New Year in Cornwall

We saw in the new year in Cornwall at the back of Storm Gerrit, quickly followed by Storm Henk. Neither the weather and being sand blasted stopped us from our beach walks because after all we were there for our dogs.

Just like last year we were a group of friends who loved nothing more than seeing our dogs having fun running on the beach.

For us, it was a return to The Godolphin Hotel, where we stayed in July 2021. We love the laid back style and its stunning beachfront location looking out over Mount’s Bay and St Michael’s Mount.

At high tide, the waters came right up to the edge of the property. So whilst having breakfast with a view of the bay, we waited for the tide to go down. In the distance was St. Michael’s Mount – a tidal island in Mount’s Bay. It is a historic castle, garden and island community and probably one of the most photographed Cornwall views. As soon as the tide went down, we walked across the man made causeway to the island.

Unfortunately, it was closed to the public at this time of the year.

We explored other parts of Cornwall during the day. Afternoon Tea at Adam Handling’s Ugly Butterfly restaurant was one of the highlights.

Located in a stunning Cornish Atlantic setting at Carbis Bay, just a mile from St Ives, it offered spectacular views. And the Afternoon Tea was nothing short of stunning. I don’t think I’ve had a better gluten-free serving of Afternoon Tea.

Well-behaved dogs are welcome to dine at Ugly Butterfly.

Another fabulous find was Gurnard’s Head, a dining pub with rooms on Cornwall’s Atlantic coast between St. Ives and St. Just. To get there, we drove across one of Britain’s most awe-inspiring landscapes which has changed little over centuries, when suddenly in the distance, appeared a bright yellow building with the name written on the roof. On entering, the place returns you momentarily to the slower pace of life.

We loved the place and the food – strong in flavour and spirited, cooked beautifully and ingredients sourced locally. 

As we walked the beach on the last day of the year, a rainbow appeared.

Rainbows are universal symbols of hope, love, happiness, and acceptance. For me, it is always a message from Darcy. Just as a rainbow appeared at St. Andrews on the first day of 2023, this rainbow marked the end of the year. She was with us.

That night for New Year’s Eve dinner, the humans wore sequinned trousers while the dogs donned their tartan kilts just like they did last year!

Cheers to the end of 2023 and to new adventures in 2024.

That night, St. Michael’s Mount was lit up in rainbow colours.

Just before the stroke of midnight, we each wrote on pieces of paper, the things we wanted to leave behind and to release. We burnt them along with Palo Santo (“holy wood”) sticks, the wood often used in rituals, ceremonies, and spiritual practices to cleanse and purify the air, as well as to ward off negative energies. We gathered all the ashes and threw them into the ocean on New Year’s Day.

The next morning, some of us took a drove to Sennen Cove.

And so that was our latest New Year’s tradition fulfilled in Cornwall. We love the dramatic coastlines, one that has inspired artists and walkers for centuries. Time spent here will unwind you.

The rain and the wind did not dampen our spirits. Better weather would have meant longer walks but we went prepared for worst weather conditions and to enjoy each other’s company. After all it was winter in England.

I had not planned it as such but being at Sennen Cove brought back memories of Darcy being there with the wind blowing in her face. (Ending the Year and Hopes for 2022) She was her happy self but as it was about ten days after her splenectomy, she was not running as crazily or rolling on the sand as she normally would have. It was our last New Year’s together.

The inception and conclusion of my New Year tradition with Darcy have been marked by the first of many cherished moments at St. Andrews and our last at Sennen Cove. Between these pivotal points, countless memories unfolded along many other sandy shores, each echoing the rhythm of our shared experiences.

There have been many thoughts of late about letting go – there have been messages from Darcy about being in the moment. Is it time to move forward?

I hope your 2024 has started well.

This is the last quiet weekend before being catapulted into the frenzy of the new year. I feel a bit anxious and slightly overwhelmed with the months ahead – about making decisions, starting new projects and how to focus and make the year meaningful rather than running headlong into each month. That’s how I felt about 2023.