Our Week in Cornwall - Part One, The Herringbone.

January 10, 2017


Last week Ben and I took off for Cornwall. It's become an annual fling for us now in January, the very first week after all the Christmas festivities to escape somewhere in the UK to start the year off. It's a special time and helps to sets the scene for January which can be so bleak after all the fun of Christmas. We like to choose a cosy cottage which has to have a log burner and we go with the expectation of bad weather so as not to be disappointed. It is mid-winter after all. In the past we've gone to the Lake District {here}, Norfolk {here} and last year was The Cotswolds {here}. This year, Cornwall beckoned and where better to look than Unique Home Stays for somewhere beautiful {and trusted} to stay. I don't know about you but I often find myself browsing their website just for the interior inspiration, the properties they have on their books are so so dreamy and this one was no exception. 

We actually split our stay into two different cottages last week which was great to explore different areas as well as make the whole stay feel so much longer. We started with The Herringbone, a stylish nautical inspired loft in the prettiest little fishing village called Mousehole. In fact it's not just any pretty village, Dylan Thomas called it the prettiest village in the whole of England!


With a long drive down from Hertfordshire, we left early last Wednesday and headed to St Ives an old favourite of ours for lunch and a wander. We then stopped at a supermarket to pick up supplies before we could check in to The Herringbone. Photos of that in part two of this post, for now I just want to capture and swoon over this cottage. St Ives is just a twenty minute drive from Mousehole {pronounced mouzall} and both are true Cornwall at it's very best, almost as far down the coast as you can get. 


We knew that the Herringbone was right on the harbour, as close to the water as you can get without getting wet, but when you book somewhere you don't appreciate just how special it is until you arrive. Literally a stone's throw from all the boats piled up was a hidden passage to access the old fishing net lofts, with a lighthouse nautical door knocker nonetheless. 


We stepped in and instantly fell in love. It was just my style, all grey white and panelled with some serious eye for detail. It was so perfect for the setting with the old coastal maps and vintage cute little Cornish books dotted around. It was small but perfect for a cosy stay for the two of us. 






The best bit was that view from both the bedroom and the lounge, right on top of the harbour. At this time of year it was full of Christmas lights. Mousehole has a famous, and impressive, display every Christmas so we caught the last couple of days of it. Being mid-winter there weren't many boats in the water but in the Spring and Summer this place will really come alive. We've visited a few times before, normally in September and when the sun shines, there's really nowhere else in the world you'd rather be.   





You can watch the boats bobbing around from bed which is such a treat and we took full advantage by having breakfast in bed both mornings. H E A V E N. 





There was a small bathroom off the bedroom with quirky copper pipes the owner had fitted for a towel rail and sink base. The whole loft was super pinterest worthy. 



It felt like a boutique hotel, with the added bonus of more space and the option to cook, with plush gowns to put on {which I will always make use of when away, it isn't a holiday unless you're relaxing in a nice gown right?!} and the comfiest bed in the world. With Unique Home Stays you'll get greeted with a gourmet welcome hamper to start you off along with a digital house guide with recommendations of places to go {more on this in part two}.  


With our stay being just a couple of days, and the weather being pretty grey outside, we wanted to stay in as much as possible to make the most of the gorgeous space. We explored Mousehole and did a couple of walks nearby but it was also a nice excuse to just do nothing for a while. The cottage had a smart TV with Netflix which is always a plus in our book. We watched back to back episodes of the Shooter {and got instantly hooked}. 






The living area was light and airy even on a grey day, one of the reasons why it had been used as an art studio before it converted. It was somewhere you could just imagine yourself living in, there were a lot of ideas to take away with us for our house renovations. Ben particularly liked the built in window seats that then create storage for a hidden cupboard to hide the TV in. 





I spent ages ogling at all the little details, trying to decide if I could sneak that black and white palm print home with me {just kidding}. 










The kitchen, whilst small, was such a great use of space and we found it the biggest luxury after having ours at home knocked down back at the start of December! I also love it when Ben and I are away somewhere and we have time to cook together.




THESE open shelving with the gold brackets are definitely being added to my kitchen Pinterest board.




We ate out one night and cooked in the next, a delicious roast chicken dinner which we ate next to the fire. 



For us it was pretty much a perfect night in. Who wants to be wild out partying when you could be cosy in a beautiful cottage haha. The only thing missing was dessert, I'm trying to curb my sweet tooth with a January detox sob. 



With the fire roaring and those beautiful old cast iron radiators on we were toasty. 



The harbour lights got lit at dark and it was magical to see them from our window. 



Such a pretty display reflected on the water. Of course, I imagine in the summer it would be a different kind of magic, you'd have the windows wide open until sunset, watching the boats bobbing around with a glass of wine. 



I'll share more about how we spent our days in Cornwall in part two. 


R <3 xx 

{I was a guest of Unique Home Stays but as always I would never promote anywhere that I didn't truly love. I've been using UHS for years}

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2 comments

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  2. hi Rebecca I really enjoyed your post. I've been lusting after this property, and the other one in mousehole with the same owner. He is a serial renovator and his properties often pop up in magazines, and they are all gorgeous . His style really influenced the way I've decorated my own holiday cottage, so it was lovely to see your real pictures and hear that it was as lovely as it looks! Lisa x

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