A Few Lazy days in Looe

Packed up in record-breaking time, I think the arrival of the heatwave spurred us on a little. The drive in, with the air con blasting, was very welcome as the car dashboard proudly displayed 31°C before lunchtime.

Arriving on site, we’re waved through by a warden brandishing a clipboard. There’s a steady stream of arrivals behind us and they obviously want to keep the road clear.

Once again, we opt for a grass pitch as the weather is glorious. We choose a lovely sunny spot that he manages to reverse onto with ease. Legs down, electric hooked up, and then we realise it’s too sunny. We’d bake alive without any shade.

Legs back up, electric unplugged, hitched back onto the car, and across the road we go towards the biggest tree on site.

What I should mention here is that only a couple of days into this trip the remote for our motor mover decided to stop working. No amount of new batteries or vigorous shaking would bring it back to life. Popping it in a box and letting Postman Pat whisk it away for repair meant we’d be without a motor mover for the rest of the trip. Pushing and shoving a caravan around in this heat wasn’t quite what we’d signed up for. The outcome? We looked like complete amateur campers to anyone watching our pitching shenanigans trying to compete with the heat, reversing up a fairly steep slope trying to align the wheel lock with fully extended legs balanced on two blocks of wood each side and the caravan’s bum an inch from the ground. The Boss said he had never been so discombobulated and blamed the heat … and being busting for a wee.

Quietly settled on our new pitch, Oscar, blissfully oblivious to the stress and the entertainment we’d no doubt provided for our neighbours, casts a disgruntled glance towards his original pitch, now bathed in sunshine, before settling into the cooler shade looking ever so slightly offended.

I wander back to reception to let them know we’ve changed pitches. While I’m there, I buy us a Magnum each and hurry back before they melt .. (edit .. The Boss “Not fast enough”)

Back at the caravan, I discover I’ve lost the barrier fob.

Out into the blazing sunshine I trudge again, searching for the fob I’d obviously dropped somewhere along the way. I eventually find it almost back outside reception, lying patiently on the ground waiting for me.

By now I’m beyond hot. My brain isn’t functioning properly. Although, if I’m honest, I’m not entirely convinced it ever has.

We don our swimming costumes and head to the pool. Just looking at the water feels cooling, but actually getting in is heavenly. A few lengths are swum before we spend the rest of the time simply bobbing around, reluctant to get out. It’s little moments like this that make everything seem better.

Unfortunately, our run of bad luck wasn’t over.

We return from Morrisons, having parted with an arm and a leg for two bags of groceries, only to discover the fridge freezer has defrosted and the kettle has decided it’s no longer interested in making tea.

All this just before England are due to kick off.

After a brief investigation, I conclude the fridge could be suffering because of the heat, because we’re not level, or because I’d completely forgotten to switch it onto the battery while we moved pitches. Fortunately, despite being on one of the most sloping pitches on site during one of the hottest days of the year, it turns out the culprit is me. I’d failed to put it on battery for the time we were unhooked, within a short while the reassuring chill returns and all is well with the world.

Well… almost.

Despite fitting a new fuse, the kettle refuses to play ball, so it’s back to boiling the old camping kettle on the hob.

The heatwave takes its toll on our energy and on day-to-day life. We spend our days hiding beneath the branches of our tree or cooling off in the site’s swimming pool, with every window open, every blind closed and every fan we own working overtime. Meanwhile, Oscar curls up in the shade of his pen and sleeps through it all like he’s paying no attention whatsoever.

We choose to venture out in the evenings when it’s at least a fraction cooler.

Trips into Looe and Polperro offer two very different experiences.

Looe is bustling. Although many of the shops have closed for the day, the bars and restaurants are doing a roaring trade. We wander down to the beach and are surprised to find it still packed at 8.30pm. Families, groups of teenagers and older couples all trying to cool down with an ice lolly from the Co-op.

We spend a while watching a man carrying water over to a couple of young seagulls that have fledged but haven’t quite mastered flying yet. Their mum sits nearby, watching every move with one eye firmly on him, ready to intervene if necessary.

Polperro couldn’t feel more different. Although we needed to sit awhile while he recovered from the minimum £7 car park charge (welcome to Cornwall)

Trying to decide whether we’ve been here before, we eventually conclude that we both have… just not together. We must both have visited on family holidays as children.

The lack of traffic makes the whole experience far more enjoyable. Wandering through the winding little streets, barely wide enough for a horse and cart, it’s easy to imagine what life must have been like here a hundred years ago.

It’s slightly saddening to see that almost every cottage now proudly displays a holiday let plaque. What must once have been one of the most idyllic places to live has largely been given over to tourism.

With its tiny harbour, beautiful beach and steep streets tumbling down towards the sea, this is the Cornwall I remember from my childhood. Being dragged around places like this by Dad while he pointed out every interesting detail, as Mum stood facing the sun, soaking up every last drop of vitamin D… and what she always called “vitamin Sea.”

Our final evening has us wondering where to go, when, as we eat, the sky in the distance begins to darken. Despite the oppressive heat, a breeze finally picks up.

It smells like rain.

Distant rumbles suggest a thunderstorm is on its way.

Gathering up everything from outside and throwing it hastily into the caravan, we just make it indoors as the first enormous drops of rain splatter onto the roof. Skylights closed, despite the lingering heat, the fan goes on and we settle back to enjoy nature’s spectacular light show.

Who needs a television?

Secretly, we’re hoping the storm might finally knock a few degrees off the temperature.

Packing-up day arrives after three nights. The morning starts pleasantly cool, but by 10am the temperatures are climbing once again. Throwing things into bags for life with all the elegance of contestants on a game show, and already leaving little puddles of sweat wherever we stand, we’re eventually packed, hitched up and ready to head off on the next leg of our journey.

Looe CAMC Club Campsite is perfect for families, with its swimming pool, mini golf, basketball court, tennis courts and playground. We were incredibly grateful for our grass pitch beneath a huge tree, although the grass pitches do seem to be on the sloping side. Next time we’d probably choose a hardstanding pitch, as they looked much flatter.

Any grumbles? WiFi is very much hit and miss at the site dropping in and out constantly. Too many dog owners are consistent with other sites we’ve stayed on, allowing non stop barking, free roaming, not cleaning up. Nothing wrong with dogs in any of those scenarios, just the owners.

Whatever you choose, if there’s a heatwave forecast, don’t forget your swimming costume. Trust me, that pool could just save your sanity.