Jairkingsly Labradors

Although we’d been on weekend jaunts with Poppy and Lottie, this trip was a bit of a different kettle of fish. We were off to Newquay, Cornwall, a place we’d visited before with Molly and Tilly but hadn’t graced with our presence for a few years. The mission? To surprise my niece on her 4th birthday! The car was packed to the brim, and while that might not sound like a big deal, let me just say that the car in question was a Mini Cooper, and it was attempting to accommodate two adults and two fully grown Labradors 😂. We hit the road at the crack of dawn, around 5am, with the journey down taking about 5 hours, give or take a bit of traffic. We made a pit stop at a service station about halfway through, giving the girls a chance to stretch their legs and tuck into some breakfast. Then, it was back on the road, with our final stop before Newquay being for petrol. Now, you might be wondering how we managed the girls in the back of a Mini. Simple! The seats fold flat, so they had the entire back of the car to sprawl out and snooze, which they did, although Poppy still opted for the boot part of the car 😂😂.

We’ve always been blessed with dogs who are absolute champs when it comes to travelling, no matter how far. They just lie down or snooze until the car comes to a halt. On this trip, Lottie could hear the fuel going into the tank, and her little face was scrunched up as she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. She glanced at Jason, watching what he was doing, but unable to pinpoint the source, she finally lay back down with a big, resigned sigh! We arrived in Cornwall and made our first stop at Lewinnick Lodge, a tradition we’ve picked up over the years. Using Facebook to check in, we spent the next day marking our whereabouts at various spots, so my sister could see where we were and hopefully avoid bumping into us and spoiling the surprise. We popped over to Port Isaac, famous for the TV show Doc Martin, and then made our way to Lands End. We were staying in a Travelodge right in the town centre. Day two was spent in Padstow, with Poppy attempting to have a chinwag with a seagull, one of our favourite haunts.

Later that afternoon, I got a call from my sister asking us to meet her on Fistral Beach. As we ambled down the sand dunes, my niece spotted us. Can you guess her first words? Nope, it wasn’t “Look, there’s Uncle Jason and Aunty Clare.” It was “There’s Lottie!” We spent the afternoon with them on the beach. My sister had booked dinner for us all at Lusty Glaze Beach, a private cove just a stone’s throw from Newquay. It’s best known for its 138 steps, or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can wait for the tide to go out and walk along the beach, which we did. Lottie was off her leash, clambering over rocks covered in mussels, trying to scratch them off. Poppy, on her lead, was bravely being handled by my niece. Something must have caught Poppy’s eye because she suddenly trotted off, with my niece clinging on for dear life and Jason shouting, “Don’t let go!” To this day, a visit to Lusty Glaze still has us in stitches.

Day three was the birthday girl’s big day. My sister had organised a breakfast for the friends who were on holiday with them and arranged for two characters from Frozen to make an appearance. We popped by to see her as we were packing up to head home, wishing her a happy birthday. Her cheeky reply? “I’ll call and get my presents when I get home,” patting my hand as she said it. We made one last stop at one of our favourite beaches before embarking on the long journey back. It was the best long weekend away ever, and from that point on, it became a cherished tradition to visit every year.

Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention our favourite beach – Holywell Bay. If you know, you know 😜