Monday's main adventure, after our detour through Launceston was to visit the small fishing village of Port Isaac in North Cornwall. Quite an amazing little town really and there were people everywhere, which was a bit unexpected because it was a drizzly, cold day. We had never even heard of Port Isaac, but Gail and Philip wanted to check it out after seeing it on the British TV show Doc Martin - which is filmed here. It was definitely worth the 2 hour drive to get there, but our photos don't really do the place justice.
We thankfully parked the car at the top of the village and walked down some very steep streets to get to the harbour where it was all happening (hardly anyone around up top). Some very keen people who decided to tackle the narrow, steep, one lane street were privileged to park their car in this car park - at their own risk of course! Signs read something like 'park at own risk, please move car by 5pm' (before the tide comes in)....yeah, no thanks!
And it wasn't just the car park, getting down there really was bedlam. There is no way of seeing if there is someone coming up, and the road is the size of a footpath - and actually is the footpath(!) as you can see in the photo below - not the best shot, but it's the only one I have of the road/footpath!
It was quite entertaining to watch really, because once the cars got down to the house behind us they had to go around the very tight corner, hoping not to meet a car coming up, run over anyone or scrape the corners of the buildings! Amazing stuff really!!!
The fisherman's cottages are charming in every way, and you really feel like you are on some film set (more so for Doc Martin viewers I am sure), it's like some place that you would only see on TV. I found it quite surreal.
Leilani looks so sweet and innocent here, you would never know she had just chucked a wobbly in the car once arriving! We had a bit of a challenge with her whilst our visitors were here (both Grandma & Grandad and Grandma & Poppa) and she really threw me. If I had have known it was all going to end the day after everyone left I would have been more calm, but I couldn't get a grip on where my beautiful little girl had gone and why I had been left with an evil look-alike! We now understand that the huge 6 week change was just too much for her - France, late nights, busy days, people around constantly, different beds and having to share her Mum and Dad all the time. I have really learnt that routine is such an important part of a child's life, and now appreciate the everyday things we do, that sometimes seem a bore but help a child understand day to day life. Most of the time she was her normal self, but then all of a sudden she would just lose it over really simple things - like not wanting to put her jumper on. We hadn't seen tantrums like this since she was going through the terrible threes! (threes for us - not twos!)
But anyway... we haven't had one since everyone left and everything has been back to normal. It's easy to evaluate the whole thing once it's over, and you don't mind so much because it was just 'a stage'. It's when you think that they are going to stay like this forever that it becomes a worry! The kids have been through so many changes this year, and handled them all without a care in the world - I guess one of them had to crack at some stage!
There were some lovely little shops in Port Isaac, and most of them had things you just wanted to look at.... like those nifty little handmade things you see that look wonderful, but really serve no purpose other then eating your money... like this shop... although Nanny King did let the girls pick out something special here, which they thought was wonderful!
6 comments:
Do people live in those houses? Its amazing that they would ever even build them that close.
It just goes to show, even kids get stressed out.
Just loved this place. The homes are just so surreal and that people live in them and cope with those narrow roads/walkways is just amazing to me. It was a great day even if the weather wasn't so kind to us.
Such a beautiful little village to visit and so little time! The craziest bit about the cars was if two met halfway down, one had to reverse all the way down to sort things out!! We thought we could introduce mirrors or a two way traffic light, at great expense of course!
I think it must have been Grandad who sent Lani wobbly. I don't think Poppa's upside down wizzy could do that, could it?
Yes, it was a bit of an interesting car park!! I notice some boats parked themselves there - how did they get up/down the road though??? Poor sods would have had a hard time if they only had oars to reverse their boat all the way back if a car came in the opposite direction!
i've never seen the show but it looks like a very cool place to visit.
I hope lani (and emily) are settled and you're over that 'chucking a wobbly' stage. It must be hard for them at times (and you and mick of course!) but it's great they have done so well the rest of the time and just gone with the flow.
keep up the great work...i bet you're an awesome mum x
I know what you mean about wondering where your lovely little child has disappeared to. But they all get through it, just remember it's normal - although stressful for parents!!
I have really been noticing how lovely and wide our streets here are since I saw all mum and dad's pics...
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