Exploring Kumaon hills near Nainital

Spending more time exploring the Himalayas has been quite a long cherished dream of mine, of doing treks in the interiors, away from civilisation and admiring the raw beauty of these grand mountains. As the Himalayas are best explored in summer, and since I haven't visited India in summer for decades now, the dream is still a dream. But as I was here this year in the start of summer, I decided to go there for a few days at least, to get away from the heat of the plains, and to experience what I love (and miss) always about the mountains- the cool, calm and fresh air.

Nainital at night

We visited Nainital for 5 days in the beginning of March and experienced all the mountains have to offer. Relax, walk and breathe. As it was still corona time, we stayed away from the crowds and the town, preferring to go on a few short treks which were devoid of people completely. And just had a slow relaxing time. Nainital is a beautiful location, which becomes even more attractive when there are no tourists. Which is ironic, as that's where we are. Wanting to be a tourist, but preferring if there weren't others around 😂.

Our itinerary was as follows:
Day 1: Drive from Gurgaon to Nainital
Day 2: Drive to Pangoot and do part of Kunjhakarak trek
Day 3: Visit Bhimtal
Day 4: Trek to Tiffin Top, explore Naini lake and walk all around it

Day 5: Drive back to Gurgaon


Getting there

One of the reasons we picked Nainital to go to was its proximity to Delhi. It was less than 7 hours away which made it quite convenient to get there. We had to cross all of Delhi though which may have been half the journey 😋. So we started early and after a 8.5 hour drive including breaks, we reached Nainital well in time before 4 pm to enjoy a bit of the views and feel of the place on that day itself.

The drive overall was much better than I expected, as I had been to Jim Corbett a few years ago and that road had been tough to drive on. But either that was a different road or these have been built in the last few years - this route was a nice highway drive for most of the way, with only a 1 hour patch which had broken roads and took an hour to cover 30 kms!

Most of the way, we passed by small towns, skirting most of them through by-passes and sometimes driving through their bazaars. Even though close to Delhi, these towns felt years away from the metropolis. Some were rural, some tier 3 towns. It felt as if life is still going on in a different era here. It all feels so rusty and dusty here, so surreal.

The upside of this drive were the beautiful fields and orchards that we drove through. There were miles of wheat and sugarcane crops surrounding us. There were some mango orchards we crossed which would soon bear fruit. We even stopped a few times on the way, to have our meals in the fields or buy local fresh fruits. It was quite green along the way, but in terms of development, most of the area didn't seem to have much. It felt rural, in a different era totally.

Fields of Bazpur

And just after Moradabad came the town of Bazpur where it all changed. The standard of the shops went up, people were more richly dressed and the general economic prosperity was clear. The road also suddenly improved out of nowhere and the potholes vanished! We passed fields full of crops and hundreds of large farmhouses dotting the area. 

Apparently lot of farmers from Punjab had moved here many years ago and developed this whole area into a rich and enterprising place, completely disconnected from the rest of UP we has just passed. We even stopped at a local farmers market here which had an amazing variety of products. We ate one of the tastiest jalebis ever from this local market. And also we stocked up on fresh vegetables to cook during our stay.

Right after Bazpur, we started going up the mountains, from Kaladoongi. It was a short one hour drive, and there was a sudden change in the air and temperature. There were forests on all sides and we could feel the air improving slowly. Apparently this is tiger region and we saw lot of danger signs warning us of potential wildlife, though all we saw were the usual langurs and monkeys on the way! Even though we stared hard, trying to spot a tiger somehow 😊. It was sunny and warm that day and a nice short mountain ride got us to Nainital very soon.


Our accommodation

View from window

We were staying slightly before Nainital, in Sukhatal in a friend's holiday home. It was a typical mountain house, built along the mountain, with a steep climb of 80 steps leading to it. Given space constraints in the mountains, there was no parking space. So I had to quickly learn how to park a car very close to the side of a mountain, so that it's not hit by passing vehicles! It was quite a learning for me, how to use every inch of available space, without the luxury we have in the plains.

The apartment was built in wood, cosy and comfortable for an enjoyable mountain stay. Like all the mountain houses are. The view in front was captivating, we could see the mountain in front filled with houses all the way up. And it twinkled brilliantly at night.

Given the existing pandemic we were cooking at home and avoiding going out much. Our home was self-sufficient. So we cooked and ate at home mostly, while appreciating the view of town from the window. And it was a totally away from the crowds kind of holiday. Also life in the mountains is very different, very slow. We got into it very quickly, and just lived like that over the next few days.

The first day we walked out to the the nearest hotel to ask if we could park our car there, and also ask them for a few tips on where to trek nearby. They had no clue! It was surprising, but not so much too. Clearly most tourists who come here don't trek, so there isn't a lot of information available.

Nainital in the hills

We also went to the nearby market in Sukhatal to buy milk. It was a nice short walk, just going down the mountains. Walking on the road among the trees was pretty, but tough too because of the coming and going cars. In Sukhatal, there were a few small shops and buildings. But it felt like there were too many people there, so we came back up quickly. (After corona, just seeing crowds is enough to scare you off).

And every night, we would retire to our mountain home, eating and sleeping early, while enjoying the twinkling lights of the town across the valley. The days got dark and cold very quickly. It was tough to imagine how cold it would get as soon as the sun set, given how warm the days were, but it was so. We even had to sleep wearing thermals! So an early night in was always the best option. And it was charming to watch the twinkling lights in front, as the day ended.

About the town

Nainital is quite a small town, settled around a small lake nestled in the mountains. The lake is the life and soul of the town. Tallital and Mallital are its two ends. One side of the lake has the Mall road, as usual built by the British. And the other side there is a walking path called thandi sadak. All the way up the mountains, are the hotels and houses of the residents. On one side of the lake the population is much more dense (Where the sun shines all day) while the other is quite sparsely populated. The Raj Bhavan is on the less sparsely populated side of town. And the mountains beyond the lake on both sides are more populated too, all the way to the top. They just don't have a view of the lake from where they are.

Nainital was settled by the British, as another spot for their summer holidays and you can see all the signs. The main road in town is called The Mall (like in Shimla, Mussoorie, Dalhousie and all the other Indian hill stations settled by the British). And it is lined with old colonial buildings and loads of gorgeous churches. There are also famous British schools, like the Sherwood school in Nainital. All from British times.

This place would have been like heaven more than 50 years ago, but now is not as pretty as then. Its become more crowded and definitely dirtier. The administration try to manage traffic well, making it one way and later on only pedestrian for some time in the evening. Its still well managed but seems to be growing without control. As we were there on weekdays, it was quieter than usual, so I ended up liking up. But I can imagine it not being as fun in the peak tourist season. Of course, if you can stay away from the city (like we did) in the mountains, then you can actually enjoy what the mountains have to offer - peace, quiet and calm. And go in to the crowded town only if needed.

We didn't explore Nainital much though, as we were staying away from crowds. One morning we drove by the lake, and one evening after finishing a trek to Tiffin Top, we went for a stroll in town, after sunset. We walked to the city centre given how crowded the traffic is. We first walked next to the High court (which was an old British building) all the way up to St Thomas Church - in the wilderness. It was a charming little church, in the middle of tall coniferous trees. It could have been the one I had photographed in Scotland! I could have been in Scotland. Except that there was garbage around, which reminded me that I was in India (after being in the West for so long, the lack of cleanliness on the streets, especially in the mountains in India hits my eyes too much!)

From the church, we walked down to the city center which is all around the lake. At Mallitaal, there is a Jama Masjid, a huge gurudwara and a mandir. It felt nice to see it all next to each other peacefully. And next to it was a cricket ground (clearly all religions are represented here 😂). There was a cricket game going on there - what a place to play cricket, isn't it?

In the Naini lake

We then did the typical touristy activity done by all tourists in Nainital - took a boat ride all around the lake for 20 mins, taking in the feeling of the city from down below. The temperature had dropped by then and there was a chilly freshness in the air, with a light breeze blowing above the lake. It felt like we were floating in a surreal space, as we boated around. We also took in views all around, with the twinkling lights switching on one by one all around. And once the lights came on, we realised that a lot of the green forests all around hid a lot of houses under them.

View from below

We also talked to the boatsman who told us that during lockdown, all boating had stopped. But lot of construction activity had started there. And all the boatsmen had taken to construction work. Its kind of what we've seen at a lot of places, where when people were locked inside, they all started looking at their houses carefully and getting work done. Interesting...

Naini lake

After the boat ride, we walked all along the lake, along the path called thandi sadak. It was a fully pedestrian path, all along the lake on the north side and dotted with lot of ancient temples. (There is something about mountains and temples, they are full of it. Apparently mountain people are always more religious than others, given the level of difficulty and nature's moods they need to deal with).

Then we walked back all the way along The Mall which had been made pedestrian only for the evening. We started with a break at the Army rest and recoup centre at the start of this walk. Just walking into the campus felt like a breath of fresh air, so open and relaxed all of a sudden. Being in army areas does that to me. Also, we had stayed at this place about 25 years ago, on our first visit to Nainital. We were kids then and had great memories from here, it felt nice to visit the place again after decades. 

We then walked on the mall, all along the south side of the lake. It was mostly empty, and was a fun walk. Towards the end we shopped for the famous Nainital handicrafted and scented candles. Similar to the ones we had bought 25 years ago.

One of the evenings, we walked to Sukhatal which was 5 mins from where we were staying and went in for a walk into the Kumaon university campus. From the outside, it looked very inviting, full of nicely built buildings, spread along a valley. But once we were inside, it was completely different. It was a very small campus, full of run-down buildings. I really wondered if was really a university? Especially when you compare it to some of the larger campuses elsewhere.

Overall, I found Nainital less touristy than I expected, but that could be just because of Covid. We went in March when things were at their best, but it was still too cold for tourists to go to the mountains. That being said, the town is dirty and I seemed to notice it all the time. There was just so much plastic, everywhere. Even on the trails in the middle of forests! Its heartbreaking to see that. I wish someone would clean it. And people would stop making it so dirty. Then such places could rival any of the European places we visit in the Alps.


Around Nainital - Trek up Tiffin Top

One day we decided to do a short trek near our accommodation and picked up Tiffin Top. It is one of the peaks which have a panoramic view of the Naini Lake. It has a few routes up and we picked the walking path, away from all the touristy pony ride ones. 

The way up started from Bara Patthar, near where we were staying and first passed through a few lanes with huge bungalows, hidden in the trees. They felt like a good place to live in the hills, away from everything else. And then there was a steep rocky path up the mountain, surrounded by trees on both sides. The path was mostly empty and shaded all the way. We did pass a few trekkers going up but very limited. And there were a few rhododendron trees along the way too. With the shade from the trees, it felt very fresh to trek up.

From top of Tiffin Top

When we reached the top, there was a viewpoint with a 360 degrees view of the hills around. We could see all the developments along the hills, the city, the lake, Sherwood school, Raj Bhavan, and the villages on the other side. We could also see the snow covered Himalayas including Nanda Devi much beyond as it was a clear and sunny day. There was a cool breeze flowing and it felt exhilarating to be there there. 

The peak had a few small snack shops and lot more people who had come on ponies from the town. As expected, the peak was a lot dirtier than the unused track we went up. After spending some cool moments on the top, we headed back to civilisation. It took us total of 2 hours to go up and be back. It was a nice short trek, totally worth doing. For its glorious views and the fresh walk up.

Panoramic view from Tiffin Top

Trekking in Pangoot

I had a bit of a tough time finding treks to go on near Nainital, as most visitors who come here don't do trekking at all. Anyways after researching a bit online, I was able to find a few which were easy and looked fun. And as expected, they were all empty. The first one I found was the Kunjhakarak trek.

It starts in the village of Pangoot, which is about 40 mins from Nainital. The whole trek sounds amazing - it is about 36 kms, takes two to three days to complete and takes one through dense deodar, rhododendron and oak forests. A part of it also follows the Kosi river which sounded fun. And the best part was that it was mostly a downhill walk or through the plains and the valley. We did just a short portion of this trek, but it was fun nonetheless. It also turned out to be quite a well maintained trail too.

First we drove towards Pangoot village. The first 10-15 mins of the drive were a bit painful. Also because it was my first time driving in the narrow Indian mountain roads. And the roads were full! I soon realised that the local taxis here were the worst drivers. They were so used to this kind of driving, that they felt more comfortable than us. So they were rash and always honking - always in a hurry. It was as if they wanted to jump over the car in front and get ahead. I found the ones driving personal cars, especially from the plains so much more better drivers here. Even the ones from Delhi (and that's saying something!)! Clearly they were scared of mountain driving and driving much safer than the locals.

Naini lake from above

There were a few points of interest on the start of the way. We saw a bird's eye view of Naini lake and it was quite captivating. The day was a bit cloudy though, so we couldn't see the faraway snow covered peaks of the Himalayas from the Himalaya Darshan point. But once the sights were over, the roads were empty and there was no one. We soon drove into the Naina Devi bird reserve and there were just empty jungles all around. Huge tall trees shading everyone.

On the trek

Once in the village of Pangoot, there were a few forest camps around. But it was still quite empty with very few people. And no one knew about treks even there! So we just found a path and started walking, assuming it was the Kunjhakarak trek. By this time, the sun came out and everything looked gorgeous. All around us were trees. Lots of rhododendrons, some full of red flowers high above. (The rhododendrons trees were all bunched together). At some parts of the trek, there were loads of bamboo plantations all along the cliffs. And the rest were all deodar trees.

Also the place was full of birds. At one point we could see 10-15 birds flying. But mostly we could just hear their constant chirping all around continuously. We also saw langurs and monkeys but they were again high above on the treetops. I observed a few jumping from tree to tree, showing us their antics. There were also a few empty streams and waterfalls on the way which would be full of water during the rainy season. And we came to a bridge where one way went up to a temple and one to a village.

Village from far

We decided to walk up to a village that we had seen when we were on the other side of the valley. On the way, we ran into a few mountain dogs which we thought were kept there to bark and intimidate any visitors. The village was on the side where there was full sunlight. We walked up, and found the huts in a clearing and there were many bungalows there. It turned out later that it was not a village but a resort. All these bungalows were still being built. And I just thought to myself, after that this area will become polluted too, and lose its charm.

We walked a bit beyond the village and the vegetation was changing from deodar to pines. I also picked up a few cones from here, for home decoration. At this point we finally ran into a few people who were on the trek, away from the madness of the city. Anyways, this was the point where we turned back and walked back to the Pangoot village. We ended up walking about 5 hours total and enjoyed the time in nature, healing and refreshing as always.

As we walked through the village, we saw that there was a lot tourist hotels coming up on the other side. But there were less crowds than Nainital. We had tea at the Himalayan Cafe, with a view of the mountains in front. And started the drive back to Nainital.

Tibury forest guest house

On the way back we stopped at Tilbury rest house. It was built by the British, in 1921. The forest rest house in an old style bungalow, on top of a hill, surrounded by wild forests on all sides. You can even trek there from Pangoot village. It has 2 rooms available, and a guard who cooks for you if you come to stay here. And its easily bookable through the Uttaranchal forest website. We saw 5-6 honey badgers there, called bijju or maten by the locals. It turned out they were yellow-throated Himalayan martens. This is definitely the place to stay, the next time we visit. On top of a hill, in total seclusion. Surrounded only by raw nature, nothing else.


Bhimtal

One of the days, we drove to Bhimtal to meet some family friends there, do a small trek and generally spend the time around that lake as it was expected to be less crowded than Nainital. And the day turned out to be completely different. And better 😊.

It was a short drive to Bhimtal. We passed through the whole town of Nainital for the first time after being here for 2 days. We stopped just for a bit at The Mall, to take a few photos. It was busy, but still not too crowded. After crossing the town, we came to the other side of the mountain, which was less crowded. It was definitely the poorer part of town too, as the few houses there were too close to each other.

Bhimtal lake

And then it was a drive through the mountains, to Bhimtal. It was an easy drive. We passed through a town called Bhowali which was quite big. And then at the bottom was Bhimtal. It had got very very hot by the time we reached. We walked a bit around the lake but felt it was too hot. 

We also passed through a small temple on our walk. Later we realised this was a 1000 years old mandir which was next to the lake when this place was not even inhabited. We saw a photo of what it would have looked like then. It felt so soothing, and look what it has become now. A thing of beauty, destroyed forever. 

Then we visited our friends who lived on one of the hills around the lake. Getting there was a bit tough. There was no way to understand the route, so we continuously talked on the phone to them while driving. And it was tough - it was a steep narrow one way road up a mountain, through villages and under construction places. And at times it looked like we will never get there. 

And once when we reached there, it felt like heaven. It was a gorgeous bungalow in a huge space, overlooking the lake at its feet, with a 180 degree view of the valley. It was magical! We ended up cancelling the trek and spending the whole time at their place. The next few hours were just surreal - sitting with this view, seeing the sun set down. And floating away to a different place altogether. It made me question what we are all doing with our lives. Very few are actually able to live the retirement life we all want to. At least some people we know are living it

We had planned to do the Karkotak trail up the mountain, but left it as we found lounging at the bungalow so much more enjoyable. It was tough to leave the place. But we had to, and drove back while it was still daylight. While crossing Nainital, we realised it became less crowded and pedestrian only at night. So we planned to come here the next day. The visit to our friends place was definitely the highlight of this trip.


Coming back

Coming back was similar and uneventful, though we stopped at Khurpatal which was a small lake on the way where there were a few houses. It was so hot that we didn't wait there too long. And on the way back in UP, we had one of the best sugarcane juice I've had in my life. We ended up drinking many glasses of it, the taste still imprinted in my mind. And just like that, the short sojourn to the Himalayas was over. I do want to spend more time here than I have done till now.


Map



What more to do

There are lot more things to do which we didn't get a chance to do. There are a few more shorter treks to do to get good views of Naini and the mountains - Naina peak (also called China Top), Himalaya Darshan Point and Snow View peak. And if you go further from Pangoot, you can do the Guano hills and Lands end trek. Nainital is also famous for the Phool Dei festival which happens in the spring time.

Sun and sand in Cornwall

Continuing with the 2020 trend of lockdown UK airbnb vacations, I spent 5 days around the August long weekend in the UK county of Cornwall. Cornwall is one of the few popular British tourist spots which I have visited only once and that too for a very short time. So I was quite excited about exploring it well this time. And the whole holiday turned out to be much better than I had imagined.

View of Polruan village

For one, the weather was expected to be cold and rainy the entire 5 days we were supposed to be there, and it turned out to be exactly the opposite! It was sunny and hot each of the days. Secondly, the airbnb we had booked had looked too good to be true. It was a lavish Cornish manor set in its own grounds and we had a whole guest suite to ourselves. I was actually expecting it to be a fake booking but it turned out to be real and fabulous. And both these happenings made the holiday a lot more fun than expected.

We did treks, went to beaches, stopped at quaint Cornish villages, ate at some awesome places with stunning views, watched some spectacular sunsets and generally had a fabulous time. No wonder a lot of my friends were also visiting there the few weeks around when I was there. Cornwall doesn't just have a lot of activities to do, but also very friendly people and is warmer than the rest of the UK. All adding to its charm.

Our itinerary during the trip was as follows:
Day 1 - Drive to Cornwall, stop at Dartmoor national park on the way, do a short trek at Belston near River Taw
Day 2 - Drive to Penzance (visit Kynance and Praa Sands beach) and enjoy sunset at Senner, Lands End
Day 3 - Beach hopping at Tregantle cove, Tregonhawke cove, visit Millbrook village and enjoy sunset near Downderry beach
Day 4 - Trip to Fowey village
Day 5 - Drive back to London, stop at the English Riviera 


Day 1 - Drive to Cornwall, stop at Dartmoor national park and trek at Belstone near River Taw

It is a long drive to Cornwall, and even though Google Map shows about 5 hours, given delays on long weekends, time to get out of London and much needed stops on the way, it generally ends up taking about 8 hours to get there. So we left early in the morning, renting a Virtuo car (by the way, they have a seamless digital rental process which is ahead of all other rentals. I have become a big fan of it!) and were off.

View of Dartmoor Park

I wanted to get out of London as soon as possible, so we got out before the weekend traffic started but then stopped on the way for a McDonalds breakfast in Slough itself 😆. Then we drove all the way West, aiming for the Dartmoor National Park where we were planing to have a late lunch and do an afternoon trek. The weather was sunny and gorgeous all along. We drove through Bristol but missed driving on the famous suspension bridge as it was closed. And after Bristol, as we left the motorways, the drive turned beautiful - we were driving on small roads in the countryside, it was green everywhere and looked bright and lovely. There was a lot of traffic everywhere and we had some delays, but it wasn't as bad as holiday traffic could have been.

Lunch at Tors

We reached the car park in the village of Belstone quite quickly, within 3 hours. It was a cute little village, and we walked in, past a small little tea house to the Tors restaurant. We had a very tasty burger lunch there, sitting outside on the benches and enjoying our view of the moors. There were quite some tourists around which surprised most of us as we hadn't done a proper holiday for a while. And didn't realise that everyone except us had already been out and about for a while.

Views on the trail

We then went on a short 1.5 hour walk around the River Taw. We went down the valley in front of the restaurant to River Taw, and then walked up and down the hill through the woods, all along the river. There were some nice bridges on the way, lot of trees around and it was all green and fresh everywhere. Very quickly, we got lost I think, so we couldn't really do the full walk. And somehow we made it back to our village, using logic to find the right path. Even though we didn't get to see all the sights on the walk, it was nice to stretch our feet in the open. My friends hadn't got out of London after lockdown yet, and this already felt like a good way to start venturing out.

First view of Cornwall

We then drove around the Dartmoor park, towards Devon, onto Cornwall. We drove past a beautiful viewpoint which offered us our first views of Cornwall. And just looking at it, we felt a difference, that we were entering a different place. The houses are painted white and look different from England houses. The roads also got narrower by now and it felt like we had left the city and fast life behind.

We reached our airbnb at Torpoint just before sundown at 730 pm. It was good to reach before dark as our place was out in the woods and would have been tough to find at night. We were staying at the Sconner House in the village of Polbathic near Torpoint. And the house was breath-taking.

It was a huge Cornish manor on a small hill-top, with grounds and fields all around. And we had the guest suite, with a huge living room, huge kitchen and lovely bedrooms looking out into the gardens. It had an interesting history of ownership, passing through major families till the current one who converted it back into a home. It almost felt like we were living the high class life there 😊. As it had been a long day, we just enjoyed exploring the house and called it an early night.


Day 2 - Drive to Penzance (Kynance and Praa Sands beach) and enjoy sunset at Senner, Lands End

We had not planned much for the trip, so we took every day as it came. Since our house was so amazing, we had very lazy starts to our days. We would just come in to the conservatory and sit there for sometime every morning. It was a room in the manor, filled with sofas and surrounded with glass all around, overlooking the gardens around. It used to be sunny and green outside and very hot inside. It felt perfect just to sit and read something there, or just laze around. And we did that every morning, spending a few hours there after breakfast. We also walked in the grounds and the gardens, enjoying the views of rolling hills covered by fields all around. One day when I was walking outside in the grounds, I even found an old abandoned tank nearby! I never got a chance to explore that again though. 

We had tried to book a few activities to do nearby, like kayaking, surfing, cycling etc.. But it turned out that everything was booked out by the time we started making the bookings, as everyone was visiting Cornwall in the summer! Apparently the restaurants were also fully booked out by now, and required early bookings to get a spot. So we spent most of our time visiting places nearby which didn't need a booking, though trying to avoid crowds as much as possible. We would wake up in the morning and decided what we would do during that day and then be off.

Kynance beach

Today was the day we drove the most and farthest. We first went to Kynance Beach which was about 2 hours away. There were green rolling hills all around and we drove lazily through them. On the way, there were lot of small picturesque white villages. We passed a very scenic town called Penruth on the way, which I liked. There was a lot of traffic all day though, on all the big and small roads. And the traffic never let things slow down. 

Kynance beach is supposed to have a turquoise colour to the water there. That day though when we reached the cove, the sun hid behind the clouds and the water didn't sparkle as much as we expected. Also, there were lot of crowds everywhere, kayaking, surfing and swimming, but especially at the cafe. So we just walked down to the beach and sat on the rocks for a bit, with our feet in the water. It felt nice to be there for some time but as we were looking for food, we drove to our next stop which was the Praa Sands beach, about 30 mins drive away.

Praa Sands beach (crowded)

Praa Sands beach was a good spot and we spent a long time there. There were lot of homes in white on the cliff there. The beach wasn't very long and there were lot of people there. The water was not too cold, so we went into the waves for a bit. The tide came in a bit too while we were there. After spending some time on the beach, we went to the Sands Bar and spent some time there.

Praa Sands beach (empty)

The food was tasty there, and it had an outside seating area with a gorgeous view of the beach and the sea beyond. After such a long time, it felt nice and normal to sit in a restaurant again like this. I was eating out after so many months, just the the feeling of being in the open at a place like this was enough to make me like the restaurant. Also by the time we finished our late lunch, the crowds had left and the beach looked a lot better than when we had come in, in the early afternoon.

Sunset at Lands End

Our next and last stop of the day the end of UK, the village of Senner at Lands End. We saw a glorious sunset there and walked on the beach and harbour for a bit. The reflections of the sun in the sand were stunning. By then it had got late and we started our drive back which was about 2 hours. Also the petrol in our car was about the finish and we were starting to get a bit anxious having heard earlier that places in Cornwall generally shut down early. We were already getting ready to being stuck somewhere and having to call for an emergency rescue! We somehow found a petrol pump open till 10 pm near the town of Penzance, and raced there before that time. Thankfully it was open and we were saved from the ordeal.

The drive back at night was also quite delightful as we could see the lights of the villages on the hills on the horizons. The moon was out at night and we could see all the constellations in the sky, given how far we were from city lights. From far, Penzance looked like a pretty harbour town with some impressive buildings on the beach. We also saw Newquay lights far off on the sea. Soon we were home and ready to retire in our comfortable accommodation. It had been a fun day of exploration, made even better because of good weather.


Day 3 - Beach hopping at Tregantle cove, Tregonhawke cove, lunch at Millbrook village and sunset at Downderry beach

This day, we decided to spend in and around our airbnb as it was a weekend and the typical far off Cornwall places would have been very crowded. Again, we had a late start to the day, sitting in the conservatory and enjoying the sunny views outside in morning. The rest of the day, we did beach hopping nearby, in the Whitsand Bay area. It is apparently a hidden gem of Cornwall, with a long coast, lined with cliffs, leading into some excellent beaches.

Holiday homes on the cliffs

The first place we went to was Tregantle cove, which was about 30 mins away from Tolbathic. The cove is named after the Tregantle fort on one of the cliffs. The drive was all along the coast, with steep cliffs all dropping below. I think this is the typical Cornish coast, right? There is a funny parking rule in this area, that you can park all along the road, as long as the tires do not touch the gravel. In fact, we also ran into a policeman who was checking each car's tyres and giving them parking tickets if they even touched a single gravel stone. After parking our car, we checked with him if we were in the clear, before getting out. 

Tregantle cove (from above)

From the parking, we walked all the way down a steep descent to the beach. It was quite a long one, with loads of people there. We sat on the sand in the sun for a bit, and then I went into the water and swam for an hour or so. The water was not deep till very far. It was also very calm with very less waves. The water was cool but not too cold. The perfect place for a long swim. Surprisingly, after 11 years in the UK, this was the first time I had ever swum in the sea within the UK, and that too with it being an island! Clearly, Cornwall was a more warm place than the rest of the country.

There were lot of paddle surfers and some jet skis in the water. I also saw some stalked jellyfish while swimming. The beach has a division in between where the rocks jut out outside. And when the tide comes in, the other beach becomes inaccessible. While we were still there, a car came and was announcing to people to shift into one of the beaches if they wanted to leave or be ready to be stuck on the other, till the tide went back. It felt quite dangerous honestly.

Tregonhawke cove (from above)

After that, we started looking for a place to have lunch and drove to Tregonhawke cove which again had a beach. There were a lot of holiday homes on the top of the mountain here. We walked 30 mins, all the way down the steep cliff but the cafe was closed by then. It was a beautiful location though and had a big beach too which had all but vanished in the tide by the time we went there.

Sunset at Downderry beach

After icecream and a short break at the cafe, we got back up and drove to the nearby town of Millbrook, hoping to find something to eat. It was a small village but had a co-op and an open pub to serve us a very late and well deserved lunch. We had lunch at the Devon and Cornwall pub (finally!), bought some much needed groceries and then drove on to find a good sunset.

I searched for a village on the coast and we started driving towards Downderry. Once there, it turned out they had a beautiful beachside restaurant - Inn on the Shore - and we plonked ourselves there for a few hours which we watched the sun go down over the beach. It had gotten cold outside, so we couldn't sit out but it was still wonderful to enjoy the sun going down, from the warm inside.

Sunset drive

And then we drove back with the full moon out in the sky. On the way, we saw some divine reflections of the moon on the sea as we drove by. It somehow always felt appealing driving in Cornwall, with all its small green hills, dotted with small villages, cows and other farm animals. I think Cornwall is the only warm and idyllic place you can find in the UK. The closest a place here comes to the Spanish or Italian coast.


Day 4 - Trip to Fowey village

Lunch at Fowey Hall Hotel

We had a very lazy day today and took a trip to a nearby village of Fowey which was supposed to be a picturesque Cornish village. It was a 45 mins drive away, and we reached there around lunchtime. We first went into the Fowey Hall hotel, which is built on a hill, with a 180 degree view of the Fowey river in the valley and a fabulous view across the river of Polruan village. It was a sunny and gorgeous day and we had a long lazy lunch, while enjoying the sun and the view.

Walking in the village

Then we walked down to the village, through the main street and spent some time on the waterfront. There were lot of coloured yachts in front and it felt like a bustling village centre. It was full of people walking around without a mask, which felt a bit unsafe. 

To avoid the crowds, we then started walking along the mountain towards the edge of the land, towards the St Catherine's castle. We first stopped at a small beach on the way and then walked in the woods to come to the edge of the land. There wasn't any real castle here, just remains of an old watch tower. But there were lot of impressive views from here, all around of the bay and the two villages. And I loved every minute of the time we spent there.

Panorama of the bay

We were back home early that day and were as usual looking for a place to eat, given most popular places were booked out for dinner as we were booking last minute. So we went out in the evening to our neighbourhood pub, The Halfway House which was the only one open and with available bookings. It was not great at all and the food was also just about okay. But we didn't mind as we got to eat!


Day 5 - Drive back to London, stop at the English Riviera towns

Beach at Torquay

And soon it was time for us to bid goodbye to our vacation. While driving back, we passed by the village of St Germans which was very near our accommodation, and it was a charming little village filled with stone houses and looking very ancient. It is sad we missed exploring it. Then we crossed the Tamar river, on the Plymouth bridge, crossing back into England. After that, most of the drive was through Devon. It wasn't a great day today as the weather was rainy and dark.

Waterfront at Torquay

While driving back, we decided to visit one of the 'English Riviera towns', from Torquay, Brixham, Babbacombe and Paignton. We picked on Torquay and walked around an hour on the waterfront there. We could see the whole bay and a couple of towns all around it. There was a small beach there, but it was not as impressive. 

The place looked just about ok, but not the Riviera I was expecting. When it was sunny, it felt a lot better though. I could also see a lot of old people and yachts all along the bay, so the place was clearly popular. After this stop, we headed back to London. On the way we stopped for lunch at La Champagna, near Buckland St Mary which we liked. There wasn't a lot of traffic today and getting into London was very easy.

And just like that, the trip was over. I loved our time in Cornwall, it turning out way better than I expected. The sun was hot, the waters were warm and I loved the beaches in the coves. And there was a chillness in the air which is very rare in UK. I can see myself going to Cornwall again for sure.

Maps

From London to Lands End

Around Polbathic

Exploring the UK countryside - Walk in Chiltern Hills AONB

This fall, on a surprisingly sunny day in the middle of rainy and cloudy days, me and a friend decided to go on a walk in the UK countryside. It didn't take a lot of planning, as we decided on a walk, downloaded the map, booked a train ticket from Paddington to and from the starting point, and we were set. Except the forecast changed on the last day and it was supposed to be rainy all day. Anyways we still went ahead with the plan and it was a good call. As the day turned out to be extremely warm and sunny - the perfect weather for any walk.

Route map

Our plan was to take a train to Didcot, walk around 16 kms mostly along the Thames in the Chiltern AONB, stop for lunch in the village of Dorchester-on-the-Thames and finish the walk at Cholsey, from where we would take the train back to Paddington. It mostly went as per plan except the walk turned out to be 25 kms long, and our legs had started paining by the end. But it was all worth it, for a day out on a sunny day.

We took the train to Didcot Parkway, and the fast train was about 35 mins or so. We started our walk around 1030 in the morning. The first part of the walk was mostly through the town. The town had a lot of construction going on at a few new developments. It felt like lot of people from London are moving there 😊.

First view of Thames

Then the walk took us through some farms, all of which had already harvested their crops and were empty. We walked over some hills and passed the Wittenham clumps. One hill there apparently has the remains of a Celtic fort on the top, or they say. As there is nothing there now. There was a school picnic going on when we reached there. So we wore our masks and avoided them as we kept walking. And while going down that hill, we got our first view of the Thames. The river wasn't very wide here, meandering lazily among the greens all around, but it did look very enchanting from up top. 

We then walked towards the Dorchester-on-the-Thames village which apparently has its own little history. It was a cute little village and we had lunch at the White Hart hotel. They had outside seating which was helpful given the pandemic. After a long and lazy lunch, we started walking again and kept walking all along the Thames for the next 4 hours till we got to Cholsey.

Most of the path was along the Thames, with some detours far away from it. There were lot of rowing clubs on the banks and students practicing rowing on the river. We passed by some fascinating bridges on the Thames. There were some quaint pubs and cafes on the river in the village of Wallingford. And they were full of people sitting and enjoying the sun outside. It would have been lovely to stop at one of these places and read a book while looking at the waters passing by, but we were trying to reach the end point before dark, so we kept walking on.

There were lot of newly constructed holiday homes all along the Thames. And all along, there were lot of boats moored on the sides, of the rich and famous. And trailer parks full of people who enjoy life on the water. We walked through the Benson lock and saw some boats making their way through the locks which is always fascinating to watch. 

Bridge on the Thames

It was almost a continuous walking path all the way, covered with trees and mostly in the woods. And we saw some early autumn colours at one place. The sky was deep blue and the clouds added to the beauty of the sun. It was a nice sunny walk all day, and got warm during the day too. And there were benches all along to stop and rest, while enjoying the sun. 

Early fall colours

There were lot of people on the walk and most of them were walking their dogs 😊. Tons of people were sitting and fishing on the sides. People were generally more talkative and friendly here. An old man was going for his walk and stopped and talked to us for a bit. It finaly turned out to be a long 25 kms walk, over 5.5 hours. And we loved the whole experience.

At Cholsey Marsh, we turned right and walked towards the town, away from the river. Cholsey felt larger than the previous towns and less cute too. We walked into one pub and they had no food. Then we somehow made it to the next one, the Red Lion which was better and had a dinner menu too! It was cute and had tasty food thankfully. We had a heavy burger dinner and some hot chocolate. They didnt know how to make good chocolate though, clearly no one walks into this pub asking for hot chocolate!!

There were trains coming back to London every hour which was convenient. We got late coming back to London and took the 840 one. The station was empty by then. And the trains were all running empty. It did make me wonder why does the government waste so much money running empty trains?

Anyways I loved this day out in the countryside, and look forward to doing a few more during this lockdown period.

Exploring the UK countryside - Kettlebaston in Suffolk

Our first holiday in 2020 after the lockdown in March was in the UK itself, spent in a gorgeous English country house in Suffolk. Our house was located in the village of Kettlebaston, with the nearest town being Ipswich. To be honest, when we first heard that it was near Ipswich, we had very low hopes of the holiday being an exciting one. Ipswich is one of those British towns which has a poor reputation as a tourist destination among UK towns. In fact, we even started telling our friends we were holidaying in Suffolk, rather than Ipswich, so no one could judge us 😜.

The golden hue of wheat fields

The holiday turned out to be just the opposite of what we expected, though. Given it was the year of Corona, we learnt and started to appreciate how to spend a holiday without visiting touristy places. We spent our time enjoying the simple countryside pleasures of living in a comfortable grand country house and exploring the nearby areas. Which were as fun as any tourist attraction, with the added benefit of being safe as there were no crowds there. It was immensely enjoyable and relaxing by itself, and it did not impact us which was the nearest city at all (even if it was Ipswich!).

Getting there

The village of Kettlebaston where our country house was located is part of Suffolk county and quite close to London. The drive took us about 3 hours to get there, of which 1.5 hours were spent in getting out of London onto the M25. The rest of the drive was through huge fields, some still full and a lot of them already harvested. 

On the way, we saw a few animals like deer, rabbits and foxes, sometimes in the fields and sometimes crossing the road. There weren’t a lot of villages on the way, but the ones we crossed had some picturesque houses. But for us, anything would have looked magnificent. It felt awesome just to get out of London after 4 months of not leaving the city!


About our house, The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory

The country house we were staying in, known around as The Old Rectory, was a welcome surprise. None of us had stayed in such grand houses before and were awed by it. The house was huge and had a long driveway leading up to it through the woods. It used to be run as a B&B earlier but after the lockdown, the owners had converted it into a single family airbnb to enable people to come without fear. There were many rooms in the house but only 6 were available for us for use. It had many living spaces plus outside sitting areas, a huge garden in front with a trampoline, an aga oven (which I had seen for the first time ever) and many other spaces to have a comfortable and luxurious stay.

The gardens of the house were huge, with tennis grounds and a trampoline within its area. One of the days when it was supposed to be raining, we spent most of our time in the home grounds. We jumped for two hours on the trampoline which was pure and simple fun. And some of us made use of the tennis grounds too.

The owners of the house also stayed nearby, shifting to the outhouse when guests were over. They maintained some animals on the grounds, like hens, pigs and lambs. One of the days, we even went to see those animals and see the hen laying eggs. All in all, it felt like a real country houses with a farm-ish feel to it and we loved being there. Eating home cooked everyday in the cosy kitchen or the outdoor eating spaces. And just lazing, without a plan in mind. It was the perfect lockdown de-stresser vacation 😀.


Wheat fields around The Old Rectory

First view of wheat fields

The weather was supposed to be rainy over the 5 days we were there but it turned out to be sunny for most of the parts. The first day turned out to be a sunny and glorious day. Before we had decided the plan for the day, I went for a walk to the wheat fields right next to our grounds. You could just walk past an old abandoned boat next to a pond, cross a bridge on the stream and turn up into wheat fields stretching till where the eyes can see. I didn’t really realise till this trip that wheat farming was also popular in the UK. I walked for an hour or so through the fields, walking through them while touching the golden grains. There was something very uplifting, very freeing about it. It almost felt like being back at my village in Haryana, where we have similar wheat fields. 

The wheat fields

Some of the fields still had green-ish unripe grains, some were ripe and golden, and some had already been harvested. We got a few of the wheat stalks back to our house too, to make paranthe with those 😜. The next day again, we went for a short walk into the fields in the morning and it was as stunning as the first day. And a great location for a photoshoot too. 

The village of Kettlebaston

House in Kettlebaston

One of the evenings, after the rains were gone, I went out for a short walk to our village, Kettlebaston. According to Wiki, it has a population of 30 and I can attest to it. It was very small and lovely. I went on a 1.5 hour walk, through narrow roads and huge fields, crossing some huge picturesque houses nearby, the local church and a few stud farms around. There were some more wheat fields around it which gave some scenic views on the walk. It’s on this walk that I realised that Suffolk could easily be an easy holiday destination for weekends out of London. Maybe for next summer if lockdown doesn’t finish! 

Boating in Dedham AONB and Hadleigh riverside walk

One of the days we visited Dedham AONB, which was about 30 mins drive from our house. The villages on the way were small, and had colourful houses like they have in Italy. The villages weren’t too picturesque but still refreshing. We drove to the boathouse where we sat for some time in the grounds next to the river. We had picnic biryani lunch there as the sun had also come out for a bit.

Boating in Dedham

After that, we did a bit of boating in the river. You can hire rowing boats for £16 per hour there. The boat ride through the narrow river was fun. And quite bumpy too, with people bumping into each other. There were a few children swimming in the river too which felt quite inviting. It felt nice to be there but honestly we were surprised by the number of people around given it was still July and corona hadn't subsided yet. And they were not really maintaining any social distancing. So we decided the rest of the week to not go to any such touristy places and stay near our house only.

While driving back to our house, we stopped at the riverside walk in the village of Hadleigh and walked there along the stream in the woods. It was a nice walk and not many people were there either. The ones who were there weren't following social distancing though. But it still felt safer and less crowded.


Walk to Monks Eleigh and Kersey

Walk through the farms

One of the days, I decided to explore the villages around and went for a walk on the country footpaths, with no real plan or map in hand. I just followed the yellow footpaths, wherever they went and had quite an interesting day. Initially I walked through lots of wheat fields, again burning like gold all around. I walked through farms, farm houses and on random roads. Then I came across fields of ‘fali’. And at some places, there were loads of berries and wild flowers. I tasted some of the blackberries too. And then I walked through huge pea fields. I ate a lot of them too, they were fresh and tasty. But a lot of them were drying without being plucked and I later read that there weren’t enough workers that time to harvest ripe crops.

Views on the walks

Continuing on this walk, I reached a picturesque village Monks Eleigh Tye and kept walking past it. And I was near Swingleton Green when it started raining. I had to stop and wait at the village for the rain to stop. I searched for the nearest pub to sit and wait and found one 10 mins walking from there, Swan Inn in the village of Monks Eleigh. But even to get there, I had to take a lift for the 2 mins drive as the roads were too narrow and dangerous to walk on.

By the time I reached the pub, the sun was out and I sat outside in the sun, reading a book and waiting for my friends to pick me up as it was too long to walk back to my house. I chatted with the locals when I was there. A couple I was chatting with knew the owners, Paddy and Maggie of our airbnb. They talked about Suffolk and how much they loved being there, how it wasn’t well know among people in London and how lot of people from Suffolk commuted for work to London daily. Also apparently, Coronavirus was less here and things were open and safer most of the time. 

Village of Kersey

After my friends picked me up, we drove to the village of Kersey. It was a lovely village with a beautiful church on a hill. We stopped there for a bit and it felt nice to be there. Just being out of London and being able to walk in the open in a village felt like a gift to be valued and enjoyed. After eating a light snack there, we were off back to our house. On the drive back, we saw some stunning sunsets and enjoyed the cool breeze around after a long day. 

Coming back to London

The day we were coming back was quite a dampener. It started raining (finally), so once we checked out we just drove back and were back in London within 2.5 hours. We could have explored some more areas around if it hadn’t been raining but we couldn’t.

We enjoyed our time at the house without really exploring a lot of touristy places around. But there are a few places which are worth a visit in more normal times. Below are a few we read up about but never visited

• Grounds of Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds, 34 mins from KB 
• Lavenham - 15 mins drive from Kettlebaston, with a very pretty 1 hour walk across country footpaths that is generally empty. 
• East Bergholt, known as Constable country is beautiful with a lovely walk along the river Stour 
• The sandy beaches of Frinton, Walton and Felixstowe are just under an hour’s drive away while Aldeburgh, Walberswick and Southwold are near enough for a day’s excursion. 
• Medieval wool towns of Long Melford, Cavendish and Clare