10 Things We've Only Learnt About Cornwall Recently
Moving to Cornwall was a lifelong dream and now that we’re here we love it!
But, despite having holidayed here for half a century (!), there are a few things we’ve only learnt about this wonderful county since we arrived in January 2017.
So, to celebrate the 6th anniversary of our arrival, we thought we’d share with you 10 fun facts about Cornwall…
1 – Pasties Are A Staple Food
When we were tourists ourselves, sitting on the harbour tucking into a delicious pasty whilst watching the world go by, we thought perhaps this was something only visitors to Cornwall did. But we were wrong. The humble pasty is indeed the staple food of Cornwall, enjoyed regularly by all. And with good reason – they’re lush.
2 – It’s The Warmest Part of the UK
Cornwall is around 4 – 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the UK. Ironically perhaps, it’s also the county with the most bobble hats.
3 – But It Snows
When we moved here we were reliably informed it never snows. It does though. Not much and not for long, maybe 4 or 5 times since we’ve been here and for a few hours at most. But snow it does, and it brings much excitement (and chaos) with it.
4 – There Are 10 Times More Visitors Than Locals
Speaking of tourists, whilst Cornwall has only 500,000 inhabitants, it receives around 5,000,000 visitors over the summer season. And who can blame them? It’s the best place on earth.
5 – It Has The Longest Coastline in England
That’s 433 miles of glorious seaside to explore, from the rugged Atlantic north coast famed for its surfing to the gentler south coast perfectly suited to sailing.
6 – It’s Fantastic For Dogs
There are around 400 beaches in Cornwall, at least 338 of which are dog-friendly all year round. Dogs are welcome in a surprising number of places and our own Lucky James MacDougal III can testify that business owners are generally very generous with their dog biscuits. And, in every town and village you visit, you’ll find your route lined with bowls of water.
7 – Everywhere’s Upcountry
Moved to Aberdeen? E’s gone upcountry. Visiting Exeter? Gone upcountry.
8 – There Are A Lot Of Cows
75,000 apparently. Which would explain the clotted cream and pasties. And indeed the clotted cream IN pasties (makes the gravy extra luscious don’t you know).
9 – We Have Longer Evenings
The sun sets later in Cornwall. A whole 30 minutes later than in Norwich. Which means longer barbecues and more time on the beach.
10 – There Be Sharks
Magnificent 12 metre long basking sharks to be precise. A spectacular sight in the summer months if you’re lucky. Don’t worry though, they only eat plankton.
