The night before the defining moment of the Cornish Tick 2022, and I decided I’d better spend it in a hotel rather than the campervan, as I wouldn’t want my fellow travellers to the poshest place in the UK complaining about the smell.
Cornwall in mid-July isn’t the best place to look for B & B bargains, particularly 6 miles from St Ives,
but St Erth‘s unpretentious Star had a reasonable single room and a chance to assess Cornish life outside the good book.
St Erth is quaint and has wobbly streets,
the Star looks a bit “busy”.
Generally, never trust a pub with a chef in whites model outside. Ask BRAPA.
And I really, really struggled to find my room, named after Captain out of Captain & Tennile.
Covid hit Cornwall and Devon hard in 2020, and I wasn’t sure whether these instructions were a relic from those days or for real.
So I did what it said in the morning, the first time I’ve stripped a hotel bed since using the Stow-on-the-Wold Youth Hostel in 2006.
That aside, this was a 5 star Star.
The landlord was young and cheery, magicking up a car parking space for me and enthusing about the Cornish Blue pizza.
The decor was a bit cluttered, but homely and cosy.
The rarely seen Doom Bar was cool and tasty, an effortless NBSS 3.5.
And for company I had a driver who’d just travelled from the Welsh Valleys to deepest Kent and now to Cornwall. Rather like me. We compared notes on various A roads till the pizza arrived, and pretended not to sing along to the little band playing in the corner.
And then had that Cornish Blue pizza recommended to lone travellers by our Gunor.
I conservatively estimate 1,823 calories, and would have finished off the third left by my fellow traveller except for Covid risks.
Blimey I slept well, ahead of the ordeals ahead…
retiredmartin 
That pizza looks fantastic ! We have been through St Erth many times (we may have walked fromSt Ives once ) but don’t really “know ” it .I have enjoyed reading your Cornwall posts -my lads inlaws live in St Just so he gets to go more often than we do -grr !
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I’m glad the photo captures something of how good it was, Pauline. Cornish blue cheese, caramelised onions, doughy pizza base. Worth a trip down to Cornwall on its own.
Must say I loved visiting Cornwall in July, just before schools break up, but it was a bit of a whirlwind visit so it’s more pics of pubs than beaches.
I really loved St Just.
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I’ve just been looking at property to buy in St Just -could get a cottage & have money in the bank -on the other hand it is so far away & winter can be pretty grim down there -can but dream !
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I was under the impression that winters were nice and mild in Cornwall. Not true?
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You beat me to it, Dave. I guess what Pauline really means is she’d miss the scenic beauty of Maidstone town centre. (You have been to Maidstone, I take it ?).
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From what I’ve read I shouldn’t go there so I haven’t. Can’t remember where I read about it though.
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It must be a blessed relief to finally get that video uploaded so you can delete it from your phone. Or have I misjudged this…
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Truth.
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“Stow-on-the-Wold Youth Hostel in 2006” – I’ve had two nights there, in 1982 and 2014, ideal for the Queens Head opposite.
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Yes, and I quite enjoyed the Donnington beers that night to be fair.
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