Happy bank holiday from the U.K.! Such a blessing to have the holiday and my week off coinciding with the hottest day of the year thus far! ☀️☀️ Hope you all had a great day too as I have most certainly enjoyed my time here in Penzance! 😁

Penzance is one of the most southern towns in the U.K., lying within Cornwall. It was a long train ride from London with the whole journey covering over 5 hours and a changeover in Plymouth (where I visited last summer!) – but I figured it was the time to do it now with me having an entire week off work! 🚂

I was most certainly prepared for the long train ride as I have done lots of food shopping 🛍 before hopping on to the train! (And yes, I finished everything just on the first train alone! 😂 Unfortunately a 15-minute delay caused me to miss my changeover in Plymouth, so I ended up making a quick stop there before moving on to the next train (which was also further delayed. 😅)

After over an hour behind the initial scheduled time, I finally arrived in Penzance and I was immediately in awe of the slight Mediterranean feel of the place! 🏖 Weather wasn’t the best when I arrived on Sunday but I was still definitely on a holiday mood – though this place seemed to be a bit of a dead zone for phone signal! 😂📱(Maybe it will be actually good for me to be off the grid for once…? 😝)

My initial plan was to visit Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar in Newlyn for dinner (the place seems to be extremely popular and does not take bookings, so couldn’t even reserved beforehand.) Newlyn is a seaside town and fishing port situated just right next to Penzance accessible by just a relatively short walk (around 20 minutes from my hotel.) Sadly, the train delays earlier meant that I couldn’t make it in time before the restaurant closed at 9. And it appeared that, in general, most places in Penzance were closed by that time- including the hotel restaurant… 😴🌙 (I guess it was a Sunday after all or perhaps I am just too used to all the late night openings in London 😅.) Thank goodness though I didn’t have to starve for the night as I eventually managed to find a kebab place in the town centre (after much searching! 😂)

Despite many bumps in my first day of travel (as per usual for me 😂), I woke up this morning with a fresh determination wanting to make the most of my day – with a morning swim in the Jubilee Pool. 🏊‍♂️

The pool is very unique in that it extends directly into the sea, making it a landmark in the area. (I certainly loved the Art Deco feel of it! 💙) Due to COVID restrictions now, bookings must be made in advance. Luckily, the main swimming area is readily available for bookings (up to one hour before the time slots- but only the shallow end is opened for use right now, which is fine with me as I am not that massively strong of a swimmer anyway. 😂) Sadly, the geothermal pool is now completely booked until next month. ☹️ Would have loved to go into the geothermal pool as the water in the main swimming area is rather cold 🥶 – so a lot of us just ended up “walking” and paddling along the pool, or just sunbathing by the poolside lol. 😎 Still great fun though! (And I will take it as my workout for the day done!)

After a quick shower back in the hotel, I made my way to Newlyn hoping it will be a second time lucky!🤞 Literally went there banged on before their opening time at 12, so was seated very quickly. 😉 The seafood dishes were all very fresh and delicious, so I was so very tempted to order a dessert as well!

With my stomach full, I ventured out into the town of Newlyn, aiming to make my way on foot to the fishing village of Mousehole (one of my main goals of this travel!) The 1-hour coastal walk is beautiful especially on a sunny day like today! 🌞

Afterwards, it was time for a quick recharge in Rock Pool Café- enjoying a drink and some food in the open view to the coast before exploring the rest of Mousehole! 🥰

After taking the shuttle bus from Mousehole back to Penzance- I settled in for an easier night in with a supper from a well-established fish and chips shop just right next to the hotel. (There was quite a queue!)

This is not the end of my journey in Cornwall yet! More to come tomorrow, so stay tuned! 😉