I'd never been to Cornwall before, in fact I'd never been camping before....and the weather could not have been any worse!!!!

Yves had visited from the Netherlands for two weeks during the summer of 2004, and for his second week we'd booked a campsite in Cornwall for what we all thought would be quite an adventure! Well, it was....but not quite the adventure we all bargained on!

We arrived in the mid afternoon, and the first problem that we encountered was that I was unable to drive up over the speed bumps, so there was a designated route for 'suspension challenged' vehicles like mine. We then proceded to set up the tent, and just as we were near from completing it, it started to rain! We got the camping oven working and Ceri cooked us some soup, which despite the fact that we hadnt brought half the kitchen utensils we needed, it was very nice! When the rain stopped about 7pm we drove to The Lizard, where we witnessed some really nice coastal scenery, but our visit was to be drastically shortened by a rapidly incoming storm. We raced back to the car, and got there in time! Through the lashing rain, we headed back to the campsite at about 8.30pm and so ended Day One.

Day Two got off to a bad start, however it was sunny. I woke at 6.00am, and decided to go for an early morning shower. I realised that I hadnt got my shower stuff with me, so jumped in the car and headed for the nearest shop. I used the satellite navigation system in the car, and got myself horrendously lost, and finally after getting what I needed and some snacks for breakfast, I got back to the campsite at about 8.15am - I'm sure Ceri and Yves had thought that I'd left them there and gone home!

Still sunny after a late breakfast, we headed out in the car to Penzance, and then onto Lands End. We had quite an enjoyable walk through Penzance town centre, and even enjoyed Lands End - until the rain came in!!! And didn't it rain......it was a tremendous downfall! We decided the only thing we could do would be to head back to the campsite. Driving back through Penzance was an ordeal.....slow moving traffic in the bad weather, people just walking out in front of us....Ceri snoring in the back of the car, even though he said he was not asleep, and yet I have pictures to prove it! Anyway, we finally got back to the campsite at about 3.00pm, and sheltered from the storm. About 5.00pm we cooked some Asparagus soup, and ate that in the tent. Both myself and Ceri washed the pots outside near the tent in the rain, at a drinking tap, with a sock, as we'd forgotten to bring a dishcloth!!! We were all cheesed off with the weather by now!

We'd paid in advance for the week, but we backed the car up to the tent doorway forming like a tunnel, threw everything in the car, collapsed the tent, jumped in, and drove all the way back to South Wales. Never in my life have I driven in such foul weather conditions on the motorway, as was those of what we experienced that night. Leaving Cornwall about 7.30pm we arrived, damp, back home at about half past midnight, and that was the end of that chapter!! :D

Yves was to revisit us the following summer of 2005, where we promised to revisit Cornwall, go back to a better campsite, and see a lot more than we had this time. To see the adventures we had on that trip click here. A much better trips was had by all, as you will see from the various galleries!