16. Penzance, Cornwall, UK

 Penzance reminds me of how you don't necessarily need good weather to enjoy a holiday (which is just as well if you're trying to holiday in the UK.)My husband and I had a holiday in a caravan close to Penzance in 1991, just before we were married.  As you may have guessed from my intro - it was windy, chilly and/or rainy every single day!When I'd booked the caravan, I'd gone for one that allowed dogs in order to save a bit of money as we had our wedding coming up.  We discovered that the caravans that allowed dogs were cheaper for two reasons: 1.  They were old2.  They smelt of dog. Well, you live and learn! Here's Barry looking thrilled to be in a manky, dog-smelly caravan on a chilly, rainy day in Penzance:  

You can see how salubrious the caravan was!

HOWEVER, it was one of the best holidays we've had!  Maybe it was the excitement of our wedding looming, snuggling up in bed with the wind and rain lashing outside, or maybe it was just the wild beauty of Cornwall.  I came home with lovely tanned legs from stubbornly wearing shorts whatever the weather (wind-burn mostly!) and I still think back to the (whiffy) cosiness of that van with fond nostalgia.  We were a few miles out of Penzance where the terrain was windswept fields and winding lanes.  There was a pub about half a mile up the road and Barry delighted in disappearing into fields and howling like a werewolf to freak me out every time we walked there through the inky blackness of those cloudy Cornish evenings. (And, yes, every time I freaked out!) We climbed rocky outcrops, sat on beaches in our thick, Aran sweaters and just enjoyed being together (with the exception of one hushed but stressful row in a Penzance restaurant - all his fault, naturally.)

Here's me at Penzance - note the wind-swept hair and the wooly cardi!

And here's Penzance on a much better, picture-postcard day (not during our holiday!)


Did you ever end up really enjoying a holiday even though it didn't initially live up to your expectations?