The English Ripoffiera
It's been a short while since my last post, but at least there is a good reason. I have been away on holiday in Cornwall and got back last night. It was a coach trip down there which included a trip to the fantastic Eden Project, as well as a number of other excursions to some of the usual tourist traps. I had been staying in Newquay, a rather interesting town...
It's good to be back, particularly as the return trip last night was an eventful one, culminating in a three and a half hour delay at a motorway service station. Ironically, I managed to get more sunburnt than I did on the way home than I did on holiday, but that was only because I had been laying on the sun cream while I've been away.
Cornwall... where to begin. It's an extremely nice place. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I really like it. It has made me reassess my idea that I wouldn't like to live in the South of England. Somehow, being tucked away in the south west, it almost feels distant enough from that "middle England" feel that you get in the South East. The locals are fiercely proud of their distinct identity, which is excellent. I love it when people come together, united in one community, even if it is all in the head.
So I wouldn't object to living there in the future. But I would have to put up with the tourism. A hell of a lot of tourism. Newquay is the Blackpool of the South, except slightly less seedy. I was expecting something of a retirement resort, but it's anything but. The town seemed to be in a state of perpetual conflict between its older residents (traditionalists), its younger residents (who are stuck in a surfer/skater sub-cultural mode), its older tourist visitors and the 20-30 year olds who visit for more sleazy purposes, cramming the town full to bursting point in the evening/night. The end result is something of an uneasy tension; there are plenty of truly horrible people there, but lots of nice ones too. It's like that everywhere I suppose.
But the scenery was beautiful. The coastline immaculate, which amazes me... I really didn't know we had conditions like that in this country. Last time I saw beaches as clean as that I was abroad.
The best part, of course, was the Eden Project. The best part of the trip, without a doubt. The word I would use to describe it is "inspirational". So much great stuff there. The rainforest biome was very impressive, and all the work they're doing there to educate people about the environmental consequences of our actions is fantastic. I would go again without a shadow of a doubt, as I didn't even cover half the site while I was there.
The only downside of the holiday was the usual problem in Britain: the rip off prices of everything. One town in particular, Padstow, was an absolute disgrace. The tiniest ice-cream cone: £1. The smallest pastie: £2.65. All around shops selling tat for a fortune. The town centre packed to the rafters. And the number of things to do there? Well, I milled around for an hour, looking at the harbour and in the end decided to go home. Rick Stein has a fish and chip shop there. And?
Otherwise, I visited a couple of other places. Tintagel was nice, and the seafront down there was impressive. Took loads of pictures. And then there was Boscastle and Mevagissey. Lots of interesting places to walk.
But the holiday is now over. It flew by, just as this whole summer has. There's still a bit more time left, but my attention is now beginning to turn to the upcoming university semester. Bah.
It's good to be back, particularly as the return trip last night was an eventful one, culminating in a three and a half hour delay at a motorway service station. Ironically, I managed to get more sunburnt than I did on the way home than I did on holiday, but that was only because I had been laying on the sun cream while I've been away.
Cornwall... where to begin. It's an extremely nice place. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I really like it. It has made me reassess my idea that I wouldn't like to live in the South of England. Somehow, being tucked away in the south west, it almost feels distant enough from that "middle England" feel that you get in the South East. The locals are fiercely proud of their distinct identity, which is excellent. I love it when people come together, united in one community, even if it is all in the head.
So I wouldn't object to living there in the future. But I would have to put up with the tourism. A hell of a lot of tourism. Newquay is the Blackpool of the South, except slightly less seedy. I was expecting something of a retirement resort, but it's anything but. The town seemed to be in a state of perpetual conflict between its older residents (traditionalists), its younger residents (who are stuck in a surfer/skater sub-cultural mode), its older tourist visitors and the 20-30 year olds who visit for more sleazy purposes, cramming the town full to bursting point in the evening/night. The end result is something of an uneasy tension; there are plenty of truly horrible people there, but lots of nice ones too. It's like that everywhere I suppose.
But the scenery was beautiful. The coastline immaculate, which amazes me... I really didn't know we had conditions like that in this country. Last time I saw beaches as clean as that I was abroad.
The best part, of course, was the Eden Project. The best part of the trip, without a doubt. The word I would use to describe it is "inspirational". So much great stuff there. The rainforest biome was very impressive, and all the work they're doing there to educate people about the environmental consequences of our actions is fantastic. I would go again without a shadow of a doubt, as I didn't even cover half the site while I was there.
The only downside of the holiday was the usual problem in Britain: the rip off prices of everything. One town in particular, Padstow, was an absolute disgrace. The tiniest ice-cream cone: £1. The smallest pastie: £2.65. All around shops selling tat for a fortune. The town centre packed to the rafters. And the number of things to do there? Well, I milled around for an hour, looking at the harbour and in the end decided to go home. Rick Stein has a fish and chip shop there. And?
Otherwise, I visited a couple of other places. Tintagel was nice, and the seafront down there was impressive. Took loads of pictures. And then there was Boscastle and Mevagissey. Lots of interesting places to walk.
But the holiday is now over. It flew by, just as this whole summer has. There's still a bit more time left, but my attention is now beginning to turn to the upcoming university semester. Bah.
posted by Matt at
2:53 pm
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