Eager to escape the smog and endlessly increasing temperatures of London I decided to book a mini staycation with my friend to the Cornish coast.
Nestled in the cliffs of Whistsand Bay, Moontide, a luxury self-catering cabin, offers an escape from the grind of daily life; just what the doctor ordered for two busy Thespian women with a never-ending to do list. Phones onto do not disturb, we hopped into my car to embark on a four-hour drive to the coast.
Parking at the top of the cliff, we trundled down the hill to our cabin, arriving just in time for the most spectacular sunset imagineable. We dumped the bags, sat on the decking with panoramic views of the ocean and cracked open a bottle of sweet fizz.
I've seen a lot of beautiful scenery on my travels but it jolts me just how beautiful the beaches of our own shoreline are. When it's this beautiful, why do we scratch the itch to go abroad?
We spent the next few days reading in the sun, lighting log fires in the evening breeze, drinking wine wrapped in cable knits under the stars and driving to coastal towns, haggling fishermen for goodies fresh off the boat. As a professional cook, I was spoilt for choice with kitchen gadgets and larder essentials and so, with bowls of fresh Cornish mussels and samphire prepared we headed out for an alfresco dinner, acoustic music tinkling through the sound system and lanterns glowing in every corner of the cabin.
Our final night was spent on the beach, running around like teenagers, cartwheeling in the sand and kicking the water. What a breath of fresh air to behave so carefree and frivolously! Both Cat and I have very busy lives back in London, she's a director, I'm an actor and author and time off is scarce, but these moments we will treasure forever. No Michelin starred dinners, no fancy cocktail bars to label it a night to remember, but salt air, wind rushing through our hair and two best friends running around the beach, high on life. This is the stuff dreams are made of.
Curled up under blankets, steaming cups of tea in hands and salt water crisping our tresses, we agreed that spending time with loved ones is like a bowl of warm soup, comforting, no-nonsense and good for the soul.
As we sat in front of the fire, by no means ready to leave but ready to face reality afresh and rejuvenated, we silenently reminisced over the last few days, concluding that this was perhaps one of the best staycations ever.
