Cornwall Life: August 2019 7B
est selling novelist
Catherine Alliott has
a new Cornwall-based
novel out named after
that most mythical of things,
A Cornish Summer. Author
of fifteen bestselling novels
including About Last Night, My
Husband Next Door, A Rural
Affair, One Day in May, The Secret
Life of Evie Hamilton, and Wish
You Were Here. She has sold more
than two million books in the UK.Do you remember your first
impressions of Cornwall?
One of my earliest memories is
of cow parsley. Aged about six I
was travelling to the beach with
my Auntie Jinx, Newlyn born
and bred, who told me that if
there was enough blue sky to
make a pair of sailor’s trousers it
would be a lovely day. I anxiously
scanned the sky as we wound our
way along narrow lanes and up
and down stomach lurching hills,
mentally cutting out the blue,
until we had to stop the car and
all pile out – about eight of us – so
I could be sick on the cow parsley.Favourite walks
I love the coastal path through
New Polzeath, Pentire Point, and
along miles of stunning coastline.
I also love the inland walk from
Helford to Manaccan – ending up
at the excellent pub, The New Inn.Favourite beaches
Porthchapel from my childhood,
Rock Beach (Brea beach) from
my children’s. It took me a while
to adapt from the Cornwall of my
youth to the Cornwall of theirs,
but each are equally beautiful. I
also have a very soft spot for the
Helford River which was the only
part of Cornwall my husband
contributed – having holidayed
exotically in his youth in Tuscany- but his aunt lived there and we
had many happy holidays in her
cottage by the creek, pre children.
Favourite eateries
Steak and chips at the St KewInn. Crab Sandwiches on the
wall outside the pub at Port
Gaverne. Lobster and chips at
the Shipwright Arms, Helford. I
remember it being a huge treat
to be taken to the Lobster Pot in
Mousehole as a child. Is it still
there I wonder...?Favourite views
The view across the estuary from
Brae beach is hard to beat. I’m
particularly fond of estuaries
and secret creeks and if I find a
magical house on a river I always
imagine what it would be like to
live there. Thus a story
might evolve...Favourite historical
story about Cornwall
(real or imagined)
When we were young, my Uncle
Ron would tell us about a ghostly
ship which sailed into the bay at
Porthcurno when the evening
mist came down. Apparently
if you saw the ship you’d have
years of bad luck and as we drove
away after tea time, I remember
it being the only beach I was
secretly pleased to leave.What sentence sums
up Cornwall for you?
A mystical, mythical, legendary,
st ory telling, magical place. My
husband, on the other hand, likes
the beer and the exchange rate. Happy days
Combining summer with love, a new novel by best-selling author
Catherine Alliott evokes the perfect summer romanceMY CORNWALL