I haven't been to Falmouth for ages and luckily, it didn't take much convincing to get the husband to agree to go. I basically just had to say the words 'the Red Arrows' and he was all over it. We were both really happy when his family also wanted to go and a couple of our friends, especially as one friend had driven down from up country to see us and hadn't ever been to Falmouth.
As it was, we had literally just managed to park up before we heard the telltale roar of the jet engines echoing off the water. We had just enough time to run up the road and get to a prime location overlooking the docks before ther show really started.
I'm quite lucky in that I grew up in a seaside town and then moved to another one, so watching the Red Arrows became a yearly thing every summer. Sometimes we watched them on the beach, at my Grandma's house overlooking the water or even while on my Grandad's boat. Even though I've seen them a lot, I never get over how amazing the show is and the amount of skill it must take the pilots.
If you've never seen the Red Arrows, I think it's fair to say that you're missing out as there isn't anything else like it. They perform a number of tricks and risky moves that make you gasp even if you've seen them a hundred times. You also can't help but cheer when the first lot of red, blue and white smoke is released, leaving a colourful haze hanging in the air.
The show only lasted around 10-15 minutes, but we all loved every single one of them.
We walked down to Discovery Quay - also known as Events Square - to find an outdoor table at a pub overlooking the water. This was much easier said than done, but the guys at The Stable were really helpful and found us a table that was suitable for a wheelchair user so we happy.
While The Stable does amazing pizza, we didn't eat. Instead, we took advantage of their excellent range of cider - both sparkling and still - chatted with some locals and generally relaxed as the sun got lower over the water. Basically, we made me regret ever moving away from a town a really love and made me want to come back - even if getting a job in my field in Cornwall is nigh on impossible.
I do wish we'd left a bit earlier in the day so I could head to some of my old haunts, but the trip was well worth it just to see the Red Arrows and get a pint in the sunshine, not least because I got to see the dopey happy look on my husband's face as he watched the planes.