!)  but it gives you a general idea of how you can move around really easily and in a really adaptable way.

     

    Monday

    London Paddington – Dawlish

    Dawlish – Hayle (where we stayed)

    Tuesday

    Hayle – St Erth

    St Erth – Carbis Bay

    St Ives – Lelant

    St Erth – Penzance

    Penzance – Hayle

    Wednesday

    Hayle – Liskeard

    Coombe Junction Halt* – Looe

    Looe – Liskeard

    Liskeard – Exeter

    Thursday

    Exeter – London Paddington

    *We all know just how excited I was to catch a train from Coombe Junction Halt.

    As you can see there are a number of geographical gaps in our train travel and that’s because we trained, we walked, we sat, we pub-ed, we relaxed. I hadn’t thought that train travel could be part of a leisure journey, viewing it instead as a necessary when getting from A to B – this trip taught me that it’s about the journey as much as it is the destination.

    GWR train on track next to Cornish coast

    It would be remiss of me to not address the cost of train travel. Tickets can vary vastly in price depending on when you book them and when you travel; one way of approaching this is to reframe the cost: build it into part of the experience – obviously that’s not appropriate for everybody but in this case we opted to incorporate a lunch on the way down and a night in Exeter on the way back. For our time in Cornwall, the Cornwall Ranger is a ticket that is perfect for exploring the county, for less than £14 a day you can travel unlimited (off-peak) within Cornwall including to and from Plymouth.

    Train travel is experiencing somewhat of a resurgence hopping back to a bygone era of slower times, of simpler times, perhaps of times when we can pause lean our head on the window and just lose ourselves in the scenery as we hurtle past at what feels like 1000 miles an hour but is more likely 110 miles an hour. It’s the reassuring whir of the wheels on the tracks, the rhythmic lulling as you relinquish all responsibilities – it’s like being a child again, whilst all very grown up… a very welcome feeling.

    Interior shot of train and man with countryside

    However is Cornwall by train actually practical? I will admit coming as the woman who has flown to Scotland twice I was a little bit more than sceptical: would I lose all sentient feeling in my lower body before we made it over The Royal Albert Bridge as we crossed the River Tamar into Cornwall? I was surprised at the real connectivity in Cornwall, both the high speed line and the smaller coastal lines. It made getting round really easy. Over the three days, we encountered minimal (think a few minutes) delays and only one cancellation and that was on the main line, which was easily made up with a train behind. I also came back from what was a jam packed trip feeling rested – I have to attribute a large portion of that to not spending hours driving; our getaway began as we pulled out of London Paddington – not something you could say if you were queuing to join the M25.

    Four days door to door from London to Cornwall, back again and everywhere wonderful in between saw us travel 625 miles by rail.

    railway track from a wooden platform bridge

    What would I change? Next time I’d love to travel down on the Night Riviera Sleeper service, a nightly service between London and Penzance (and reverse) where you can book a cabin whilst combining travel and hotel in one, waking up refreshed in Cornwall ready to explore. It sounds like so much fun (I mean who wouldn’t want to go to sleep in one place and wake up somewhere else) and that really should be at the forefront of your choices when it comes to travel and trips.

    Will I be back to Cornwall? Yes. Will I do Cornwall by train again? Absolutely… because there will always be more to see and do in Cornwall, you’ll never ‘complete’ it and that’s the beauty.

  • The City Gate Hotel Exeter | Review

    The City Gate Hotel Exeter | Review

    On our way down to Cornwall we did the journey in one however on the way back we decided to break it with a night in Exeter. Having previously done this I know that it can really extend that feeling of a mini break it’s about squeezing that time away from home and Exeter is a great pitstop – though not to be overlooked as a destination itself. Our hotel for the night was The City Gate Hotel, less than a 10 minute stroll from Exeter Central station.

    The welcome homemade brownies and glass of port were a lovely touch (and ridiculously tasty) although I’m now on the hunt for a good port, as it seems just one sip was enough for me to develop a taste!

    Glass lamp filled with wool balls on bedside table

    We stayed in room number one – a boutique double – which is right by the staircase, we were concerned it might be noisy however it was exceptionally quiet, we had a beautiful view of the street and the hill ahead; really quite picturesque with both of us getting a great night’s sleep which was perfect for an early start as we headed back to London.

    large bed with yellow bedspread in teal room with wooden accent wall

    The king size bed was supremely comfortable, something I don’t say lightly – a hotel bed has to work hard for my praise and this one met the mark.

    The bathroom had a double shower, that was very powerful and very hot; most welcome after walking over twenty five miles the over the past two days during our adventures in Cornwall.

    white meetro tiled shower room with basin and round mirror

    Breakfast wasn’t included in our booking but is served from 7am each morning downstairs. Top tip: it does seem initially quite expensive but if you order your dishes individually it’s not as expensive as advertised. Service was speedy especially once we said we had a train to catch – we had a breakfast roll and French toast, no photos as we were really keen to ensure we didn’t miss our train, but take it from me: they were both delicious.

    The City Gate Hotel whilst part of the Young‘s group (a brand I really like however like all brands it takes effort to not feel cookie cutter in it’s offering) feels personable and small enough to deliver that ‘just one night getaway’ feeling.

    And Exeter even though I say it has more to offer than a pitstop onto destinations further afield or return home that’s exactly how I treated the city on my last two encounters so here’s me insuring the next time I visit I stay more than just one night.

  • A Very British Getaway to Cornwall – Part Two

    A Very British Getaway to Cornwall – Part Two

    This is part two of our mini break to Cornwall, be sure to read part one to find out what what we got up to on our first day.

    Wanting to pack as much in as possible in our mini break to Cornwall we opted for a rather early start to our last day leaving our Airbnb pre 7am meant that we were able to get ahead. We got the train to Liskeard, where we left the station (bear with me I know) and walked about 15 minutes down a exceedingly steep hill to what can only be described as one of the quietest train stations in England; Coombe junction Holt had less than 30 passengers last year – Yes you read that right I didn’t miss a zero, officially the least used station in Cornwall – so we decided to add two more to the tally for this year.

    open window looking out to train platform and tracks beyond

    It was a great fun way of breaking up some of the time on the train and getting in extra Cornwall sights arriving into Looe just before 9 am.

    Looe would have to wait until lunchtime for our attention as we were on the move straight away, to Talland Bay. It is most definitely not easy to get from Looe to Talland Bay it took a bus and a rather arduous walk however the effort is most definitely rewarded. Talland Bay is one of those tucked away destinations in Cornwall that is the ultimate nourishment for the soul.

    steep winding road down a coastal bay

    Its Jurassic coastline is both still and violent in its effect on you. It’s dark, it’s moody it’s a world away from the Golden Sands of Carbis Bay – but it’s Cornwall perhaps at its finest, most raw. The coastal path from Talland Bay to Polperro is robust and challenging to put it politely but again rewarding at every twist, turn and summit that you reach.

    Time wasn’t on our side and which meant unfortunately a quick pub pitstop was all we could spare in Polperro before we headed back to Looe.

    fishing harbour of small cornish town

    You can’t come to Cornwall without having a Cornish pasty I think there is a law somewhere that says so but where to go, for everybody has their favourite. We were recommended to try Sarah‘s Pasty Shop in Looe – we held out right until the end to go;  we joined the queue, we waited, we ordered a traditional Cornish pasty and steak and stilton we then proceeded to stand in the street and have what can only be described as an out of body Cornish experience; our only regret? not buying more to bring back with us, Sarah‘s pasties are the undisputed best Cornish pasty you could ever wish for and I would happily travel all the way back to Cornwall just to taste one all over again.

    Blue shop signage reading The Pasty Shop

    Quick train back to Liskeard to join the high-speed line and our Cornwall mini break adventure was over as we headed to Exeter for a final night where we stayed at the City Gate Hotel – review coming soon.

    I’ll be honest Cornwall before this trip seemed very far away, a lot of effort for not that much promise of sun. I’d even joked previously ‘any further west and I’ll be in New York’. This mini break was about finding the not so obvious and perhaps the obvious and seeing how you can make your own ‘just for you’. Cornwall it’s a destination that works for you, that speaks to you, that delights you that excites you, that fills your cup… and that’s exactly what our wonderful mini break in Cornwall did.

  • A Very British Getaway to Cornwall – Part One

    A Very British Getaway to Cornwall – Part One

    Cornwall: the quintessential destination for a British getaway but what if I told you that apart from dipping my toe in for a destination wedding a few years ago I’d never been?

    We decided to change that with a getaway to Cornwall last month. Decided upon, planned and booked the day before it really was a last-minute decision. Catching the train from London all the way down to Cornwall – will share more on Cornwall by train in a separate post – I have to admit I was somewhat naive (or perhaps just lazy to not look at the train times!) at just how long it took to venture past the first few fields of Cornwall in total it took us over five hours including changes.

    We chose to base ourselves in Hayle which may not seem the most obvious choice however it’s on the main London to Penzance line making getting about without a car convenient and quick. Plus it’s location on the north coast of Cornwall which is beautiful and very much undisturbed. Another factor unlike the more well-known destinations of Saint Ives and Carbis Bay Airbnbs were much more reasonable in comparison.

    When it came to picking somewhere to stay Airbnb was really the best way to go, we chose two nights in this great self-contained studio accommodation. The host was amazing even accommodating my rather bizarre request for a hairdryer with a nozzle to service Lé Bob while we were away. Just under 10 minute walk from the train station it was a great base for a stay and I wouldn’t just recommend it we would happily stay again.

    self contained studio apartment decorated in wood and dark blue

    With the first day being taken up with travel, it was off to the supermarket for supplies and a nice dinner cooked in the Airbnb before an early night ready for a full day of exploring.

    Our first full day saw us set off to Carbis Bay and it didn’t disappoint; it most certainly lived up to the hype. Breathtakingly beautiful, we lucked out on the morning sunshine and found ourselves the most perfect spot for coffee at the one and only Carbis Bay Hotel – that’s the one where the G7 summit was held last year. Yes the hotel is on the expensive side but there’s loads of eateries and outlets so you can enjoy a slice of the experience without being a resident.

    One thing I soon discovered about Cornwall is that there are more coastal paths than grains of sand so we walked from Carbis Bay to Saint Ives: take note it is rather steep but just like pretty much every twist and turn in Cornwall you are rewarded with outstanding views.

    View of beach bay, turquoise water, golden sand and blue sky

    A last-minute getaway meant that our plans were fluid which giving us flexibility, so we hadn’t decided where to have lunch. Saint Ives even though it was April was pretty packed. It’s beautiful, it’s quaint, it has the tiny streets, everything you’ve come to associate with Cornwall but also the crowds so we stopped for a quick pint and then we jumped on the train and headed to Lelant. Whilst lesser known, Lelant still has beautiful views over the Hayle estuary, directly from the train platform which is handy if you’re trying to squeeze as much of Cornwall in as possible. It’s a steep climb there’s that word again from the station to the village but we were rewarded by an absolute gem of a local pub for lunch; The Badger Inn is one of those pubs you remember from being a child, a real sign you’re far away from bug cities – no chains, no pretence just true Great British pubs. A simple yet exceedingly hearty and delicious lunch was just what we needed.

    vista view of grassy sandbank, beach and sea

    Refuelled we made our way to Penzance which fun fact is the end of the line for mainland British railway, you’ve literally run out of track. Straight out of the station is the coastal path that leads all the way to Marazion. It’s a little under 4 miles it’s no short stroll but the views as you approach Marazion and also Saint Michaels mount are worth any sore feet you might acquire.

    view of beach from stone walkway

    seagull stood on a wall with a sign below reading 'Do not feed the seagulls they are dangerous and a health hazard'

    We missed the low tide which would’ve allowed us to cross by foot to St Michaels mount and it’s probably for the best as we just didn’t have time but it looked beautiful even from the mainland. Top tip don’t think just because you’ve walked all the way there that you have to do the return journey by foot there are plenty of buses that would take you back into Penzance.

    view of St Michael's Mount from the mainland with beach

    Tired after an absolutely packed first day exploring Cornwall we jumped on the train back to Hayle and our Airbnb for a quick freshen up before dinner. We chose The Terrace after a quick Google and weren’t disappointed. Ordering from the special menu we both opted for hake in different ways and the fish was so fresh as you would expect in Cornwall –  it was sublime. Great wine list can highly recommend the Sauvignon blanc.

    It’s no surprise that we were early to bed, tired, happy and ready for day two.