Our journey to Cornwall took us near the Eden Project so we decided to go and check out this world famous attraction. But so had thousands of others! The closest carpark we could find was about half a kilometre away, and when we reached the ticket office we found that conservation doesn't come cheap (47 pounds for both of us)! Our Eden experience wasn't off to the greatest start!!

Once through the gates we could look down to the great plastic bubbles nestling in the valley which house plants from warmer climates, while on the slopes below us grew more familiar species. These were arranged in carefully thought out beds, for example one section was devoted to medicinal plant varieties such as echinacea, poppies, and St John's Wart. Another section contained all kinds of berries, and there was also a bed dedicated to the many varieties of dahlia!

Keen to escape the chilly breeze, we entered the bubble-domed area holding the tropical rainforest plant species. As we expected, it was hot and humid inside and here too the plantings had been cleverly arranged with areas relating to particular parts of the world, as well as groups of plants which have particular significance to our lives - rubber trees, coffee, cocoa, a rice paddy, nuts, bananas, spices such as cinnamon, sugar cane, and more. Next door was the bubble-dome of Mediterranean plants, again many of them were food related - wheat, barley, grapes, citrus fruit, olives, tomatoes, and a row of chilli plants ranging from least spicy to hottest chilli pepper in the world!

We continued down the Cornish peninsula to Penzance, where we found our seafront b & b. Our hostess Sophia greeted us warmly and made us coffee while we settled into our pretty pale blue room with sea views out the big bay window. Sitting on the window seat, coffee in hand, I could watch the goings on along the promenade. The weather had cleared up from the chill and drizzle of the morning and the sea was calm. Now that we are getting used the almost daily dose of rain (it has been Britain's wettest summer in a century), we appreciate the sun when it does reveal itself! We bought fish, chips, and scallops from the next door fish and chip shop and sat with them on the Promenade trying not to attract the attention of hungry seagulls!

Sophia cooked up a terrific breakfast for Dale the next morning, while I blissfully enjoyed a bowl of fresh fruit salad with Greek yoghurt and honey. Contentedly we set off on our coastal drive towards St Ives (yet another nursery rhyme destination!). Much of the scenery reminded us of theSouth Island's West Coast - rugged coast line, dramatic rock formations, and every now and then old mines cropped up amidst the farmland. The contrast between the tranquil countryside and the beach town of St Ives, heaving with people, could not have been greater. Crowds of people flocked to the beach and cars clogged up the intersections. Horrified, we did not stop but continued to the much quieter village of St Agnes. The village itself was strung with coloured jubilee flags and consisted of a handful of shops, a church, a bakery, a cafe, a post office, and a pub. We walked through the village and down to the beach - a quiet sandy cove only moderately busy and overlooked by steep hills and a stone surf lifesavers club. As we sat on a bench watching the surf school underway, a double propellered Chinook helicopter came thocking overhead!

On the road leading down to the beach were cute thatched cottages with flower filled gardens and another whitewashed pub. I was so charmed by the village, we stayed for lunch at a garden cafe serving freshly made salads and smoothies.

Our next stop was Rattler Cornish Cider Farm. The hour long tour took us through the process of cider making, and our guide Betsy showed us around the cider museum - giving us grisly details of cider's history, for example donkey dung used to be added to the apple pulp so the bacteria would help the fermentation process! Also, as technology improved from stone apple presses to wooden apple presses, lead lined trays were used to collect the apple juice to prevent the juice from soaking into the wood (which had the unforeseen consequence of lead poisoning!)

At the conclusion of the tour we had the opportunity to sample all the various ciders and fruit wines produced on the farm. (A little girl said loudly "yum my favourite" when the first bottle was shown to us, much to her father's embarrassment!) Some of the ciders have been fermented in Scottish whiskey barrels or rum barrels, which gives the cider a noticeable whiskey or rum taste (and an 8% alcohol content)! We also had the chance to go through the orchard on the back of a trailer pulled by a tractor!

The cider farm also has a kitchen where it produces its own jams and chutneys. Some of the flavour combinations were unexpectedly good, such as strawberry-chilli and marmelade-whiskey. At last we had our much anticipated cream tea experience, sitting in the garden with a pot of tea fresh scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream - amazing!