Sunsets

Late on clear summer evenings at mum and dad's hotel, a clutch of visitors would gather on the verandah, transfixed as the sun set over Newquay Bay, bathing the whole scene in orange light.  And though I'd seen it many times, I would often join them... and just watch.

It's the one thing about Cornwall that I miss the most, though sadly, I don't have a single photograph of that wonderful view over Porth Beach. When I was 21, I married and from then on had homes of my own, none of which enjoyed views of the coast.

It was really great, therefore, to witness two beautiful sunsets during my recent visit to Newquay – not over Porth Beach, but from my hotel bedroom in the town, overlooking Towan Beach.

The first is rather special. Pink sunsets are rare, even in sunny Cornwall, occurring when light is refracted by clouds high in the atmosphere.

The second is more typical of the sunsets that enthralled our visitors all those years ago. I love the way that the sun casts its beam of orange light over the sea.

Even after the sun has set, the colours remain for quite a long time, silhouetting the headland.

I couldn't resist adding this, one of my favourite Cornish sunset photos.  It's not of Newquay this time, but taken above the Crowns engine houses at Botallack, not far from Lands End.

One thing I never saw in Cornwall — for I always lived on the North coast — was a colourful sunrise. So this time it's my new home that scores the points.  This was the fabulous view from my kitchen window on January 14th this year.

I do see sunsets from my home too, but their beauty is mostly lost behind houses and forest trees. But if a good one is in prospect and I drive down to Lydney Harbour, what are my chances of seeing something equally colourful downriver? Surely worth a try.