The heavy drops of rain fall with a mocking splatter, attacking us from all directions. The blustery wind is rendering our umbrellas completely pointless.

We are on the high streets of Newquay, Cornwall where down below the sea is a sickly grey and the weather surrounding it is so grim, there's no telling where the sky ends and the ocean begins.

This is our first summer road trip as Londoners and it's all a bit of a joke. Newquay, as the host of this weekend's Boardmasters surfing festival, is packed with eager people. They are all dressed for the ultimate summer day at the beach and their sun dresses, board shorts and 'flip flops' are all making very unsummery squelching sounds as they slop through Newquay's main street.

Outside a shop selling Cornish treats I see a truly sad sight: A girl is wearing an optimistic cowboy hat and its edges are filling with precarious pools of water.

Soaked to our shivering Kiwi bones, my friends and I do what's natural when the outside world is too miserable for words - we turn to the bottle. Out of defiance we choose summery flavours of cider in a clifftop bar and talk with regret about all those long New Zealand summers we have squandered.

As our glasses start to look half empty we begin to consider our weekend away from a cup-half-full perspective. At least we're not in London listening to people having fights outside our flat windows. At least the company is good. And the thought which cheers us most: surely tomorrow will bring better weather.

The next morning all our dreams have come true. The sun is shining and there's enough blue sky to make a sailor's underpants, as my Nan would say.

We head for the ultimate part of the two-day road trip - to Cornwall's Land's End (Penn an Wlas in Cornish) which is the most westerly tip of England.

As we enter the carpark there are fantastically kitsch concrete letters spelling out L.A.N.D.S and E.N.D - a definite photo opportunity. Development here has been quite controversial as some consider the area's theme park to be a tacky eyesore.

I barely notice there is a theme park there as I take in the magnificent and awe-inspiring cliffs on either side of the buildings.

The insistent wind only adds to the whole wild atmosphere of the place as we walk around the huge rocks and look out at the sprawling sea. Everywhere we walk there are dogs tearing down the hills, looking like the happiest animals on the planet.

I definitely share their pure joy - it's so uplifting to know this wild beauty exists in England and the sometimes-depressing concreteness of London seems a million miles away.

Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.

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