St Just Times

Winter Walk at Sennen Cove

2012-01-05T14:55:00.000Z

To show you how lovely West Cornwall can be at any time of year, here is a simple walk along the beach in November - that's me with Molly our bearded collie / poodle cross.

Postcards from Cornwall

2011-12-31T17:46:00.000Z

If you are starting 2012 with thoughts of relaxing holidays in West Cornwall, here are some of our favourite memories from this year. Enjoy and we hope to see you back here soon.

Christmas and looking forward to 2012

2011-12-18T16:09:00.001Z

As many of us gather together with our families for Christmas, the conversation often turns to holidays and to what everyone has planned for the forthcoming year.

In the six years we have run holiday cottages in St Just, the season has extended further and further from the summer and that just goes to prove how much the area has to offer all the way through from January to December. So I thought I would look at what goes on in some of the 'off-season' months.

October and the dog restriction on beaches is lifted through to Easter, so that gives our dog owning guests a great chance to make the most of even more of our lovely beaches in West Cornwall.

November, sometimes just into October, St Just's Feast is held every year on the first weekend after 31st October to celebrate the dedication of the parish church. The celebration comprises a church service and civic procession on the Sunday, and on the evening and through to Monday a larger scale popular local celebration (in other words a few beers are drunk!) and the local hunt fills the Market Square. This is closely followed for fireworks night in early November by a display at the rugby club.

December is the time for mulled wine and roaring fires in the local pubs, the Christmas lights in St Just were switched on Friday, nearly accompanied by thunder and lightning, and the amazing display in Mousehole is well worth a visit.

In the New Year, forget the sales, the beginning of the year brings acres of fields of daffodils and empty beaches in West Cornwall. And the thing about St Just is that whatever time of the year you visit, because this is a real, working town, shops will be open, and the pubs are welcoming.

And before we know it, it is April and Easter, and the season has started again.

Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone, and we hope to see you in St Just in 2012.

November Sun

2011-11-28T15:52:00.001Z

It has been the warmest November since I have lived in Cornwall, the grass is still growing and the flowers have been fooled into budding and blooming again. This view is from the churchyard in St Just across Kenidjack Valley on a sunny November afternoon. This time last year we were blanketed in snow ... what a difference!

However, the month is ending with gale force winds and driving rain, so even in Cornwall we don't have it all our own way.

The town is gearing up for Christmas, our neighbours have already pinned up the lights on the outside of their house and a few of the shops have already put up their Christmas decorations. There is plenty to see and do in St Just so if you are in the area, or passing through, park up and stop for a visit.

And on the subject of parking up, for those who are keeping up with the car parking situation in the town (Cornwall Council trying to charge for our car parks in Pendeen and St Just - our Town Council trying to take them over and keep them free) according to The Cornishman this week, discussions are ongoing but far from concluding

Other news, The Kings Arms is under new management, welcome to Neil and Angie, we are looking forward to popping in for a pint and a meal very soon. They are keeping the pub very dog friendly so that's good news for many of our holiday cottage guests.

Getting back to the festivities, the main light switch on is on the evening of 16 December so here's hoping for some good weather for some great carol singing in the Market Square. Lots of different events are happening from advent fairs to Christmas markets to visits from Santa himself, and you can find our more on the local Chamber website www.landsendchamber.co.uk in the What's On section.

A Stormy Sky in Sennen

2011-10-21T18:36:00.005+01:00

I am not sure what the half-term weeks holds for our holiday-makers down here. The forecast is mixed but it should be exciting on the coast with the winds that are predicted whipping up the sea over the weekend.

We made a quick visit down to Sennen today to drop off some glass at the Roundhouse gallery. You could see right out to the Scillies in the distance from the top of the hill, but the storm clouds were gathering.

Good to see all the shops and cafes open in Sennen and hope for a busy and profitable week for us all.

October News

2011-10-20T23:16:00.010+01:00

Our hectic Summer seems to have drifted to Autumn so quickly I wonder where the year has gone.

St Just seems busier than ever. The leaflets that we produced for the Chamber of Commerce to promote our local businesses - Exploring and Where to Stay in the St Just and Land's End Area - have been really popular and we hope we have encouraged people to stop off and stay for a while to enjoy what we have to offer in the town. Certainly many of our guests at the holiday cottage who have not visited before are amazed how much there is in the town and how friendly people are. If you are either looking to visit or planning to live in the area, the Chamber website is a good place to start.

Most of my time recently has been spent on a couple of marketing projects for clients and working on our own website for the fused glass that we produce. Our glass Christmas decorations are now out in all the galleries and available online which makes Christmas seem to come around even sooner. If you are thinking about what to buy for your loved ones this year, check out the The Glass House website for some great fused glass gifts and Christmas ornaments.

The other parts of our lives are winding down as the season closes. The clocks change this weekend so my summer evening agility classes are too dark and too cold to continue, but Saturdays are still busy. And we have guests in the holiday cottage until mid-November and then a few weeks for a break before Christmas and New Year.

And finally the picture above just about sums up the month of weather - very changeable, stormy, rainy, sunny, but overall very beautiful. I suddenly saw the view driving back from St Ives this morning as a rain cloud approached St Michael's Mount. Stunning.

A Glorious Autumn Day in West Cornwall

2011-10-20T18:45:00.008+01:00

Christmas is approaching fast. Today we were dropping off some of our glass to the Out of the Blue Gallery in Marazion. And there was just time to pop out and take a photo.

Marazion was looking fantastic today in the Autumn sunshine with a dramatic St Michael's Mount still attracting visitors across the causeway at low tide.

Having said that, last Thursday, the Mount had disappeared in the fog that was shrouding the whole of West Cornwall.

That's the thing about living in this part of Cornwall ... the weather changes, and sometimes very quickly. The past few days have been a mixture of heavy reain showers and glorious sunshine, so sometimes you just ignore the forecast and look out the window to see whether you should wear your wellies or your shorts.

St Just's Lafrowda Festival

2011-07-13T21:07:00.003+01:00

The bunting is out and St Just is truly gearing up for the annual Lafrowda Festival. We are hoping the weather will be kind to us. This picture was taken a couple of days ago on my phone. Unusually there were no cars outside the church and with the cloth bunting it looked like a scene from days gone by.

There is something on every day this week culminating with the Barbeque on Friday night and the Festival on Saturday. Find out more at http://www.lafrowda-festival.co.uk

St Just Arts and Crafts is opening on Saturday 16 July. This new gallery is a collaboration between artist Nick Smith and Neil and Ann Christmas who run Bosvargus Barn B&B. Our glass will be in the gallery and I have just spent an evening sticking on labels and cutting ribbons for all the lightcatchers.

The St Just and Land's End Chamber leaflets are now available - one listing many of the shops, galleries and activities in the area, and one with local accommodation. Pick them up from many of the traders in the town or from the information stand at Lafrowda.

June News

2011-06-30T17:32:00.006+01:00

The season advances and we come to the end of June with a week of sun, fog, sun, fog and now sun again.

Despite the odd morning of fog, St Just is warming up in many ways.

It is warm enough to sit outside the pub for a beer in the evening, but with a lovely breeze that means we rarely experience the intense heat that we used to living in the South East. The town is beginning to buzz with early season visitors and queues in the Co-op are getting longer with purchases of burgers for barbeques and beer to wash it all down.

There is a new gallery due to open in July next to the Cook Book in Cape Cornwall Street, you can now buy ice creams from the shop next to Just Fine Art and, after a short break, the Chinese takeway is back open again.

With Lafrowda just around the corner, the main festival day on 16th July, the programme is now on the website http://www.lafrowda-festival.co.uk/. After years of guests leaving and arriving on Saturdays, we have switched to Friday changovers so that we can enjoy the carnival day and relax like everyone else.

And finally the new leaflets that the Chamber of Commerce is producing to promote the traders and the accommodation in the area are due to arrive any minute and will hopefully encourage even more visitors to our lovely corner of Cornwall. The picture is taken at Cape Cornwall and has been used in one of the leaflets.

Mevagissey

2011-06-24T18:17:00.005+01:00

A bit further than our normal travels, but we had a delivery to do in Mevagissey today to Avellana Crafts. Avellana stock our glass from The Glass House.

So while we were there, why not stop for a wander around the harbour and, of course, a pasty!

Simon ... a pasty ... and some lurking seagulls!

It was a slightly overcast day, but warm, and the rain held off until we were on the way back to St Just.

Cape Cornwall on a sunny June day

2011-06-17T13:33:00.009+01:00

We are having such a crazy year, so busy, and the lovely weather (up until today, which is foul!) has really helped make life easier.

I have been putting together this year's guides for the local Chamber of Commerce - one containing details of where to stay in the area and one for the shops and traders - which are just about to go for print ready for the summer. Plus we have just set up our Chamber Facebook page which you can find by taking this link.

We did manage to get out last weekend with the camera as we needed to take some photos for the leaflets. Cape Cornwall was lovely ... that's me at the bottom of the hill with Molly while Simon stood at the top and watched.

Golowan in Penzance next weekend, then Lafrowda festivities on 15th & 16th July - looks like it is going to be a packed month of fun!

Is this really April?

2011-04-03T18:13:00.005+01:00

Well it certainly seemed like Summer yesterday. I saw surf-boards, ice creams and shorts on the beach and it is only just April.

We popped down to Sennen Cove to drop off some glass at the Roundhouse Gallery, and ended up staying for a while including a coffee and a shared pizza at The Beach cafe.

What lovely weather, and so nice to have some evenings to enjoy the garden.

Cape Cornwall

2011-02-26T17:46:00.003Z

At last the sun is shining in Cornwall after a week of mist, fog, drizzle and general greyness.

It is amazing how some blue sky can lift the mood. After a busy day we didn't have much time for an adventure, but you don't have to go far from St Just to appreciate what the area has to offer.

In fact, we only went down to Cape Cornwall and walked down to the right of the Cape past the ruined chapel. This view is north towards Botallack. The sea was choppy and the wind was brisk, but with the sun on our backs it was a very refreshing afternoon.

Then back home and, despite the fact that the recent wet weather had taken its toll, I managed to cut the grass in the garden for the first time this year ... surely it must be Spring soon.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2010-12-02T09:03:00.009Z

While the TV is telling us that there is no snow in the West ... I beg to differ. We were supposed to be off to Heligan today, but the snow has scuppered that. The first picture was taken at 8.30 this morning. Then later when we took the dogs out for a run the sun broke through.

As you can see, Stan LOVES the snow!

St Just Feast

2010-11-01T09:05:00.014Z

Taking place on the first weekend after the 31st October, St Just's Feast is a very popular traditional local celebration.

With its roots firmly in the past, the weekend consists of a church service and Mayor's procession on the Sunday, and a meeting of the hunt on the Monday - with lots of drinking and entertainment in between.

As far as I can gather, Feast celebrates a dedication of the church, but has its roots in pre-Tudor England. I read in a letter in The Cornishman this week that when Henry VIII wanted to destroy the icons of the Roman Catholic Church, including the celebration of feasts, he sent a Cornishman based in Bristol, Sir John Tregonwell, to carry out his orders. Unfortunately, but fortunately for the continuing tradition of Feast, reports of plague in the area meant he did not travel to this part of the South West and Feast survived. Fascinating.

Back to the present, with the Cornish Flag flying above the church, on Sunday Pendeen Band and the bells of the church rang out clear across the sunny town, and today, Monday, the hunt milled around the Market Square ready for their Feast day hunt with the band playing them off.

Sennen Cove

2010-10-17T11:20:00.007+01:00

What a busy summer we have had. Finally things are starting to calm down and we are getting a few chances to enjoy the beautiful weather.

While Simon was dropping off some of our glass to the Roundhouse gallery in Sennen, I took the opportunity to take a few snaps of the wonderfully clear view to Cape Cornwall. There are still plenty of people around, and amazing to have it so warm and clear in October, I almost wanted to have a paddle!

Lafrowda Festival, St Just

2010-07-19T11:54:00.008+01:00

This weekend was the culmination of two weeks of workshops and festivities with Lafrowda Day in St Just.

Market stalls and entertainment filled the streets. The theme for the day was Viva Lafrowda and the procession in the afternoon was thrilling as always with some great mobiles lead by Elvis who also appeared in the evening lantern procession.

For details of Tom Henderson Smith's Viva Lafrowda benefit auction click here

Wildlife

2010-06-24T09:48:00.003+01:00

We saw Stan staring out the window yesterday evening - and this is what he was watching.

Simon managed to snap what he thinks is a horseshoe bat in flight by just standing at the back door - not something we will do very often as taking an odd picture of a bat with a flash is okay, but the last thing we want to do is disturb their flight patterns as we get a great display of bats swooping around the garden each evening.

Godrevy

2010-06-23T19:10:00.005+01:00

Back to Godrevy again at the weekend on our travels - what a lovely day.

Clear blue skies, so being a Sunday, it was packed with people enjoying the gorgeous weather. However, as you can see from these pictures, packed means gallons of sea and yards of sand for everyone!

This view is looking back towards Hayle at the golden sands and surf that stretch right round the bay towards Lelant and St Ives.

Sennen Cove

2010-05-13T21:05:00.007+01:00

What a glorious day. The cold wind has finally dropped and the sky and sea were very blue, so we stopped off for a coffee at The Beach Restaurant and listened to the waves lapping on the shore. It is a lovely place to sit and pass the afternoon. We didn't get a chance to have one today, but we both love the pizzas there which are thin and crispy and very tasty.

Unfortunately Simon and I couldn't stay for long. We were busy visiting businesses in Sennen to round up members for the local Chamber of Commerce who are producing a leaflet about the shops, arts & crafts, activities, services and eating & drinking in the St Just and Land's End area. It is taking up a lot of our time at the moment, but it will be worth it to show people, visitors and locals alike, what this lovely area has to offer.

Our guests in the holiday cottage this week have never even been to Cornwall before, but they are already asking about booking for next year.

Once you find the St Just area, it seems you can't keep away.

Godrevy

2010-05-09T15:48:00.006+01:00

Doing some essential research today on where you can find a good Sunday breakfast, so off to Godrevy Cafe with Simon and Molly. Simon had the full english and unsuprisingly cleared his plate so I had to pursuade him to keep a few bits of his bacon for Molly. I had the poached eggs which come with field mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, spinach and toast - it was delicious.

The area is owned by the National Trust so parking is free if you are a member. Dogs are not allowed on the beach at this time of year, but there is still plenty of area to walk and views right across to St Ives. If you continue up the hill towards the lighthouse you can look down to the beach and see the seals resting out of the water (looking a little like slugs!)

Porthleven

2010-05-08T17:29:00.008+01:00

Yesterday we had no holiday cottage changeovers so we set off to deliver some of our glass to Heather and Dave at The Customs House Gallery in Porthleven. Their dog Howard the ridgeback can usually found lying on their sofa in the back gallery. The gallery was featured in the June edition of Cornwall Today and we were glad to see some of our glass in the pictures.

It was raining when we left St Just, but by the time we got to Porthleven the sun was shining so we were glad we took the camera with us. As you can see it was a very calm day. It was even warm enough to sit outside the cafe Naughty But Ice and have a coffee and slice of cake ... yummy and always a treat when we visit this lovely harbour.

Land's End

2010-05-02T18:19:00.004+01:00

Now that we have our pass to get in to the car park at Land's End (locals get in free, visitors pay £4) it is lovely to take a quick visit down to the most westerly point in England for some fresh air on this sunny but windy day.

There is plenty to do for families at the Land's End Experience, and the place seemed busy on this May Bank Holiday weekend, but we prefer just to go for a walk along the paths. The sea, with its white horses was a beautiful turquoise and blue and the granite cliffs were glowing in the spring sunshine.

Picture above is from the tip of Land's End looking back towards Cape Cornwall.

Geevor & Pendeen Rally

2010-05-02T17:54:00.008+01:00

Today was Pendeen Rally up at Geevor, just a couple of miles from St Just on the coast road to St Ives.

Beautiful views, lots of stalls, lovely old bikes, tractors and cars, a dog show, band and lots of local colour. Afterwards we took a wander around the old mine workings, where the egg yolk yellow gorse was in full bloom, and to cap it all, it was a gorgeous sunny day, if a little windy.

Picture above is of Geevor Mine and picture below is of Pendeen Lighthouse from Geevor showing the patchwork of fields.

Sennen Cove

2010-01-17T17:15:00.006Z

What a beautiful day in Sennen Cove today.

The sun was shining, the waves were gently rolling in from the Atlantic and to make the day perfect we were delighted to find that the chip shop was open so we could stroll along with a sunday lunch of sausage and chips!

If you haven't been to Sennen Cove before, it is a couple of miles from St Just and quite close to Land's End.

As you can see it has glorious golden sands, with good waves for surfing or swimming, gift shops including The Roundhouse which sells local arts and crafts, food and drinks from The Beach Cafe and the Blue Lagoon chip shop.

Dogs are allowed on all the beach in the winter, and in the season you can take dogs on any part of the beach early morning and evening, or to Gwenver beach (in the background on the video) during the daytime.

Stan Rolling in the Snow

2010-01-14T13:46:00.007Z

This was a couple of days ago. All the snow has melted and we are enjoying sunny and warm days, but still cold nights. You can see the agility equipment in the background lying idle, which it has been since Christmas. So Stan was making the most of the small amount of snow we had in our fields to have some fun. He just loved to roll, and roll and roll. How he didn't end up with brain freeze I really don't know. Enjoy!

Agility Stan

2010-01-14T13:38:00.006Z

Here's a bit of fun. Stan, our lurcher, just loves agility which we do in the fields next to our house. He especially loves those weaves. Enjoy!