It’s been a year of many miles, and one that has excused to spend the last few months taking a little down time. Of course, training continues and TTH trials and tribulations are still faced, but in terms of battling mountains or conquering canyons we’ve hung up the trail shoes… just for a little while. We’re taking time to indulge in things we wouldn’t normally indulge in, using the extra hours on land to take care of our bodies. Recent travels have been more about time out than timed distance and we’re enjoying the freedom, especially when it involves being a little WILD too! And so here we find ourselves immersed in sun, sea and sand in the gorgeous Mawgan Porth, Cornwall.
We’re on retreat with Wild and Free retreats, set for a weekend of surfing and yoga, in amongst delicious dining and epic views. Set up by Philly Lewis and Alan Stokes, we couldn’t be in better hands for all the weekend has in store, and whilst sat with cosied up with a strong brew in the gorgeous Kitchen at The Park Lodges, we couldn’t be in a better setting to begin sharing it with YOU.
We checked in a day early to our gorgeous Yurts, tucked away in the hills, just a short walk from the beach. We hit the sack early, aware that the next two days were set to be jam packed with activity be it riding the waves, and wobbling through the warrior poses.
As one should on holiday we snoozed through some early alarms before finally rolling out of bed around 8, popping on our favourite lycra and heading seaside for some morning yoga. Accompanied by the sound of crashing waves, the gorgeous Philly Lewis guided us through a challenging Yoga class, whilst Alan grabbed some snaps of our finest downward dog. We can’t promise elegance but we can promise entertainment! After an hour of balancing on the beach we trundled the short few steps up to ‘Catch’, where we’d actually dined the night before and tucked into a well-earned breakfast. There’s nothing quite like bacon and eggs sat below beaming blue skies!
The afternoon had us left to our own devices and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves tucked up in The Park’s Kitchen with a cosy cuppa once again, ready to share the afternoon of sightseeing. We took a short drive to Newquay, wandering in and out of shops, oggling at the windows full’a fudge and eying up a chunky knit or two. After a few hours of window shopping our tummy’s called out for Cornwall’s finest catch, found at Rick Steins seaside restaurant conveniently located a short walk from Newquay centre on Fistral Beach. The restaurant combines a delicious selection of Curry dishes with the freshest fish, either grilled or battered offering a mixture of sides that can be chopped and changed with either option. For starters we shared the chicken skewers, served with peanut satay sauce. For mains we both opted for grilled fish, salmon for H, cod for E with a side of spinach and watercress and a serving of chilli rice noodles. There has never been two happier tummies’! Back to the car we wandered, or rather ambled with no real need to be anywhere for anyone of anything, a luxury often far too quickly dismissed.
Luxury indeed, and early morning extra hours in bed allows for time to reflect on the evening activities and the day ahead. Upon returning to our Yurt, we quickly popped on the gorgeous kit gifted to us from the Animal team and headed for an hour of Yin Yoga on the decking. Absolute bliss! Guided by the gorgeous Philly, we were lead through an hour of deep stretching before finishing with a brief meditation. It’s not often we take the time to give back to our bodies in quite this way, but it’s certainly something we’ll be doing more often. And if we could repeat what followed this everyday too that would be ideal! A delicious dinner courtesy of the The Park’s Kitchen. Grilled chicken, on a bed of rocket for H and catch of the day for E! Beautifully relaxed and full of wholesome and delicious foods, we slept like babies ready for a full day of Wild and Free Activities. The hours ahead were set to be packed with some more ‘powerful’ yoga and an afternoon catching some waves. On that note we’ll catch you in a bit…
The day flew by! Thanks to classic British weather we were forced to yoga in the yurts, not that any of us had any obligations to spending more time in these cosy communes. Philly challenged us with more advanced poses, encouraging us to try new ways of lengthening the body and relieve the tight muscles. This was well rewarded with a delicious breakfast at the The Parks Kitchen consisting of perfectly poached eggs and crunchy chorizo. Once again the chefs at our favourite foodie spot outdid themselves, offering up the ultimate surfing fuel to keep us coasting the waves!
After a quick ‘on land’ induction we soon found ourselves wobbling through, and occasionally riding the waves Mawgun Porth offered. The incredible team at Kings Surf school, coached us through with a little help from the Wild and free pro Alan. Their ability to stay both calm and cool was quite the miracle, especially when inundated with ‘Can you GoPro’ this requests! Must be that surfers charm right? It’s not easy to catch a good clip when your skills are similar to that of a giraffe on stilts. You will however, be glad to know we eventually got one! (Head to our Youtube to spot it!)
Upon exhausting our endless stand up attempts we whipped off the wetsuits and headed back to the Parks Kitchen for a farewell lunch. Tea flowed, and excitement bubbled as we gossiped over the gorgeous weekend spent in the most wonderful company, and so here we find ourselves on our long drive home. This weekend was an eye opener, not just in terms of the new skills learned and the new friends made. We came to realise that the stress we often cause is a consequence of our own nature, and actually if we just take a deep breath and remind ourselves we’re Wild and Free it can be quite quickly resolved!
Thank you Philly and Alan for a weekend we’ll never forget, and we cannot wait to join you once again somewhere a little warmer very soon!
TTH x
