Why life is so much easier in the country...

There is something magical about Cornwall and the Cornish way of life. Last week I got to experience it first-hand while at The Newquay Voice on a weeks work placement.

Staying just outside Newquay in Holywell Bay, I had a great week away and have now realised just how stressful living in a city is.

In Cornwall there were hardly any cars on the roads and the 6-mile drive took exactly fifteen minutes. Parking, even in Newquay town centre, was a doddle and free.

In the supermarket I rarely had to queue and was often spoken to about town by strangers. In the village, I was chatted to in the local pub and never once struggled to find a parking space outside my house.

Everyone at The Newquay Voice was friendly and welcoming and the week flew by.

I understand that January is a quiet month for Newquay and that the situation is very different in the summer, but those winter months must be bliss for the local residents.

One morning on the drive to work the sun was rising behind the hills and you could see the silhouette of the wind farm. Even something so modern and ugly looked beautiful in the light of the Cornish sun.

I’ve definitely developed a taste for country life and maybe one day I’ll be able to live there, but for now it’s back to the rat race.

The view from my bedroom in Holywell Bay, Cornwall

Arriving home at 1am Saturday morning, I had to park two streets away from my house. After work today I’m going to face the supermarket queue. Tomorrow I’ll be stuck in rush-hour traffic going from Portsmouth to Southampton and paying £5 for the privilege of parking in some dingy car park for the day – that is if I’m lucky enough to find a space.


KIMBERLEY BARBER