Sunday 4 December 2011

Christmastime in the Cove...

...is magical!




In the far west we really celebrate the winter solstice, Christmas and the new year. The towns are lit up, Christmas markets abound, on solstice eve its seems the whole of West Penwith converges on Penzance for the torch lit Montol festival, Mousehole is resplendent in her coat of lights... and if thats not enough, come Christmas day morn we assemble on the beach en-masse for the annual swim (wetsuits are barred), and after that you truly deserve your Christmas Turkey!

For more info on the best of the West's lights... http://www.intocornwall.com/special/clights.asp

Wednesday 19 October 2011

The Christmas Please and Thankyou

A week or so ago a package arrived at our house, and when we opened it up the most delightful children's book popped out of the envelope.


The book was written and illustrated by Bernadette who stayed in The Little Beach House with her family during August, and what makes the book special is that she worked on and emailed the final approvals to complete the book whilst there.

Bernadette asked if we would place a copy in the house, and of course we are delighted to do so... but not before our kids had given it a thorough 'test read' and take it from me they gave it a big thumbs up.

We think the book would make a lovely Christmas Eve present for that special night's bedtime story, and copies can be bought quite easily from Amazon; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Please-Thank-You/dp/1908447826/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

So thank you Bernadette for thinking of us, and next time you are down we'll make sure there's a few fresh eggs from our chickens for your little ones boiled eggs!

Tuesday 16 August 2011

We Love Bellyboards...

Traditional wooden bellyboards are the hot ticket West Cornwall way this summer, but its amazing how many people have yet to cotton on to the fact that they are way more fun that foam boards, are faster, surf better, definitely more environmentally friendly than the sponges  and heck, just downright cool!


We've been big fans of them for years, both our kids shunned foam boards in preference for wood a while ago now, and we always have a stash in the camper to bring out for instant fun and big smiles.

Although we ride modern bellyboards by Sennen's Traditional Surfing Co, the only people in Cornwall still making boards in the old fashioned hand made way, we have a real soft spot for vintage boards and have a small but cherished collection that we oil up and display.


Two of our favorites pictured above, a Lightweight Sealion model and a Charles Pearce Surfrider, you will find in the Little Beach House on the wall. And soon maybe a third as the wife spotted a gem in the local curio shop last week.

I've long admired the Wavemaster logo bellyboards so was utterly thrilled to finally find one, especially in such lovely used condition, and now can't wait to give it a fresh oil and shine.

Tuesday 5 July 2011

Thanks Coast!

The letterbox is largely joyless since the advent of email, twitter, facebook, txt'ing et al with which we now choose to share our thoughts and experiences. Its a shame no-one uses the post any longer as we're left with a doormat full of letters from people you do not know wanting money or people wanting you to spend money on something you do not need or want. Unless of course, you subscribe to Coast...


So once again the boredom of bills has been broken by our subscription to Coast, and once again a lovely Cornish heavy issue made even better as its all down this way.

From the opening spread of Pedn Vounder (a few miles around the coast from The Little Beach House) to a feature on Penzance Coast has done us proud. I especially like the way that they recognized that Penzance lacks the somewhat falsified glitz (I mean, who needs another branded pasty shop re-selling generic factory made items at ridiculous prices) of some other local coastal towns and retains and indeed embraces its local and somewhat Bohemian feel.


Anyway, you've read Coast, taken the open top bus from the Cove to Penzance for the day, what next?

Needless to say Coast has the answer, a stunning circular walk taking in some of the finest coastal scenery in the Country before meandering back through the quiet paths just inland and guess what, you can pick up the route from just outside the house.

We've still got a few weeks free in September and October if you would like to see and experience all that Coast praises, and even though I'm biased as I live here, believe me its definitely worth it!

Thursday 23 June 2011

A little touched...

Whenever we go to the house the first thing we head for is the visitor book, we really do want people to enjoy The Little Beach House so we think its lovely when someone's taken the time to jot down a few lines saying they had a great time and maybe even shared a highlight of their holiday. Wonderful entries so far include the sight dolphins in the bay, tasty ice cream and the delights of a daily beach walk collecting driftwood to burn in the logburner of an evening.

A few weeks back we had our first Honeymooners, married the day before and spending a week in the Cove to celebrate. We wanted to make the house a little special so the wife made up some heart bunting and a little gift of some of her handmade letter blocks (spelling 'Love'), just a little token really.

The other day we received a thank you card in the post from the newlyweds, totally unexpected, and I'd like to say Mr and Mrs 'you know who you are' if you read this we were really touched by your kindness and we welcome you back at any time.

Thursday 16 June 2011

Jaws...

Run for the hills! Our local paper The Cornishman reports that a man eating shark has been spotted...


...but the good news is that it was off St Ives, so yet another quality reason why a holiday down at Sennen Cove makes so much more sense!! : )

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Playing...

After years of point n' shoot digital clarity, maybe sterility, I'm playing with cameras again. So messing around a few weeks back with some of the objects on the Beach House's book shelf i caught this little image, and just love that reflected in the postcard frame to the left is just a glimpse of Cowloe Reef.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Thursday 2 June 2011

Accolades for Sennen Cove

Its been a week or two of well deserved accolades for Sennen Cove.

Fresh brewed cafetiere and Coast Magazine,
a fine morning combination.
Beginning with the July issue of Coast arriving on the doorstep, always a good read (actually an excellent issue this month, great feature on one of our favorite things vintage camper vans - love the '64 Bedford Dormobile on page 19) and a subscription we take so that a copy is kept in The Little Beach House, it was a delight to turn the page and discover that the opening double page 'Picture This' shot was a fantastic atmospheric photo of the Cove by Cornish photographer Greg Martin.

A couple of days later our local paper The Cornishman then reported that Sennen Cove had been awarded the highest possible grading by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) in respect of 'excellent water quality' in their 2011 Good Beach Guide.

Then this week, again in The Cornishman, world renowned travel magazine Conde Naste has featured Sennen Cove in its round up very best beaches to visit in the UK.

In fact the only thing we're missing this year is a 2011 Blue Flag Award, but do not worry, its not that the Cove has failed the inspection its just that Cornwall Council have refused to pay the £560 required for said accreditation. But of course when you are spending £18M on refurbishing your offices and have spent £9M on corporate credit card expenses (highest in the UK) you've got to save money somewhere!

Tuesday 31 May 2011

More of the Great Pasty Hunt...

The search resumes....

A dreary Saturday saw us at a loose end, so with kids to both drag away from the TV and feed, dogs in need of a walk and an excuse to head over Helston way we piled into the camper and set off for The Horse and Jockey bakery in Meneage Street.

Even half a Horse & Jockey's was too much for the ever
hungry boy 'Chops'.
The observant may notice that we've mentioned this bakery before as one that we wanted to try, their pasties are well regarded in the Helston area and indeed the Good Pasty Guide rated them as the best pasty in 2010.

So a quick stop outside whilst wife ran in to pick up a few, then down to the boating lake area (large free carpark, a rarity down this way) for a picnic.

The pasties are good, but in a different way to our current faves Anns and the mighty Philps (Marazion shop) which i guess is the best thing about a true hand-made pasty in that each baker will produce their own unique tasting pasty.

I can see why people rate these pasties, the texture and flavour is rich and heavy. I suspect that they use a lot of suet, the filling is more pie like almost, gloriously unctuous, and the pastry erring towards the dense. My one small comment is that they are a tad salty.

Valuewise I would say very good. At just over £3 for a medium it was ample to give the kids half each (neither of them could finish it much to the dog's delight) and said medium also beat the wife.

Would i drive explicitly to buy one as I would Anns and Philps (Marazion), possibly not. Would I be happy dropping in if i was passing, yes definitely.

But in saying that here's the interesting thing. We bought four pasties and only ate three. The fourth sat in the fridge until the next day when we re-heated it for lunch. What a revelation, the dense pastry was suddenly fresh and crispy and the filling was a little less gooey. Admittedly I haven't tried this with our other faves but my goodness if you want a pasty to take home and heat later The Horse and Jockey's are great!

Friday 20 May 2011

Olympic Flame Starts on our Doorstep

Fantastic news this week, on the 19th May 2012 the Olympic Flame arrives from Mount Olympus in Greece and starts its 8,000 mile UK journey to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics on our doorstep at Lands End.

So what better way to see this once in a lifetime Global event than via a 10 min stroll across some of the most stunning coastal cliffs in the UK, and of course not have to worry about parking, traffic jams, entry queues and all that other accumulated faff!

But maybe even better, and don't quote me on this, I even read it would be coming ashore at Lands End. Now bearing in mind there is no easy landing area at Lands End the closest logical place to come ashore is Sennen Cove, right in front of The Little Beach House. And if that does happen you can watch the whole thing at dawn sat sipping hot coffee from the comfort of your armchair.

Saturday 14 May 2011

quick, grab an early summer hols deal before it gets busy!

Hurry Hurry, we only have 2 weeks available for this summer then we're full until the middle of September.


This really is a great time to visit Sennen Cove, the weather is generally the best of the summer (and this year once again proving that too be true) and its not at all crowded, you really can get an acre of warm sand and surf to yourselves. lovely!

The week beginning 20th May is already discounted nicely, and the week beginning 3rd June we're happy to offer at the late deal price now (£50 off the standard rate) should anyone wish to take advantage.

The house can be booked through out agency West Cornwall Cottage Holidays but for the June discount please email us first so we can give you the discount code. Our email is info@littlebeachhouse.co.uk

Thursday 21 April 2011


The Good Cornwall Guide are going to donate £1000 to locally based charity Shelterbox if they get 1000 likes on their facebook page before the Royal Wedding.... that roughly equates to two shelterboxes.


Shelterbox are a great charity, based just down the road in Helston, who provide emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most.

Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

... so whats not too like?

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Beach Bags

The wife swears by the usefulness of her long handled shopping bag, perfect for just about everything and utterly ideal for stuffing with books, magazines, suncream for the kids, sweeties, drinks and other beach necessaries.

So as we have a lovely new logo, and have been playing around with screen printing recently, we thought it would be fun to make some Little Beach House 'beach' bags.

The bags that we sourced are woven from organically grown cotton, dyed with eco friendly inks, are made in a fair trade factory where the workers decide the price to be paid for their work and finally shipped in vast numbers by sea to further reduce the carbon footprint.

Similarly we printed the bags with water based eco friendly inks and use similar emulsions and cleaners for the screens. And because we can print ourselves we can do much smaller runs than a commercial screen printer (and where's the entertainment in getting someone else to do fun work like this).

They are also really nice to use.... according to my wife, daughter, mother-in-law, niece and wife's best friend!

So now theres no excuse to not head for the beach!

Bags and boards; Just add sand, sea and surf for the perfect day.






Tuesday 5 April 2011

Summery sunny pics on a dull day

I received a nice comment about some of the summer pics I posted way back on the 21st December, so as its such a dull dreary day here in West Cornwall I thought I'd remind everyone of summer...






and finally a subject dear to my heart...


Thursday 31 March 2011

Spring Continuity

Just spent an utterly glorious week at the house pottering around doing a few odd jobs, giving the exterior paint a freshen up and yes taking a bit of time out to surf (but don't tell the wife, I was supposed to be working). Its fair to say Spring has finally arrived in West Cornwall, and if the sun was'nt proof enough Swallows have been seen around Sennen and last night on the way home I saw bats for the first time this year.


Even under its busy summery facade the Cove remains a very peaceful place, and especially in weeks like this when there are not many visitors around and you can really see the timelessness of its day to day activity. This illustrated beautifully as spring rolls around again, as has happened in the very same place for many centuries, by the local fishermen who were out all week mending and making nets in the harbour car park.

I personally think this early Spring period is one of the best times to be in West Cornwall. The weather is generally good, often warm enough to sit on the beach with a windbreak or in the lee of a rock, the surf rolls in, the quality of light is stunning and its quiet as it tends just to be locals around. Also if you are visiting there are some very good prices to be had for accommodation especially last minute.

Saturday 5 March 2011

A St.Piran's Day Fact...

Reading this week's Cornishman earlier today over Saturday morning toast and builders I discovered that St.Piran, or St. Kieran of Saighir, 'lived to be 206 with no sign of old age, all his teeth, perfect eyesight, and died  in a state of drunkeness'... now there's a Cornish tale for you!

Happy St. Piran's Day!

Friday 4 March 2011

The Great Pasty Hunt Continues

Ignore the post date for this one, I'm a week out of synch, birthdays do that to you.

So last Friday, in truly miserable weather we loaded up with kids and dogs and set off for a camper van pasty picnic on the Lizard, with a firm agenda of finally sampling the much applauded and acclaimed Ann's Pastys.

If you google Ann you will find she is quite an institution, queues in the summer are apparently immense (booking is advised) and on more than one 'best of the west' type thing she comes up top of the tree.

The thing is though as you drive into Lizard itself wondering if you'll find the venerable Queen of the Pasty immediately you smile because as clear as day, and as big as you can imagine, there is a huge sign in the middle of the village pointing you the right way. And sure enough you find a yellow house with a pasty shop built out back, literally. Garden pond, fountain and all.

You are also under no illusion that the Pastys are nothing less than home-made because there behind the counter, right in front of you, are the ladies themselves making Pastys to replace those already baked and rapidly flying out of the door... and this was in late feb on a cold very wet friday.

Ann herself  is a star. We had a good old chat about the regional status awarded to the Cornish Pasty, and an even longer rant about the increasingly ridiculous acts of dear Cornwall County Council and their mission to seemingly fleece the residents any which way they can (don't get me started on car parking fees, or the 'town center shopping tax' as i prefer to call it). To be honest it was worth the drive over for that alone.

Anyway enough about that, how did it taste... up to the reputation... mightier than the mighty Philps?

Yes, it was good, very good in fact. I would say, and the wife agreed, that the pastry was the best we have sampled on any Pasty. The ingredients correct (potato, onion, turnip, skirt, suet and seasoning), nicely moist and well proportioned.

Better than Philps... pastry-wise yes. Filling-wise on a par, equally as good, yes probably. But i'm torn because as tasty as was maybe a little under seasoned (for my palate). Maybe?


My super fussy children ("if the Pasty is not made by Nana we're not eating it")  thoroughly enjoyed theirs as well. Lad with standard and daughter with cheese and vegetable (I had a bite, research purposes purely, really really nice).

At the end of the day I'm really enjoying exploring the Lizard, and a trip out to Ann's is definitely something we will do in the future especially as you can nip in for your Pasty and then be out at the National Trust car-park (free for members) by the lighthouse in minutes all parked up with kettle whistling.

Next up though, its the Horse and Jockey Bakery in Helston and Hansons in Hayle. With my much lapsed weight loss programme beginning again tomorrow, promise!

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Big Wednesday

Wow, quick mid-week storm watching opportunity is a-coming judging by the latest data from the Met Office's K2 wave bouy.



This swell should start hitting later tonight and by daybreak, with a forecast of moderate South/South Easterlies that will groom the swell, there will be some spectacularly huge clean surf cracking off the back of the Cowloes. Just about perfect to sit watching whilst you sip your morning coffee.

Monday 14 February 2011

A fine armchair read...

We're lucky in Penzance to have two fine independent book shops, Books Plus in Market Jew Street and Penzance Books in Chapel Street, and whilst on-line shopping is super easy these days no-one can argue that clicking a mouse even comes close to the simple pleasure of a good old browse in a well stocked book shop with the chance added delight of a random great find on the shelf.

So popping in the other day we were intrigued to find a book all about Sennen (both shops I should mention have excellent selections of local books and are well worth a visit for that alone) by the Sennen Local History Group.

Entitled 'The Book of Sennen', and destined for the book shelf in the Little Beach House, its been sat by my chair in the kitchen for the past week and I've had a jolly good old read. And it really is a good read, perfect for dipping into, chock full of snippets of local knowledge, fact and history, all embellished with loads and loads of great photos (Zachy Nicholas' lorry in the 1920s, precariously balanced dangling over the cove road harbour wall, on page 88 is a gem. Like a scene from a Keystone Cops classic). Needless to say plenty of house spotting opportunities, and even a couple of piccies of our corner of the cove pre-1906 before the house was built.

I could fill a page of this blog with some of the things I learnt, and when you read its truly hard not to stop every few sentences and exclaim loudly 'did you know...' to your loved one, kids, pets or even random strangers passing by because some of the snippets really are that great.

What is now the main beach car-park, but in a prettier time.
 Ok, just a couple... there was a medieval chapel sited in what is now the main beach car-park (something to consider as you are buying your ice-cream), three bomb craters are visible at extremely low tides from when the cove was bombed in WW2 (never seen those, will have to look) and the number of times the bay has featured prominently in English history being the landing site of Perkin Warbeck who sailing from Ireland with 120 men intended to seize the throne of Henry VII (7th Sept, good time of year for surf) in 1497, the departure point for King Athelstan (AD895-939), the first Ruler to be crowned King of all England, as he set sail to conquer the Scillies and the arrival site of King Stephen in 1135 and then King John in the early 1200s after their respective conquests of Ireland.

Much has changed, and yet so little has changed.
But perhaps my fave so far is the advice of one anonymous chap who after visiting the area in 1795 cautioned any travelers following his footsteps to ensure they take their supper with them as the local inn 'has little other than fish on the menu and at times not even that!'

Thursday 6 January 2011

Life IS BETTER by the sea...

Yes it is, officially, 'life is better by the sea' because this month's issue of Coast says so right there on the front cover.


Coast. in case you did not know, is a sister magazine to my wife's favourite 'Country Living'. And as Country living is to the country, so Coast is the veritable first and last word in beach side living, sea flavoured interior design (lovely properties and photography) and beach style.

We took out a subscription to Coast in order to put it in the house for two reasons; firstly because we know that there will be people like us who would enjoy relaxing with a hot cuppa, feet up in the bay window, and in between checking out the ocean views out front of our house also delving into other beach side dream houses around the UK. Secondly because Cornwall always features prominently in each issue and certainly some great holiday ideas and activities can be gleaned from Coast's glossy pages. To prove my point this issue features the best islands in the UK to visit and right there at number one... St Michaels Mount.