Roadwork Summer Holiday 2011:- Part Five. (Last bit!)

Truth be told, for the rest of the trip we didn’t really do a great deal. And it was all the better for it. You see, when you start writing a travelogue type affair it’s always good to make sure there’s enough of interest to flesh it out. Well, if you’re looking for drama and intrigue, I won’t waste any more of your time; you've been quite patient enough.

If you’re ready to drink in the atmosphere, though, of a relaxing camping holiday amid beautiful scenery, with the emphasis on zoning out of the real world and just soaking in the ambience; read on.

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Roadwork Summer Holiday 2011:- Part Four

Last year I had taken Nicola to visit the Eden Project for the first time, and the admission charge entitles you to a years worth of access on the same ticket. Well, we were determined to get our money’s worth so we made a point of fitting a visit in during this years trip. After all, I had paid a fair bit of heed to Britains industrial past, I suppose it's only fair to pay some attention to its green future.

The Eden Project is famous throughout England, and probably ought to be a little better known worldwide. It holds a dual appeal; you either go there to indulge your ecological awareness and feed your passion for horticulture, or, for me, appreciate it as an incredible piece of architecture and revel in the sense of scale. 

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Roadwork Summer Holiday 2011:- Part Three

Every holiday has to have a few objectives to make it truly worthwhile; a few events that mark the occasion and cause it to stick in the memory. When I came here a few years previously I visited Geevor Tin mine, and it lodged in my mind as being my single favourite UK tourist attraction. I had long threatened Nicola that I’d be taking her there one day, and that day arrived today.

And we were going there by car! The Rover, after slumbering in the sunshine, was back in use today. I was looking forward to driving new, challenging, unfamiliar roads. But first, a trip to the petrol station was required.

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Roadwork Summer Holiday 2011:- Part Two

The Rover didn’t turn a wheel on its first day, enjoying a well-earned kip after getting us there safely and in comfort. No, today the sun was shining, the Cornish seaside was but a few miles away, Nicola and I would walk, dammit. There was always the bus we could take if we didn’t fancy the walk back, plus we wouldn’t have to pay for parking.

You’ll have to scroll down a good few paragraphs before any more driving happens, it’s rare that we get a chance to explore England at its most picturesque by foot, usually rain stops play. On my CV I actually quote country walks as a hobby, and it is. But Nicola and I rarely get the chance to walk somewhere both interesting and sunny at the same time.

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Roadwork Summer Holiday 2011:- Part One

 

It took quite a leap of faith to trust the 825 with our holiday transportation needs. There was myself and my girlfriend, a substantial tent, a weeks worth of clothing, cooking apparatus and all the other tat that a week of camping usually entails. The boot swallowed most of it, the remainder spilling out onto the rear bench seat, and when loaded the rear end squatted down sending the headlamps beaming into the sky, illuminating satellites and space debris.

We had a choice of two other cars to take, both proven to be reliable, economical and practical. Either the Peugeot or the Audi would have been a sensible choice. But, then, that wouldn’t have been a challenge, would it? Here was a chance for the Rover to prove that it could still cut it where it counts:-

I sought to prove that a 1997 Rover 825 Si is good at being a car.

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