Looe has seen the newly instigated Food Festival come and go. Some interesting stalls took part and also a cooking demonstration took place outside The Catch. A good start and hopefully will be built on over the coming years.
The Looe Weekender has also been and gone with a great weekend of live music throughout the town taking place, however, Looe was dealt some sad news more recently as Ruth, “The” Fiddle player has passed away suddenly. If you have been to Looe on a Sunday, you will have seen her playing along side Tosh or more recently with Tom from Black Friday, in The Fishermans Arms. What a talent she had and this lovely lady will be so sadly missed by locals and visitors alike.
Fame at last, as I was quoted in The Telegraph regarding Cornwall Council selling The Lifeboat Cottages in West Looe to Looe Trust so they can be renovated and set aside for social housing. This has to be a good thing as there are far too many second homes or Air B&B’s here. Local people need somewhere to live.
Tuna fishing season is here and we have had a returning fisherman stay again. Not successful this time but his enthusiasm has not been dampened. There have been numerous reports of Tuna in our waters and numbers seem to be increasing and some fish have been spotted just out past the island. The rules have changed, slightly, and some licensed boats are allowed to land and keep the fish, the first one has already appeared on the slab of a local fishmonger. Hopefully this will bring more people into the town at this end of the year.
Looe has seen flooding once again with the water topping the quayside on four consecutive days and there may be more to follow when storm Ciaran hits us. However, the town is resilient and a swift clean up takes place each time we are hit. Most of the shops, bars and restaurants will be open for business as will we at Schooner Point Guest House.
The rock n roll t shirt slot is nearing the end as I have almost run out of them, however, this time I am featuring a new Keith Moon one. A double image of The Who’s drummer extraordinaire, for me he really was the man.
The answer to the last trivia question, who is Marvin Lee Aday better known as is Meat Loaf. Apparently, his father was a big fan of Lee Marvin. This time can you name the rock n roll icon that sings backing vocals on Carly Simons hit You’re So Vain.
Filming has started for the Christmas special of Beyond Paradise. The Christmas Tree and market were somewhat better than we actually get here in Looe, which seems a bit of a shame. It was odd to see people walking around the promenade with Christmas hats and sweaters in August but hey, that’s television I guess.
The Looe Weekender is just round the corner, 15th.-17th. September. Schooner Point Guest House has some accommodation availability due to cancellations so if you want to be part of this music extravaganza check out our web site, ww.schoonerpointlooe.co.uk and book direct for the best price. Why not come and check out Mrs. B&B’s breakfast specials, these are going down a treat with guests at the moment. The weather forecast is getting better for this weekend so you could while away some time on the decking before going out to see the bands. Most pubs and even some cafes are getting in the groove with live music all weekend. See the Welcome To Looe & Polperro Facebook page for all the details.
Looe is holding a food fair the weekend before the music festival and we are hoping this is successful and becomes a regular event in the town. We do not know what to expect as it has not happened in our time in Looe before.
Mrs.B&B and I were treated to another meal out for a belated birthday celebration and we returned to 50. A very nice meal was had and a great evening spent with good friends. It was after this we experienced Christmas in August, odd.
Todays t shirt is a new Rolling Stones one, just the Lips and Tongue, classic. The answer to the last pop trivia question, where was Justin Hayward born, is Swindon, our home town. This time round who is Marvin Lee Aday better known as?
It is with great pride that I can say here, that Looe mens Pilot Gig Rowing team have again returned from The Scillies as world champions. I am amazed that there seems to be so little in the way of recognition from the town for this amazing feat. Well done guys. Looe will stage a Rowing Regatta on Saturday 17th. June, to be held in the bay.
Last weekend saw The Looe Raft Race, such a wonderful spectacle out on the water. All manner of craft left the beach, headed around The Bango Pier and along to the bridge, returning to The Life Boat Station. Personally, I think this is one of the highlights of the events calendar and the adults race was won by “The Pink Pirates”, well done guys. The Polperro Festival gets underway on 17th. June and runs until Sunday 25th. If you are in the area make sure to pop down.
Mrs. B&B and I have been out and about again. We visited Lostfest for a day of music and street food, such a wonderful, colourful day in the beautiful village of Lostwithiel. Then we recommenced our walking trips, firstly to Blisland, on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. Blisland is such a beautiful old style Cornish Village. The walk took us through the church yard and then on a circular walk through the woodland and back to the village. The church is unremarkable from the outside but an absolute gem inside. Our second walk was around Crantock and along The Gannel. The day was so warm and bright and it was like being in The Mediterranean. We had a close encounter with a dozen young weasels on the way, one of which actually ran over Mrs.B&B’s foot. Further along we had to cross a field with a fully grown bull in, this was a little bit concerning but to be fair he showed little interest in us. After we got back to the car we drove over to see the poppy fields at West Pentire. If you have not seen this it is well worth a visit.
The answer to the previous pop trivia question was of course Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, a.k.a. The Glimmer Twins. This time round can you name The Jam’s debut single and album. The shirt this time is another Rolling Stones one, Sticky Fingers depicting a can of black treacle with dripping fingers.
I would like to thank Mrs. B&B for making my birthday special. We had a fabulous meal at The Gurnards Head near Zennor down “the bottom end”. What a beautiful experience the staff, the meal and the company was wonderful. We had a few drinks in Penzance during the evening and went to Lands End the following day, the first time I have actually been there for over 35 years. On the way home we had to call into Philps at Hayle to pick up a special surprise. A 2.2lb Cornish Pasty with my name on it, wow! If you have seen the pictures Mrs. B&B posted you will know what I mean.
Still on the birthday topic Mrs.B&B has her own day coming up shortly and plans are in place to make it a memorable time. More of that another time but we are looking forward to seeing friends to celebrate with. We can’t wait to catch up with Sue and Phil at The Sardine Factory and then Sue and Pete will be staying with us and we are trying a new restaurant to Looe, with them, called 50. There is some sad news on the restaurant front and that is that Little Barn, damaged during the fire at The Coddy Shack will not re-open this year. We wish them all the best and will go back in the New Year.
We have managed another day out, just don’t know how we do it. This time The National Trust’s Buckland Abbey was our venue, near Yelverton. What a great place to visit, the tithe barn, house and gardens were really worth a look. However, the star of the show was the Rembrandt self-portrait, truly amazing. This day out is within easy reach of Looe.
The garden at Schooner Point Guest House was heard to sigh with relief when we finally had rain, nearly 5 weeks without took a toll on the new planting in the terraces. Hopefully most plants will recover.
Looe stages its Carnival week, starting on 31st. July and The Great Duck Race on the 20th. August, so why not come down and stay with us. Don’t forget to book direct for best price. While here why not try one of the many boat trips available from the quay side and get your fill of pasties and cream teas from the many eateries here.
This months t shirt is a an old Jimi Hendrix one and the answer to the last question was In The City being The Jams debut single and album. This time can you name the town where The Moody Blues Justin Hayward was born.
I would just like to offer our best wishes to all the Looe Pilot Gig Boat teams going out to the World Championships in The Isles of Scilly this weekend. Hopefully our teams will come back World Champions, as the men’s first boat did last year. All the best guys and go well.
May see’s the return of The Looe Lugger Regatta. The weekend of 18th. – 21st. will see a flotilla of Luggers, a local working boat of yester year, come into the quay side and compete in competition in the bay. This is a real site to behold and no doubt there will be music and singing on the quayside and in all the local bars. Why not come down and see the spectacle.
The last in the first series of Beyond Paradise has now aired and during this episode Schooner Point Guest House could be seen again. It has now been confirmed that a second series has been agreed and a Christmas Special is also being planned. The town will take it all in it’s stride when the film crews descend. Watch this space.
Looe is looking forward to a number of new restaurants opening in the town. A gourmet burger bar is due to occupy what used to be Dave’s Diner, I believe it will be called Smashed. A Greek style restaurant is due to take over the Plough On The Quay building and Dunk is preparing to open and the building, on the edge of The Rose Garden, is currently being given a lick of paint in preparation for opening. The Looe Land Train is now in operation. This offers a service to transport people to and from Mill Point Car Park, the town, beach and up to Hannafore.
Mrs. B&B’s specials are now available to order. We have the usual salmon, avocado, eggs and baby tomatoes but we now also offer salmon, muffins and hollandaise sauce, Marmite crumpets with poached eggs and last, but not least, pancakes with streaky bacon and maple syrup. Why not book in and try some but don’t forget to book direct for best price.
Mrs. B&B has now taken up her knitting needles after 25 or more years. She was asked to knit a mascot for our friends at the Somerset Blood Bikes Charity. “Bear” is currently wending his way to them and should soon be attending all their charity events, keep an eye out for him if you see them.
On a more personal note, Mrs. B&B and I celebrated 21 years together since our last blog post. Thank you, sweetheart and here’s to the next chapter. As is our way Schooner Point Guest House will be celebrating The Kings Coronation and we will be bedecking the house with flags and bunting inside and out. We will also be celebrating with friends by having an alfresco paella and drinks. God Save The King.
Todays t shirt is one from The Jam. White image of the guys with each signature showing on a blue background. Which leads me into the pop trivia question. Who are “The Glimmer Twins” better known as? The answer to the previous question, what were my eyes stabbed by, is “by the flash of a neon light”. Such a great song by a great duo.
1 Trelawney Terrace, Polperro Rd, Looe PL13 2AG
01503 262670
enquiries@schoonerpointlooe.co.uk
