UK & Ireland - day 17 (2015-09-26) - Penzance to Newquay

After a week in Penzance we moved on to Newquay today, without having seen one pirate.  The bus driver was quite the comedian, asking us if we were sure that we wanted to go to Newquay.  He had spent his summer holidays in Newquay as a child and felt that now it has been taken over by "surfers and druggies", and is just not the same as it was in his youth.

Our first impressions of Newquay were actually quite positive.  The town is in a great location, with high cliffs and sandy beaches, and is very vibrant, with lots of young people.  

Our B&B is up a steep hill from town, but thankfully we only had to drag our luggage up the hill once.  The B&B itself is great value for money....the cheapest on our holiday and beautiful rooms with excellent views.

                                         View from our B&B room - Newquay, Cornwall

After a little recuperation time, during which we watched Canada play Italy in the Rugby World Cup, we headed out to explore the town centre.  The town was very busy, and it is definitely a tourist destination - amusement arcades, surf shops, and lots of places to eat.

We headed out to a peninsular which separates the two main parts of town - Fistral Beach & Newquay Beaches.

                                            Fistral Beach from end of peninsular

                                                         Jim on the peninsular

Along the way we passed the Huer's Hut, which was built in the 14th century and was used to watch for the shoals of pilchards.  When the pilchards were seen the Huer would make a hue and cry to alert the townspeople, and he would use hand signals to signal to the fishermen as to where to position their nets.  Note the steps to the roof on the outside of the building, in the photograph below.

                                                        The Huer's Hut

We wandered until dinnertime, at which point most of the beachy food places were closing up.  We ended up eating at the Fort Inn (recommended by our B&B hosts) which overlooked the bay.  It was very different to Canadian pubs - it had an impressive indoor children's play area, so children were running around, but they also allow dogs in pubs (and on buses and trains) in England.  At one point we had a little girl at a nearby table screaming her head off, while the family dog provided the chorus.  But the food was good, the views magnificent, so overall a good experience.

It was disappointing to see Canada beaten by Italy, but Canada fought the good fight.  As I write this, England is beating Wales 16 to 6, but it is still early in the game.  Whatever the outcome, I am sure there will be lots of media reaction overnight, as there is real rivalry between the two sides, which are ranked 3rd and 4th in the world standings.

No plans yet for tomorrow, but I am guessing that walking will be involved.