Summer and Autumn reflections in Newquay and Cornwall

July 18th Saturday 2010 - After the rain

a sunny day in Newquay

And the place is in full swing…..almost. The following two weeks will see the height of the tourist season and with it comes a whole array of fascinating people with an equally whole array of fascinating things to do, a lot of which are not available in the winter months.

Summer heralds the abundance of strong light here in Newquay; there is no other place in the British Isles that has the quality of natural sunlight as does Cornwall. Being a thin peninsular protruding from the far South West of Great Britain into the place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the English Channel, the extraordinary light occurs as the rays of the sun are reflected over the whole county. It has the same quality of light as you will find in such places as Miami and California.

Combine the light with the sea and the rugged coastline on the north coast and the gently sheltered fishing villages on the south coast and you have a mecca for artists of all kinds. Painters in particular are attracted to the county as they love to try and capture that special quality of light on canvas.

Then there are the writers; (perhaps the most famous of all was Daphne Du Maurier), who in past times loved to spin tales about the old days of smuggling; heady days when pirates defied duty laws and smuggled such items as rum, brandy, silk, tea and tobacco up the beaches, into the coves and caves and into the county. Situated high on Bodmin Moor is the Inn made famous by Daphne du Maurier - Jamaica Inn, originally a coaching house and Inn, and now a haunted Inn with it's own museum paying tribute to all those fascinating smugglers of yesteryear who used it to conceal and then smuggle their contraband goods out of the county and onwards up country . It's a fascinating place to stay and to visit and a great stop off spot for anyone driving in to Cornwall from the M30, the main highway that takes you through the south west of England and into Cornwall.

But here in 'modern Cornwall' in the 21st century, summer becomes a playground for the surfers particularly in Newquay. Along with the tourists, they throng the crowded streets; strolling along to the soundtrack from the street musicians who provide a backdrop to the impromptu outdoor entertainment. In late July, early August, Newquay plays host to the Board Masters - a well know surfing festival. Take a walk down to Fistral Beach at this time of the year and you will see and hear, and can be a part of Radio One's beach party with it's variety of DJs all assembling down at the famous stretch of sands - a great place for serious surfing, roller blade sports, summer entertainment, late night BBQs, beach parties or just chilling out with buddies and a beer.

And then, suddenly the summer will be gone. Quickly fading as all summers seem to do, each one more quickly that the one before. Even so, the great beach parties will still swing into Autumn. Into the slightly cooler September air, when the days are shorter and the earlier descending evenings become filled with the cries of the circling seagulls as the noise from the previously crowded beaches has subsided. This time of the year awakens an anticipation in the local resident that at last they are able to get some peaceful recreation times with the beaches less crowded and the sunshine now more mellow. It's actually easier to get a Mediterranean type sun tan in Cornwall in the autumn months.

And so I personally am hoping that the sun will be shining constantly from hereon in…to the end of October at least. There's nothing quite as lovely as the Cornish coast in the autumn when the sun is shining on the sea. Sparkling like diamonds. The wet beaches reflecting the high cliffs and buildings that tower above them. And reflecting the Seagull as they pad along the wave kissed shores looking for sand eels, a tasty dish no doubt and according to the multitude of birds with their beaks full of morsels that go zooming past my window, there is no short supply of them. Of course as you may have guessed there my well be a tasty chip or two given by, or snatched from a lingering tourist.

The changeable weather that often persists throughout the summer months in Cornwall will usually stabilise come September and October and we can look forward to quite a few warm sunny days in succession for both of these months.

And it is in the Autumn and Winter that I usually take my holidays. We temporarily leave behind the rugged beaches that I look upon each day and jet off to even sunnier climes to have fun and chill with some great friends I have made here in the south west.