News from Trevaylor

Bright Cornish Bluebells bringing bright colour to a grassy bank

April was a month which rocked like a see-saw through highs and lows on the Cornish weather front – We contended with everything from typical April showers to unseasonal and unsavoury storms and cold weather, bringing hail stones and even snow right up to the doorstep of May. Finally though, it feels like Mother Nature is trying to settle things down a little now at long last and the grass is growing with verve again – keeping Charlie very busy out and about on the site mower!  All the flowers are blooming in the hedges and currently we are immersed in a plethora of blues, greens, yellows, pinks and whites with Bluebells budding, Ferns unfurling, Primroses beaming, Pink Campions nodding and Wild Garlic scenting the air all around us.  Out and about all the little local coves have been glistening with extraordinary beauty as the first of the spring sunshine has warmed upon their crystal clear waters.   This month’s rarity on the Cornish wildlife scene was the sighting of a Dalmatian Pelican (normally found in Eastern Europe) with an estimated 1.6m wingspan which was spotted at Land’s End.  You can see photos I took of him on our Trevaylor Facebook page… And we will look forward to welcoming you to our site sometime soon!  Michelle, Charlie, Eva & George

Mother Goose on the nest

Easter was an early one this year – and not one graced with the best of ‘good’ holiday weather conditions either! So lets hope the best is saved for the summer holidays!  But in the meantime we have seen plenty of climbers, walkers and many others seeking outdoor adventure of some kind or perhaps just a simple relaxing break away spending a night or a few or a week or two with us here at Trevaylor.  The beer has been flowing at our bar and our chef has been turning out some really great tasty and filling meals through these early spring evenings.  It has been fantastic to be once again mixing and mingling with our guests both new and familiar, sharing stories and news and catching up with a little gossip from all over the country and sometimes even further afield.  The local wildlife is on cue and we will be expecting to see some youngsters appearing in our hedgerows, fields, cliffs and moors around the local area very shortly!  The swifts are about and we have even had reports of some extremely rare bird sightings such as a Snowy Owl and Hoopoes of late also.  Earlier in the year some friends of our saw Humpback Whales of Land’s End and of course there have been plenty of Dolphins and Seals to see as well.  The landscape of the coastline itself has been a real drama to watch during the winter storms and we found ourselves out and about storm watching on many occasions… And in between storm watching and wildlife watching we have also managed to get out and surf, do a little kayaking, have a few beach days, sample a Cream Tea or two, eat a Cornish Pasty or few  and generally immerse ourselves in this wonderfully inspiring corner of Cornwall!  Be sure to book soon – School holiday spaces are going fast!

Thinking of a holiday in Cornwall? With the Easter break approaching the daffodils are already in bloom here, on the doorstep of Botallack and the Crowns tin mines – one of Poldark’s famed Cornish filming locations. Today I heard they are currently filming near Newquay.  It has been a memorably wet and windy winter season for us– with what feels like an A to Z of storms; although I know we are only up to J so far!  Just the other day winds speeds of up to 100 miles per hour were recorded at Perranporth, a few miles further up the coastline from our nearest town, St Just.  Yet even now we have a couple on site camping in their tent for a few days; and have we have had a steady turnover of units all through the winter making the most of our hardstanding spaces.  Meanwhile, we have been out and about enjoying a lot of what this truly wild and wonderful Penwith Peninsula has to offer too.  Just recently we walked to Carn Euny for the first time – where the remains of an ancient settlement are sited – and one of the largest and best preserved of only a handful of known examples of a ‘Fogou’ to have been found in Cornwall.  We have lunched in our car overlooking Mounts Bay, watching the many kite surfers and wind surfers perform their breath-taking stunts with St Michael’s Mount as a backdrop.  We have walked sections of the rugged South West Coastal Path and seen so many other ramblers along the way; all of us in awe as the storm stirred waves clash with rugged scenery around us.  We have enjoyed coffee and cake at the Minack – the world famous open-air theatre, set into the cliffs beside Porthcurno.  And at Godrevy National Trust Site we observed a wild seal colony.  All through the autumn, winter and heading into the spring, our daughter Eva has surfed Sennen Cove, Praa Sands, Gwithian & even Porthmeor below The Tate in St Ives to name but a few of the beaches.  And on the wettest windiest weekends we headed to the Eden Project and enjoyed ice skating, good food, music, education and entertainment there.  So, you know where you need to come for your holidays this year – come to Cornwall – stay at Trevaylor – see it all – do it all! We are here to welcome you!  Charlie, Michelle, Eva and George

Porth Ledden in late January

Well, it has been quite an eventful winter season so far – we had a great deal of wonderful visitors over Christmas and New Year in spite of the often continuous rain and incessant wind we have been graced with.  … And I have to say most of our guests have a fantastically resilient outlook and spirits have remained buoyed up, even during the worst of it.  Temperatures have remained mild and as yet we have had no frosts to speak of.  We have even had a few guests staying in tents on occassion – although this is not a common place sight at this time  of year!  Out and about, the coastal scenery is at times at it’s most dramatic – with big swell and thrashing waves.  A coastal walk on even the dullest wet day here can lift and revive the soul; especially when we further reward ourselves with a warm cheese toastie and a mug of freshly ground coffee or a sumptuous hot chocolate from one of the local Cafes in St Just afterwards… or a pint of real ale and a wholesome cooked meal at a local Inn.  On site we are busy preparing for the main season ahead – painting, pruning, cleaning and tidying and improving – we hope that for those of you who have been before… and for those of you who have not… that you will all feel rewarded by the efforts that we make to keep Trevaylor a special place to be for your special time away.  See you soon, Michelle Charlie Eva George x

It’s been mild but plenty windy with a good splash of rain since I last wrote; but more than anything else it has still been as wonderful as ever here – what ever the weather.  The sometimes stormy sea has provided a great spectacle and the old Wheal houses on the coastline have been looking very atmospheric at times.  We are managing to get out in the surf with our boards… We tried Porthmeor at St Ives the other day and it was fantastic!  We have our festive lights up at the campsite and we are getting in the spirit ready for all our Christmas arrivals – I think it looks like we will have quite a few of you this year! We are looking forward to seeing all that are booked in so far … and perhaps a few more of you will drop in for a night or two or so to join us at some point during the ‘jolly’ season.  A warm welcome awaits – from Michelle, Charlie, Eva & George 

View to Nanjizal from Land’s End side of coastal path

What a glorious September and October it has been here … Topped only by the 1^st and 2^nd of November … which it seems were the warmest on record in some places.  It really was phenomenal.  Charlie, the kids & I walked from Land’s End to Nanjizal along the coastal path on the 1^st of November and ended up with sunburn by the time we got back to the car again!  Back on site we are busy again at the moment with a few upgrades – we are putting down five more hardstandings  (bringing the total to eleven) and  have just poured the concrete for our new drive-over waste water disposal point.  The play area is getting a bit of a makeover too with the addition of some play tunnels,  re-surfacing under the swings and some landscaping improvements.  Whilst our bar/restaurant is now closed until the end of March; don’t forget that we have the Queens Arms just five minutes walk from the campsite – with real log fires in winter, real ale at the bar and real home cooked food too!  So you can come and join us anytime of the year you like – bring your motorhome, campervan, caravan or tent (although tenting is only advisable for the more experienced during the winter months!).  Don’t forget – we have six centrally heated double glazed luxury holiday homes and a little dog-friendly cottage for you as well.  We’d love to see you soon!  Charlie & Michelle

‘Wheel Leisure’ set for Poldark 2016 series

We have had a wonderful summer season – made truly wonderful by the myriad of people who have stayed with us at Trevaylor and shared in all the moments, great and small that we have encountered along the way.   As autumn takes hold we look forward to embracing the breezes and brisk winds that are often laced with a little rain and maybe a muddle of fog from time to time.  We are ready to enliven the senses with our coastal delights as the last of the summer sun sinks into the sea revealing a backdrop of some of the most beautiful sunsets ever to be seen.  As always, we are looking forward to meeting and greeting friends old and new to our campsite; and with one of the sets from Poldark right on our doorstep at the moment – I wonder if we will have any sightings of the dashing Aidan Turner or the lovely Eleanor Tomlinson sometime soon?  We hope you come and help us find out!

Looking back towards Cape Cornwall from Sennen

31^st May ’15.  As May draws to a close we look forward to welcoming in the longer days of June and hopefully some warmer weather as we creep towards summer.  Whitsun was wonderful  – with the site nearing capacity on the bank holiday weekend.    The ebb and flow of a varied spring has kept us on our toes to the last; as I write a day or two of wet  and much windiness is due to pass through and yet we had several cases of sunburn during the half term week!  The Cornish hedges of Trevaylor are looking naturally beautiful at the moment dressed wild Bluebells, Pink Campions and unfurling bright green ferns along with many other wild grasses and flowers.  Every morning and evening scores  of  wild rabbits can be seen scampering  away from their grazing or lazing as you approach through the different camping paddocks.  The baby pigeons have now fledged and a family of five magpies have also flown the nest – and now we see the youngster learning the ropes from their parents out and about.  Hmmm… And getting ever more cheeky!  Out and about the Atlantic is proving a gem – a Humpback Whale was recently seen from  the Scilonian and a school of around fifty dolphins seen off the coast of Portheras.  We hope to spot you soon! Charlie & Michelle x