Tales of the good life

Roseanne Hodin’s new Cornwall-set book Growing Goats and Girls hits the shelves this month - we find out more about her favourite Cornish spots

- Roseanne Hodin

My first impression of Cornwall was when my dashing boyfriend drove me down from London to St Ives to stay in his cliffside family home. Arriving by night my first taste of Cornwall was the taste of salt air on my tongue and the sound of waves churning below.

Nothing had prepared me for the ravishing pale sky, the wind, the sea stretching far out past the lighthouse that I saw on waking. We threw on old jackets and boots from the porch and raced down the cliff to the beach below. My city boy was transformed forever in my eyes, to windswept Cornishman.

We walked the coastal paths between St Ives and Hayle, scurrying under tunnels of gorse and watching kestrels flying high; we walked to Godrevy to fly kites; we walked along Gurnard’s Head, watching seals. When we were married with small children our walks were closer to our farm and Pencarrow Head; and the twist down, down to Lantic Bay was our favourite. We swam there, sailed there, lay on the beach and slept there.