Tacky, greedy, rude shop owners are ruining Cornish towns, a woman has claimed. Born and raised Cornishwoman Katharine Piper has described her experience visiting Looe, and says the area has totally changed since she was young.
Speaking to Cornwall Live, Katharine said it would 'soften the blow if these tacky tourist shops that plague beautiful Cornwall would at least pretend to have some fondness for you. But they don’t'.
The 41-year-old said: "As a child I remember wading through crisp packets, nappies and other unspeakables, wrapping around your legs as you waded in, suffocating your face as you resurfaced from a dive. The wretched brown water would try and force itself down your throat and you did everything to keep your mouth as tightly shut as possible.
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"The water is clearer and there is less rubbish than in the Eighties. However, I do not remember the shopkeepers being so miserable and treating you with absolute hatred and contempt. Perhaps they did but I was an oblivious youth.
"SOME hate tourists, presume that you are one, just want your money. It would soften the blow if these tacky tourist shops that plague beautiful Cornwall would at least pretend to have some fondness for you. But they don’t, they hate you, they just want your money. If they’re nice it’s probably insincere.
"There are going to be exceptions, I accept that. Also, this experience is not isolated to Looe, it’s the whole of Cornwall."
To avoid 'extortionate parking fees' she parked 'twenty miles away' and walked into the Cornish town.
Katharine, who lives near Launceston, said: "Everyone is there for the same reason, to have a good time and to obtain happiness, a happy experience. But how many people actually look like they’re enjoying themselves?
"A cafe-free cove that you’re rewarded with after you’ve walked miles to reach achieves happiness. But feeling obliged to allow yourself to be fleeced doesn’t make you happy."
She then listed her top tips for getting through a holiday in Cornwall:
- Arrive everywhere early, earlier than you think early is. You can’t enjoy your morning slowly coming round from gin the night before, relaxing because you’re actually on holiday. No, you have to arrive at your planned destination before 9.30am at the latest or forget it, your day is ruined.
- Don’t feel pressurised by family or business owners to part with your cash. There are such things as locals cards, just think of the concept of a local card - we’re fleecing you because you’re a dreaded tourist, an evil necessity. You’re paying this much but really it only costs X amount and that’s for ‘local people’.
- The further you have to walk to the beach the better the beach, the more wholesome and happy you will feel. Just pack enough drinks, snacks and sun cream bought from a supermarket. The third tip is watch your small children more closely - I’m always surprised at how confident parents are allowing their two-year-old to teeter on the edge of a deep pool of water while they’re half a mile down the beach.
