PLANE SPOTTER PARADISE

With a whiff of burnt aviation fuel in the air this West Country holiday home may not be first choice on many peoples list.

However, for those that follow the social media hash tag #AVGEEK.  Then this charming choice of cottages certainly requires further investigation.

Plane spotter heaven staying so close to this airfield in Cornwall.

Situated less than a hundred yards of the runway designated ‘Three Zero’ at The Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose. Makes this holiday get away ideal for any plane spotter.

If you do not mind the occasional wake up call of two Royal Navy Hawk jets as they stoke up their engines to full thrust. And then as they disappear along the mile and a half long runway before heading skyward in about 20 seconds.

Early morning wake up call from Hawk jets flying from RNAS Culdrose.

For any aviation enthusiast it is music to their ears. And, for any non-enthusiast then it’s a racket and pretty loud one at that!

On the plus side for those that hate it then it lasts in total for around 30 seconds.  As then silence again returns to this hilltop site on the Lizard peninsular.

Comfy patio to plane spot or just enjoy breakfast or afternoon tea on the terrace.

If the wind is in a different direction then the flight patterns around the base switches. With then the Merlin and Hawk cottages find themselves at the end rather than at the take off point of that runway.  And, the disruption to your sleep even further decreased as the jets and choppers swoop past 200 feet above.

Heathrow This Is Not

Just to make it clear, this is not like staying at the end of the runway’s at Heathrow airport.  There they have movements and take-offs every 45 or 60 seconds. Here the movements are varied and by various aircraft types.

Merlin helicopter hovering on the nearby airfield at RNAS Culdrose.

The largest numbers operating here are helicopters and mainly are Merlin’s. There are other rotary wing craft such as Sea Kings flown by 849 AEW (Aircraft Early Warning) very distinctive with a large radome slung underneath that can be raised and lowered. These are being phased out at time of writing.

A Sea King helicopter complete with radome.

With the Royal Navy now having two aircraft carriers back in its fleet the training of both fixed wing and rotary wing crews has been intense. As the wait for the HMS Queen Elizabeth to come into service is now over. With HMS Prince of Wales now almost ready too.

The official viewing area at RNAS Culdrose just a few paces from your holiday cottage.

Its here at Royal Navy’s HMS Seahawk way down in West Cornwall that these crews train. With its near very neighbour of a holiday cottage that provides a perfect plane spotter site.

Plane Spotting Cottage Stay

Complete with the potential of you not even having to leave its garden terrace to get a grandstand seat for the daily free air show.

Training aircraft belonging to the Fleet Air Arm.

My choice would be Hawk cottage as it certainly does have a better-placed paved area with garden seating and fewer obstructions from the surrounding hedges and trees.

Although with the allocated public viewing area provided by the Royal Navy just a few yards away and it giving much wider views of general aircraft operations.

Mind you the heavy chain link security fence does not make for the perfect window but once the aircraft are over the top of it then clearer pictures are much easier.

Praa Sands a wide sandy beach a short drive from Hawk cottage.

Getting away from the aircraft there are numerous places nearby to visit like the pretty harbour of Porthleven or the wide expanse of sandy beach at Praa Sands. Or to the towns of Falmouth and Penzance  which are also just a short drive too.

This pet friendly cottage situated in a nicely converted farm building. It has a modern kitchen and bathroom, a double and a single bedroom and that aerial entertainment on the doorstep whats not to like?