2026 – Cornwall

A couple of years ago, Miles and Michaela announced their wedding, to be held in May ‘26 at the prestigious (it hosted a G7 summit in 2021) Carbis Bay Hotel.

The hotel is, not surprisingly, expensive and we were travelling with Eve (Ali’s mum) and her Aunt Dorothy, so I started looking for more affordable options.

I stumbled across Heatherleigh – a four bedroomed self-catering property – on Air-B&B, loved the photos and discussed it with our group. All agreed that it looked wonderful.

Dorothy had travelled down to stay with Eve before and after our trip, so we picked them both up, loaded up the care and hit the road at ten on Thursday morning.

Ali and I shared the driving; I drove as far as Reading where we stopped for a comfort break, then Ali drove to Bridgwater (known as the worst services in the country) for another comfort stop. The fuel prices were prohibitive, but I found a fuel station just half a mile down the road that was thirty pence a litre cheaper. I then drove the final few hours to Carbis Bay, and the SatNav took us straight to our accommodation.

We arrived at Heatherleigh – at about five PM, unloaded the car and explored what was to be our home for the next five nights. Eve and Dorothy took the two twin rooms, Ali and I grabbed the Master bedroom which had magnificent views across the bay. Miles would use the fourth bedroom for his final night as a single man.

 

Eve and Dorothy headed off on Thursday evening to get Fish & Chips from the nearby chippy while we unpacked.

We’d brought some provisions, and the hosts had left a ‘welcome pack’, including tea, milk and washing up liquid.

I’d brought home-smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels, which we enjoyed on the patio on Friday morning. .

I then whizzed out to the local Tesco for more supplies, while the ladies went out for a walk. The weather was warm, but there was a persistent sea mist through the day.

In the evening, Miles and Michaela had arranged for about twenty guests to dine at a pizza restaurant in St Ives. It’s only a few minutes from Carbis Bay by train, and we met Ali’s former husband – Dave – and his daughters at Carbis Bay station.

The food was excellent and everyone had a great evening.

We then headed into St Ives town to book a mini cab back to our Air-B&B, slightly more expensive than the 90p per person train fare, but the walk back up the hill from Carbis Bay station is punishing. Miles stayed drinking with Adam, he later came back to ‘our’ house for his final night as a single man.

Saturday – the Wedding Day – dawned very misty. Miles and Ali decided to go for an early morning swim in the sea, so I ran them down to the beach in the car, then popped up to Tesco to buy a few more bits. Then picked them up and ran them ‘home’.

Miles’s two ‘best men’ – Harry and John – joined us for breakfast, so we prepared a ‘full English’ for seven people before setting the dishwasher and getting changed into our wedding togs.

Miles, his ‘best men’ and Ali headed down to the hotel at midday; then Eve, Dorothy and I followed them down a little later. The wedding was scheduled for one PM, we met more of the guests before taking our seats outside the hotel’s beach restaurant, overlooking the beach.

The ceremony was delightful, Miles looking cool in a cream suit while Michaela wore a stunning white ‘sheath’ dress and carried a bunch of huge white lilies. After the introduction to the service, Michaela’s sister Tegan gave an extended speech describing the happy couple’s lives to date, how they met and how their romance blossomed.

The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch and the couple were declared man and wife, to much cheering from the assembled congregation.

Photographs were taken down on the beach, after which the couple were liberally showered with confetti.

 

Back up at the beach restaurant, everyone enjoyed drinks and canapés on the deck while mixing before we assembled in the restaurant. Each place setting was identified with a photograph of the incumbent and a personal message from Miles or Michaela. A few emotional tears were shed while Miles’s friend Ed collected the wagers for a sweepstake on the duration of the Bride’s Father’s – Simon’s – speech.

In the event, his speech was shorter than had been threatened, but was emotional and loving. Simon’s speech was followed by an excellent speech from Ali – which she’d been honing for weeks – then a double act between Harry and John and finally, Miles.

What I found particularly warming – there were frequent tears throughout the guests – was that all the speeches overlapped with references to Miles’s upbringing with Nannoo and Poppa (Ali’s parents with whom they lived for several years).

Food was served after the speeches and toasts.

The first course was a selection of cheeses and cold meats, served with rustic bread, all delicious and I confess that much of the main course passed me by. I seem to recall chicken and pulled lamb, but I skipped much of it. Dessert was chocolate brownies and profiteroles.

The tables were cleared and the deejay set up ready for Miles and Michaela’s first dance, after which the dance floor filled up.

By now Dorothy and Eve were getting tired, so I booked a taxi to take the four of us back to our Air-B&B. It may have only been a few hundred metres but, as I’ve already mentioned, the hill was steep and it had been a long day.

Next morning, Sunday, dawned very misty, the mist was so dense we couldn’t see the bottom of the garden, but it burned off swiftly to a glorious, sunny day. Miles and Michaela had arranged a barbecue on the beach. The hotel, was hosting another wedding, so the barbecue was set up a hundred yards down the beach, almost under our Air-B&B.

There were two gazebos set up, lots of camping seats, and one of Michaela’s friend’s parents had set up a professional barbecue. Food was served in cardboard bowls, with smoked salmon pasta salad, slaw, spicy sausage, chicken, and pulled pork. We caught up with a few people that we hadn’t had a chance to speak to on Saturday, including Yvonne – Ali’s sister-in-law who was visiting from Grenada, and Michaela’s father’s new lady, as she hadn’t been invited to the wedding.

This time we actually walked back to the house, which was, as I have described, punishingly steep, particularly in the hot afternoon sun. Then a quiet evening in.

Monday dawned bright and sunny.

Ali, Dorothy and Eve had arranged to meet a distant relative in the village of Mouse-hole on Cornwall’s southern coast. I’d arranged to meet Michaela’s father, Simon, in St. Ives. The ladies headed off late morning, while I caught the twelve thirty train from Carbis Bay  station.

Simon and I met up a few minutes later at St Ives station and walked round the harbour to ‘The Sloop Inn’, one of Cornwall’s oldest inns, reportedly dating back to 1312. We enjoyed a couple of beers, me drinking ‘Slipway’ a locally brewed IPA, while Simon was drinking something more traditional.

From there we walked up to a wine and bottle shop that Simon knew; they had an excellent selection of wines and exotic spirits, Whisky, Rum and Tequila. One of the tequilas was £200 a bottle,  but they sold shots so, after another beer, we tried a couple. It was wonderfully smooth, reminiscent of a fine brandy.

We then visited the St Ives brewery’s bar; the actual brewery is about ten miles away in Hayle. We bumped into and chatted with a couple of guys, Simon is into his motorcycles so, when we stumbled across fellow bikers, he was in his element.

Then further up the road for a pizza, after which I caught a taxi back to the house, where I found the ladies who had had a successful day in Mousehole.

We had to leave the house before ten on Tuesday morning, but actually left after breakfast, at about nine, having cleared the house and emptied the bins. We stopped off in Hayle to visit a renowned Cornish Pasty makers – we could have ignored the SatNav and followed our noses – to stock up on pasties for lunch.

From then we hit the road, making good time, refilling at the same petrol station near Bridgwater, then stopping at Gordano services near Bristol for the aforementioned pasties. – which were delicious.

Ali took over the driving from Bristol and we headed east on the M4. The SatNav and radio traffic bulletins kept reporting severe delays on the M25, so we headed off onto the A34, skirting Abingdon and Oxford, then joining the M40 and stopping for another comfort break and driver swap at Beaconsfield Services.

The traffic was still heavy when we joined the M25, but threatened worse between the M11 and A12 so we headed off early and whizzed through Epping Forest and Ongar, arriving back at Ali’s mum’s just after five. A long, eight-hour slog.

We unpacked Dorothy and Eve’s stuff from the back of the car, then headed home, through other back lanes as it seemed that all the main routes were clogged up.

We finally arrived home just before six, it had been a long day, but a wonderful weekend.