Will Young lives nearby and Poldark was filmed in the pub across the road – yes, we are in God’s own country and staying at Hev’s Hideway in Cornwall.
My Cornish born husband Rob calls it God’s own country (well he would, wouldn’t he) and this is a sentiment he repeats often especially on rare visits when we pass a property flying the nationalist black and white Saint Piran's Flag.
His family hail from Pensilva (mother’s family) and the market town of Liskeard (father’s family) in the east of the county.
Rob maintains his forebearers were the ancient Phoenicians from the Eastern Mediterranean and it was these invaders who mixed with the indigenous Celtic race who produced the black haired and blue-eyed peoples of south west England and Ireland.
Luckily the modern natives are very friendly despite its bloodline now including New Age and home counties hippies plus an invasion of holiday home inhabitants.
The less than two hour drive down the M5 and A30 from Nailsea played out like a scene from Withnail And I minus the Class A drugs and melded with an Enid Blyton-style spoof Four Go On Holiday.
The weather was the horrid and the freezing rain and biting wind turned the adventure into a black comedy thanks to the female humour of my three accompanying journo friends.
The consensus was we don’t get out enough…
Our destination is Hev’s two up and two down semi-detached stone cottage - bijou but beautifully put together - in the village of St Breward, on the edge of Bodmin Moor.
Dating back to the 11th century the settlement boasts the highest church in Cornwall at 700ft above sea level.
Opposite the cottage and back from the road is the 200-year-old The Old Inn and adjoining shop.
The award-winning pub restaurant is big with an extensive locally-produced menu and appears to be open 24/7!
Hosts Darren and Dale tell us the area is famous for its granite and china clay quarries and that Poldark filmed a scene in front of the fireplace in the pub but that pop singer Will Young has yet to pop in for a pint.
The surrounding countryside is stunning but bleak in mid-winter when the mist rolls in your mind thinks of Cathy wandering the moors in Wuthering Heights.
The wood-burning stove heats the downstairs of the cottage but I would advise anyone visiting in the depths of a cold spell to don thermal underwear.
My sparkly silver flip flops were not suitable for the flagstone floors although it is cosy wall-to-wall carpet upstairs.
Advice here is to swap your Jimmy Chu high heels for fur-lined wellington boots and bring a big woolly blanket to act as a pashmina although there is underfloor heating in the bath/shower room.
To be honest I didn’t wash until day three I was so cold as the temperature outside was cruel.
Most of our happy away days were fueled with copious amounts of chocolate and alcohol but I declined the medicinal Jaager Bombs to wash down my Prosecco as I don’t like to mix my drinks unless totally rat-arsed. 

Note to self: no need to pack a crate of wine as local shops/garage sell alcohol at Bristol prices. 
On the doorstep it is dog walking and horse riding territory while along the coast is the seascape of the body-boarders and surfers – not always the eye-candy you imagine.
Much travelled Midlands couple Peter and Barbara Smith retired to St Breward four years ago.
They love the village and have joined several of the 18 societies mentioned in the joke-filled parish magazine.
Peter, a retired football coach, spends most of his time on building restoration while Barbara a former NHS medical secretary embraces country life by keeping two horses and bell ringing at the church.
We meet them in the pub along with several other locals although we so wanted to meet the plasterers, plumbers and electricians who helped Heather update her cottage but they were nowhere to be seen.
We believe they had warning of our imminent arrival and decided the Ab Fab crew known for uncensored raucous behavior were better given a wide berth!
Mud splattered Chelsea tractors give way to farm tractors on the narrow roads and although Padstow is minutes away as the crow flies the road route is longer as it goes around the Camel Estuary.
It was here we sampled the off-season sales and replenished our boot wardrobe with half-price boutique bargains and dined in style at Rick Stein’s chippie.
Stein’s serve battered oysters, halloumi burgers, freekeh salad as well as its staple cod ‘n’ chips served in cardboard containers at £10.95 a portion.

Noted barriers outside to control the queues so beware of going high season unless you are prepared to wait.
There are a few things I already knew about Cornwall – that the term of endearment is ‘dah’ and not duck or dear and south of Bristol brass bands are referred to as silver bands.
However, what I didn’t know was how much fun a girls-only break can be if you have somewhere comfortable to stay and take your BFF crowd.
Advance notice to trades people: we are back in June for second helpings of Hev’s Hideway and all its nearby delights.
To read more about Hev’s Hideway which sleeps six in three double bedrooms including a self-contained barn conversion in the garden and has everything you need from cafetiere to corkscrew click HERE.
Ps: No-one told us it was Dry January and Heather and I have faces as soft as babies bums after a trip to St Kitts Herbery to buy skin care products.

Carol Deacon
January 2018