aquarium – Tango's Baking

Despite a potential forecast of rainfall, I was very lucky that my time throughout Newquay was blessed with amazing sunshine and comforting temperatures. Even after spending my first day here visiting all these incredible beaches, I just couldn’t get enough of it! So I decided to continue to head west, passing by Porth Beach again and journey beyond to Watergate Beach. 🏖

Perfect weather for a day out!

Watergate Beach is quite far out in Newquay – about a 30-minute walk from Porth Beach along the high cliffs on the coast, so I definitely did well in my step counts for the day! 😂 On the way, I also passed by Whipsiderry Beach – a quiet, hidden little spot underneath the tall cliffs (possibly the tallest one out of them all I felt!) If you aren’t a fan of stairs, this place is definitely quite a ‘journey’ to get to going down and back up. 😤 (At least it wasn’t like when I tried to climb the Eiffel Tower on foot two years ago…)

The beach hidden under the tall cliffs (after a VERY long flight of stairs… 😪)

Getting down those cliffs to the beach felt like an adventure though!

Even though the stairs in Whipsiderry Beach completely wore me out, I finally managed to slowly made my way around the coast to Watergate Beach. It was a great spot for me to finally to sit down for some lunch! (Bought a salad meal deal from Tesco, along with my rocky road bar that I kept all this time from Penzance! 😂)

Snacking on my rocky road bar on the beach 😬

Watergate beach was very busy which I wasn’t as much of a fan of, so I decided to head back to Porth beach (personally it was my favourite one out of all the beaches) to enjoy the sunshine! 😎

Taking a dip in the water 💦

Sunbathing on the low-tide Porth Beach 😎🏖

After a bit of a nap and sky-gazing, it was almost dinner time! Newquay really had given me a feel of the Mediterranean, so I was feeling a crave for tapas! 😋 Unfortunately, two of the top-rated tapas bar were closed for the day, so I decided to try another recommended place called the Fish Bar. This place is a great value for money, offering a three-tapas tasting platter for only £15 in the bar area. (The main dining area of the restaurant was fully filled.) The food, especially the dessert, was absolutely delicious! So glad to have come to this place after all! 👍👍👍

Spectacular dessert 💛💛: Sicilian semifreddo ice cream bomb with a Limoncello core coated in crushed meringue

Incredible! 😍😍💛🤍💛🤍

The next morning, I had some time to kill before my train around lunchtime, and headed to the Blue Reef Aquarium by Towan Beach. Like many other places now, bookings need to be made in advance online due to COVID restrictions. I booked my ticket two days ago when I arrived in Newquay – still places are limited, so do make sure you book ahead of time if you can. (I initially wanted to visit the day before, but all tickets were sold out within a day. It is half term break after all! 😛)

I’ve never heard of a Unicorn tang until now

He kept popping his head out from the water! It was cute! 💚

After visit the aquarium, I took a walk down the town centre and got my belly filled before my long 5-hour train journey home. ☺️🚂

Brunch in Fore Street Café Bar before long train ride back to London 🚂 🌃

Mad dash to the train station with my ice cream in hand! 😂🍨🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️Until the next time!

So grateful I am blessed with beautiful weathers these past days! ☀️☀️ Yesterday was possibly the sunniest day throughout my trip – making it a perfect day by the coast. 🌊 (I was absolutely drained by all the walking I did yesterday, hence the late posting. 😂)

My main goals yesterday were to visit the Mayflower Museum, the National Marine Aquarium and also to do some more sightseeing around the coast. Unfortunately, the museum was closed due to the pandemic, but thankfully aquarium was still opened. ☺️ (I actually visited the place already the day before, but just missed the last entry time of 4pm… 😔) The National Marine Aquarium is said to be the largest aquarium in the UK and has the deepest tank in the whole country. 🐠🐟🦈 This certainly brings back some memories of me visiting the aquarium in Ocean Park in Hong Kong every summer when I was growing up back there.

Is this supposed to be a fish or a lobster? 🤔

Waiting for the sailboats ⛵️ to pass so we could cross the swing bridge towards the aquarium…

But before stopping at the aquarium, I decided to sit down for lunch at Rockfish, which is just right next to the aquarium at the Sutton Harbour. The place offers fresh seafood straight from the market – which is definitely something completely up my alley! 😋 I went for the day’s special which was a garlic butter grilled whole lobster 🦞 served with a side of salad 🥗. A lobster lunch by the sea under the glorious sunshine – life doesn’t get much better than this! ❤️❤️

The menu of seafood – which one would you have picked?

With a full stomach, it was time for the big underwater adventure as I headed into the aquarium. I took lots of photos and videos while inside, so do enjoy below. 😉

Initially I thought they were mushrooms, they turned to be some sort of shellfish… 🤔

I love jellyfish! They are so pretty! ❤️

There is something about this bright red colour that makes them really scary looking… 😥

Can you spot the stingray in the tank? (It used to be a game I played a lot when I was a child 😂)

Staff with stingrays swimming underneath my feet 🦶

These fishes are huge!

Beautiful ❤️❤️

The Coral Reef

Following the aquarium, I decided to take a long walk around the coastline, going further than I did the day before- I simply couldn’t get enough of it from yesterday! 😁

Yeah, I think I might have had too many ice creams in the past few days… 😂🍦🍦

I just kept walking following the coastline (think about an hour or so) and reached Royal William Yard before also making a visit to the Devil’s Point.

Looking towards the English Channel 🌊

And despite my legs starting to give in 😂, I also took a walk down to Devonport Park. 🌳

After making my way back to Barbican, I (at last) sat down and enjoyed my dinner at a Greek restaurant before falling asleep back at my hotel room. 😪😴

It feels sad that my road trip is coming to an end now (almost too quick really), but it was nice to be able to travel again. This morning, I visited the Snack Box café for breakfast before taking my train back home. The owner was very friendly and ended up talking to me as I enjoyed my Full English at the roadside. It was very sobering and sad to hear about his struggles with the business due to Covid-19, and I wonder how many small businesses are suffering the same way right now… Life may not be quite the same after the pandemic, but hopefully good things will all eventually come along for us all! ❤️

Tag: aquarium

Day 4 & 5 in Newquay: High Up in the Blue Sky

Day 2 in Plymouth: The Lobster, the Waves and the Waterfront