Our Blissful Week in Cornwall, England

{St. Agnes, Cornwall}

As I mentioned (here!), the real reason for our European voyage earlier this summer was for us to reunite with two of my elementary school best friends (who now live in Sweden with their beautiful partners!) While we were originally planning on wining and dining our way through the Tuscan countryside, one of us decided to go and get herself all knocked up (kiddingggg), and ended up being almost eight months pregnant during the month of our pre-planned trip. Uncomfortable with the idea of being swollen in thirty plus degree heat, not to mention not being able to imbibe in some of the best that Italy has to offer (hello wine and unpasteurized cheese!) we decided to switch gears in exchange for a more pregnancy friendly climate.
After throwing around some ideas in our group chat, we ultimately landed on Cornwall, England as our final destination of choice. The line item that sealed the deal for us? Stumbling upon this charming stone cottage, set amongst the most beautiful English rose garden, more than large enough for all eight of us, and a stones throw away from a Unesco World Heritage-designated beach.

While none of us knew a whole lot about Cornwall (to be honest I don’t think it was on any of our must travel lists originally!) I have to say that it’s quickly become one of my favourite destinations to date.

We stayed in the tiny town of St. Agnes, which was absolutely charming in that way that the Brit’s have totally mastered. Tiny winding roads, itty bitty crooked stone cottages covered in ivy, beautiful art galleries, cozy pubs, and seaside fish and chips were the name of their game and we were fully on board. We paddle boarded in the ocean, we hiked along turquoise-coloured seaside trails (I can’t even describe how stunning these were), we spent hours in the kitchen whipping up feasts* as a “family”, we napped almost every afternoon, sipped piping hot tea amongst the roses in the yard each morning, and ate our weight in Cornish pastie’s and deep fried sausages (yes, my gluten free diet went straight out the window and I have zero regrets).

*my best friend’s husband is a Michelin star chef, so we were *very* spoiled, and incredible well fed the entire week

Because Cornwall isn’t all that large, we were also able to embark on a few day trips to check out neighbouring towns and villages. St. Ives was a bit of a treat (though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend staying there – it was *incredibly* busy, super touristy, and a little overwhelming – albeit beautiful!) And one day we treated ourselves to massages at the Falmouth spa, which was lovely.

All in all, the trip was the perfect combination of adventure and utter relaxation, which is my personal favourite way to travel. We most definitely left our hearts in Cornwall, and I look forward to making our way back there one day.

{wearing: jeans | top | shoes | glasses}

{scenes from our coastal hike}

{our beautiful villa}

{the yard}

{one of the adorable bedrooms}

{one of many family dinners}

{daily scenes}

{the quaint town of St. Agnes}

{imbibing in St. Ives}

{sunset walks}

{morning perfection}

{post-hike necessities}

{the dreamiest walking trails. Ever.}

{my people <3 aka: happiness in photo format}