An afternoon on Carne Beach

21st October 2008

Mother decided to spend her 70th birthday in Cornwall. Excellent idea. No fuss of course but there'd better be I thought!

Hours of thought and spoilt for choice I called the Quarterdeck Restaurant at the Nare Hotel on the Roseland Peninsula. I knew they would provide an excellent lunch fit for a queen, they even had a remarkable choice of sherries and then we would walk it off on Carne Beach.

The Nare Hotel has one of the most enviable views, perched just above the beach with Portloe to the East and Portscatho and St Anthonys Head to the West. It is set in National Trust land and was once the film location for Camomile Lawn. The Quarterdeck Restaurant is set facing the sea in Gerran's Bay and is open all day.

We arrived for morning coffee and homemade biscuits - these went down very well. I had informed Mother that we were sparing no expense and she was to order what she wanted. She did. Apparently the Grilled Portloe Lobster was 'to die for darling' - freshly caught locally and travelled less than a hop and a skip from the beach up to the kitchen.

After the Chocca Mocha Souffle with coffee and chilli bean sauce and a polite after lunch snooze in the comfy conservatory chairs we were ready for the great outdoors. The weather was perfect - sun, slight wind and few people. The walk from the Hotel to the beach is a gentle slope onto the sand.

Carne Beach is one of the best kept secrets in Cornwall - at low tide you have a mile of sand and plenty of safe swimming there's a car park, toilets and dogs are allowed for most of the year although they must be on leads in the summer. From the shoreline you can stroll along as we did for quite a way - if you're lucky you will sea dolphins and visiting seals. Plenty of rock pools to peer into reminded Mother of her childhood holidays spent at Swanage - changed a lot since then apparently.

Breathing in the sea air on our walk gave Mother the best nights sleep she'd had in many years - either that or the sherry.

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