Easter Beaster Part 1

Friday - depart for Bath via train. 1 hr 40 mins. Check into hostel, then go for lunch at the fine establishment of The Moon and Sixpence. I ordered a marinated tuna steak that was served on a bed of couscous by a friendly waitress from Sydney. The tuna was cooked to perfection - slightly pink in the middle. Compliments to the chef who, if English, had been trained unexpectedly well. Harsh views? Perhaps. But if the waitress had been instructed to explain that the fish is meant to be cooked that way to the clientele then this speaks volumes of the food knowledge of the general English population, does it not?

After our satisfactory meal we took a constitutional turn about Bath. A drive through the countryside was then taken upon and with mirth we arrived at Longleat. Longleat House, built 1580 is a stately home currently of the 7th Marquee of Bath. Not only does it sit within 8000 acres of land, Longleat is also a safari park, the first of its kind outside of Africa.



Saturday - depart for Padstow via hired car. Approx 4hrs. Our next engagement was something I was dearly looking forward to. Lunch at Rick Stein's restaurant, St Petroc's Bistro. He is a well-known and well-regarded seafood chef whose love for Padstow, Cornwall has been transferred to myself now that I've tasted his food and seen how small and sweet a fishing village it was.

That evening we made our way to our B&Bs in Newquay, the place to surf in England. The Walkabout Pub at Newquay was reported to me to have a grand view of the sea from its premise, so I followed the advice of a colleague and encouraged the girls to join me for a bite and drink. It doesn't compare to North Bondi RSL (which was what I had in mind), but it was nice enough.

Sunday - tour of Cornwall via hired car. My favourite village in Cornwall will have to be St Ives. The village is utterly charming with its small narrow streets, galleries and their artist-in-residence on almost every street, and combined with small but picturesque beaches makes for a very peaceful and restful place to be. Dame Barbara Hepworth, a key British sculptor made St Ives her home in 1939 till her death in 1975. Her home and studio is now a museum run by the Tate. It's definitely worth a visit.