Tag: dog friendly

The Cornish Vegan, Truro

Despite having visited Cornwall a number of times, I had never been to Truro. Since the opening of The Cornish Vegan, we had a reason to visit this time. We had a bit of a mooch about Truro beforehand. Phil wanted to go to a vinyl shop and I wanted to have a wander around. We had a look in a few shops, there’s a great mix of high street and independent shops in Truro, and we picked up a few things for the house.

Truro Truro Cathedral

I had seen people talking about The Cornish Vegan on Twitter and it was recommended by a number of vegans online so I was desperate to go there. I wasn’t disappointed. There was loads of choice and it all looked delicious. The people on the table next to us had lasagne and a salad, which I was tempted by, but in the end I opted for the BBQ Jackfruit, as I’d never had jackfruit before.

The Cornish Vegan BBQ jackfruit The Cornish vegan brownie

The jackfruit was delicious. The BBQ sauce, which is made by the restaurant was really tasty and it made for an excellent burger. The coleslaw was light, fresh and crispy too. Service was excellent and Poppy was made welcome too, by getting her own bowl of water and as many vegan dog treats as she could eat, which turned out to be quite a few! I really wanted a brownie with some ice cream, but by this time, Poppy made it clear that she was ready to leave so I got a brownie to go. It was immense! It was the best vegan brownie I’ve had since becoming vegan. If you go to The Cornish Vegan, get one!

Poppydog in Lush

I can’t blame Poppy. She had been an absolute star while we shopped and mooched about. She was able to come into most shops with us, including Lush, where she got a lot of attention! It’s so great to be able to take her into shops and cafes, even if she does want to eat everything in there!

We’ll definitely be going back to The Cornish Vegan next time we’re in the area. I’d love to sample one of their Sunday roasts as they look epic!

Dog Walks in South Pembrokeshire

It rained three out of the four days I was in Pembrokeshire, which is pretty standard. (I managed to get some savage sunburn on the only dry day!) This scuppered my walking plans somewhat so instead of heading up to Marloes Sands like I planned, Poppy and I headed for tried and tested Bosherston Lily Ponds. I knew they would be a bit more sheltered and with the tide out, we could enjoy Broadhaven South beach.

Bosherston Lily Ponds Bosherston LakesBosherston never disappoints. There’s always something to see and this time, there was a pair of swans with a nest full of cygnets. Despite the incessant drizzle, Poppy and I headed for Broadhaven South, where I had planned to do a spot of geocaching, but Poppy and the rain had other ideas so geocaching was abandoned in favor of hitting the beach. It was completely empty and the tide was right out, which meant I could let Poppy off the lead. She loved it! She spent the whole time running about, running back to me for treats and generally wearing herself out. If you ever get to go to this part of the world, make sure Broadhaven South is on your list of beaches to visit. It’s pretty much perfect.

Broadhaven South Broadhaven south beachWe had time before lunch with my mum and as my geocaching plans had failed, I decided to head to West Angle bay, as Poppy had never been there. Plus, as the awesome drizzle hadn’t blown away, I figured that it would be pretty quiet. And I was right!

West Angle bay Angle pembrokeshire geocaching at angle bayWest Angle bay is quite a small beach, but there are lots of rock pools to explore when the tide is out. Plus, you can get pretty good phone signal, meaning you can find out where the geocaches are hidden and I managed to find one (my first one!), pictured above. Am so proud of this! Parking here is free and there’s a lovely cafe and toilets too. There’s a decent circular walk via the coast path, but as the weather wasn’t great, I decided to leave that for another day.

spicy bean and vegetable stew Fleur the dog at South Beach Tenby South Beach TenbyAfter a quick coffee, Poppy and I headed for lunch with my mum and I’d spotted that the local tea room at the garden centre had a few vegan options. I had the spicy bean and vegetable stew on a jacket potato, which was awesome. Very filling and tasty. (It came with a side salad that had coleslaw slap bang in the middle of it, so I just ignored that!) We then headed off for a dog walk. During the summer, most of the beaches in Tenby are a no go for dogs, so we parked up at Penally train station and headed along the beach, which blends into South Beach, which is the only dog friendly beach in Tenby. You’ll know when you get to the end of it, as there are signs. Lots and lots of signs! There’s a few cafes here, where you can stop for a coffee, as well as toilets (tho they require 20p. Annoying if you’re desperate and have to rummage for change!) By this time, the drizzle had stopped and we headed back to the car. Another awesome day for my FitBit step count! Another day Poppy was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow!

Sleeping Poppydog

Vegan Afternoon Tea at Compton Acres, Poole

While we were in Poole for my Lush spa treatment, we also booked in an afternoon tea at Compton Acres. Phil had done a quick Google and found that they were one of few places that offered a vegan afternoon tea. As this is one of my favourite meals ever, we decided to go there. I hadn’t heard of it before, but there’s a lovely garden, with breathtaking views of the coast, a shop and a small garden centre. We arrived there with enough time to have a whistle stop tour of the garden.

Compton Acres Buddha Statue at Compton Acres Koi fish at Compton Acres As we didn’t have a huge amount of time, I didn’t take many photographs. I’m pretty sure we’ll go back there, especially as dogs are allowed, plus they do vegan cake and I’ll go far for that! The gardens are gorgeous, with lots of lovely areas and water playing a big part of the gardens. There are lots of areas to sit and enjoy the gardens, which lots of people were doing. We headed back to the cafe and awaited our afternoon tea. It didn’t disappoint.

Vegan afternoon tea at Compton Acres Vegan cheese and pineapple on sticks Vegan sandwiches at Compton AcresThree tiers of delicious vegan food. Three whole tiers. I really struggle to know what to put in sandwiches, save for Tofurkey and salad, so this was a real eye opener. When I saw that there was cheese and pineapple on sticks, I was over the moon! My favourite things from my 80’s childhood! Why don’t we see more of this?! It was delicious. Then came the cake. The chocolate cupcake was epic! I couldn’t finish it all. It was so chocolatey and rich plus I wanted to save room for the scones. They were accompanied by coconut cream and strawberry jam. The cream was quite runny, but that didn’t spoil it for me. The fact that I can still enjoy cream and jam on scones without animals being harmed is brilliant. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to Compton Acres, whether it was for a cream tea or just to the gardens. Vegan friendly and dog friendly makes it a winning place for me!

Dog Walks in Oxfordshire – The Kidneys and Aston’s Eyot, Oxford

It’s been ages since we found somewhere new for a lovely weekend dog walk. Between the weather (either being boiling hot or torrential showers) and getting the garden done, we’ve not gone beyond Abingdon for a while. However, last weekend, we needed to get out, get some fresh air and be surrounded by green! I wanted to go to Oxford and visit LYP so my OH looked for somewhere nearby to walk. Oxford is such a beautiful city with lots of lovely parks and green spaces, but even this one was new to us. We discovered The Kidneys and Aston’s Eyot in East Oxford. It’s such a beautiful space, full of gorgeous plants, fruit and wildlife. Some of the paths go right by the river, and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a regatta taking place. Poppy had a little look at the river, but once again, she was freaked out by water!

Pathway Elderberries Walking Oxford Rowing on the Isis Poppy walking Poppy on the Thames Wild Flowers Oxford Regatta The Kidneys Rowing Oxford Aston's Eyot

 

If you’re looking for somewhere lovely to walk in the city that’s less well known and has loads of blackberries, ready for picking, this is an ideal spot.

The Walk: There are  a number of pathways you can take around Aston’s Eyot and The Kidneys so you could spend a while there.
Cost: Completely free!
Car Park: There isn’t a dedicated car park, but there are some streets nearby which aren’t residents only. However, you will need to check, especially as there may be some time restrictions.
Refreshments: While there’s no where to buy refreshments, there are a number of lovely cafes and pubs in East Oxford.
Toilets: None that I could see.

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