Notes from a small county: My first visit to Helston

My march around the county continued this weekend with a wonderfully relaxed visit to Helston and Porthlevan.   Much as with my stop off in Wadebridge last week, I was pleasantly surprised at the character of the town.

Getting Lost

Admittedly, my trip didn’t begin so well.  Coming off the A30, I had no idea quite how far Helston was from Cornwall’s main through-road!  With the epic distance covered, it dawned upon me that I had absolutely no idea where I was going.  As it came to pass, I only became lost once (quite a good figure by my standards) and my muttered expletives melted away when arriving at the car park, where an extremely kind resident spotted my anguish, and gave me her ticket.   Nice to know that Helston-people are good people.

Hairdressers

Your town centre seems to have a lot of hairdressers.  Don’t get me wrong, this is no bad thing, (but much like St Austell’s love of phone shops), the ratio was just a little surprising.  As it happened, I rather enjoyed shopping in the town.  Although my partner was short of clothes shops, the main street was very nice - and had the biggest Barclays bank I had ever seen!  Aware of the car park time limt, it was a speedy run through, which forced me to miss the Factory Warehouse....and nearly walk onto the bowls gree. 

Swan Lake

Although the intricate ballet may have been kept to a minimum, this was perhaps my favourite part of the town.  We got a drink at the little cafe (can someone please remind me of the name?!) and spent 90 minutes just sitting, chatting and watching the world go by.  The experience was marred only by two little boys who found it very funny to throw rubbish in the pond, while their parents watched on.  Although no-one said anything to this group, it was nice that several people took it upon themselves to retrieve the plastic from the lake after they had moved on – Helston people take pride in their town, it would seem.

(Out of interest, what is that area like at night?  With the skate park, playground and incredibly tempting boats, I fear that it might become a hang-out for drunken young people).

Porthlevan

Having travelled this far west; my partner insisted we drive on for a few more miles and stop off in Porthlevan.  As a terribly grumpy man at heart, I offered some futile objections – which I am pleased to say were ignored.  After another minor ‘detour’, we took a walk along the harbour, spent twenty minutes trying to find a decent shell on the beach and stopped off for a bite to eat in The Harbour Inn (check out the review for my opinion on the garlic bread).

Six hours after arriving, we left the Helston area, but were treated to one last treat before getting too far; The Original Factory Warehouse.  A silly name for a great store, I hope you people realise how lucky you are!

Have your say.

Is there anything I missed during my time in Helston? Does anybody else’s experiences of the town reflect my own?  What is the name of that lakeside cafe?  What is it like at night?