Wonderful Cornwall

Though my travels have pretty much always taken me away from this fair isle of ours, in search of foreign lands, different customs, regional delicacies and a bit of sun.

But after visiting Cornwall for the first time in my life, which at the age of 28 was long overdue, I have to say...I think I may never go abroad again.

Cornwall isn't the number one tourist destination for people holidaying in the UK just because of the pasties.

And after a gorgeous weekend spent enjoying all the hidden coves, fantastic beaches, beautiful seaside villages and, well...Cornish pasties, the region has to offer, it is easy to see why so many people rave about it.

I remember talking to mother before I set off, who is herself a big fan of Cornwall and has been telling me for many years that I would love the area.

"You must go to Tintagel, oh and St Ives. I think you'll really like St Ives, and if you get a chance you must go to Port Isaac. That's where they film that Doc Martin programme from the telly," she told me before we left.

Well, hitting the road early my girlfriend Vickie and I made the journey down to Cornwall in a little over four hours and watching the gradual change in the landscape as we wound our way round the country roads was great.

Though this was only something I could do as Vickie was driving (much to her disgust).

As we were passing Tintagel on our way down to Watergate Bay where we were staying on our first night, we decided to stop and check it out.

There are many myths surrounding the castle and legend has it that it was the castle of King Arthur. Unfortunately the castle was closed to visitors while we were there, but that didn't stop us from appreciating the spectacular views and the stunning remains.

Standing there it was easy to imagine King Arthur standing atop the ancient battlements looking out over the sea.

Sadly our time in Cornwall was confined to one weekend, and time waits for no man, not even an wide-eyed Oxford Mail reporter visiting Cornwall for the first time.

Jumping back in the car, something we were to do a lot of of the coming days, we hit the road in search of another Cornish delight.

Port Isaac was our next stop and I was truly charmed by everything the quaint little village had to offer. The steeped streets, winding down into the harbour, with its little shops and cafes was a real treat.

There are a number of excellent sea food restaurants available, and are all pretty reasonably priced and well worth stopping at for a much-needed rest and chance to soak in the atmosphere.

Our next port of call was Watergate Bay, which is about eight miles from Newquay, which has been made famous as the backdrop to yet another television series Echo Beach - starring Oxfordshire's own Jason Donovan.

Checking into the Watergate Bay Hotel, where we were staying for our first night, I was instantly won over by the stunning, laid back and friendly hotel.

I wasn't sure if it was the famous Cornish hospitality I had heard so much of, or the fact that every member of staff I spoke to liked to jump into a wetsuit and hit the surf as soon as their shift was over, but everyone was just so flippin' nice.

The views from the hotels living room area looked out across the beautiful Watergate Bay, with its jagged cliffs jutting out on to the long and expansive beaches. It truly was everything I had hoped Cornwall would be like.

All checked in, we hit the beach and popped into the Extreme Sports Academy to book a half-day surf lesson. At a little over £30 per person it is something I would highly recommend to people who haven't ever done it before.

It's exhausting, extremely frustrating and at times leaves you wanting to hit something very hard. That said, it's also great fun, extremely exhilarating and a great way to meet people, as it seems nearly everyone in Cornwall does it.

After a morning spent riding some gnarly waves and Hanging Ten', as the locals say, we jumped in the car and hit the open road.

Our first stop was nearby Newquay - perhaps my least favourite among the places we visited. It has the trappings of your typical seaside towns, with its arcades, slightly tacky bars and pubs, arcades and amusement halls.

However, it does have some saving graces. A working harbour where you can see the fishermen returning with their catch of the day and a selection of excellent galleries.

We decided to move on and with a desire to head down to Land's End, we set off on the longest single journey we made over the entire weekend.

f=85 Helvetica Heavy s=8d=4,3,1If=nimrod biT takes about 40 minutes to get there from Newquay. Was it worth the drive? No.

It's a bizarre, man made monstrosity that charges an admission fee to get in just so you can say that you have been there. But as I'm one of the those kind of people that just loves doing things to say he's done them, I coughed up my £4 and went in.

And was done in about 10 minutes.

If I give you any advice it's this, don't bother going.

For a change of pace from the coastal delights, we decided to head to an inland hotel for the last two nights of our weekend break, staying at the Rose-in-Vale hotel near St Agnes.

Nestled in a Cornish woodland valley, it's a beautiful 18th century manor house that is set in 10 acres of land and has a top class menu to match the best fine-dining restaurants you will find anywhere.

Using this as a base over the next couple of days we ventured out to other areas that we had driven past on our way to Land's End, such as Penzance, St Ives, Falmouth and Truro.

By far the best of this bunch was St Ives, with its winding lanes, fantastic shops and more pasty shops than you can shake a stick at.

It is also the home of the excellent Tate Gallery, which attracts large numbers of tourists to the area and has produced a great knock on business for the local galleries, jewellery shops and artists selling their wares down in the harbour.

It is an excellent place to unwind, relax and watch the world go by and a great place to end what was a fantastic weekend away.