Keeping the peace
Cornwall can be packed during school holidays. ZOE CHAMBERLAIN suggests planning now for a summer far from the madding crowd
WHEN you holiday as a family, you often want to see the tourist sites then get away from the crowds to enjoy a bit of relaxation and quality time together. We visited two of the busiest locations in Cornwall – Kynance Cove and Newquay – which were great for photos but then found quieter, more peaceful spots nearby where the kids could let off steam.
Here’s how to get away from the places where everyone else is heading when the sun’s out.
HOLYWELL BAY
THIS large beach is just seven miles from bustling Newquay but feels a million miles away. The bay is named after a holy well in a cave on the beach, only visible at low tide. The beach has powder-soft golden sand and grand waves for surfing but it was the tucked-away cove to the left of the beach we liked best.
Keeping an eye on the tide (this cove does get cut off!), we made our way there in the late afternoon and watched the sun set behind the huge Gull Rocks in the ocean as we grilled hot dogs on a beach barbecue. The sky turned from orange to red to pink before the light faded and we turned on torches to make our way back under a blanket of stars.
NEWQUAY:
IT WAS fun to pop into Newquay to watch the surfers on Fistral Beach and have a wander around the famous Newquay harbour.
We ordered a Treasure Trails murder mystery treasure trail of Newquay (£6.99, treasuretrails.co.uk) which was posted to us before we set off and enjoyed a Cluedo-style mystery hunt around the harbour, church, park (complete with Beatles plaque), seafront, headland and high street plus the war memorial, Huer’s Hut and lifeboat station.
Our day was rounded off with Cornish pasties from Oggy Oggy, which were yummy and only £3 each.
Also worth a look nearby is the gigantic Perranporth Beach, the Eden Project, Dairyland Farm World, Healey’s Cornish Cyder Farm and the excellent miniature Lappa Valley Steam Railway.
PENTREATH BEACH
KYNANCE Cove is one of the most photographed locations in Cornwall – and it’s easy to see why, with its stunning turquoise sea, sparkly white sand and dark red and green stacked rocks with fairytale names such as Gull Rock and Sugarloaf Rock, making them sound like something straight out of an Enid Blyton novel.
However, this tidal beach is a 15-minute, steep walk down from the top of the cliff and the National Trust car park gets incredibly busy during summer months – so we found a better way to experience the wonder of it whilst avoiding the crowds.
Rather than queuing, we paid a small donation to park on The Lizard Village Green, where there are lovely cafés and gift shops, then enjoyed a breezy, two-mile scenic walk along the coastline, which offers the best views of the stunning cove. On the way, we stopped at neighbouring Pentreath Beach, which, although another steep climb, gave us a beach almost to ourselves where we could swim, play and build sandcastles in peace.
Other places to visit in the area include Mullion Cove, a pretty little harbour which is lovely for sunset walks, and Poldu Cove, which is much easier than Kynance Cove for young families to reach and has a great little café serving home-made Cornish pasties.
Flambards amusement park makes for a great day out too. It has a Victorian village, a Britain in the Blitz exhibit with life-size recreations and lots of thrilling fairground rides, which our kids thoroughly enjoyed. I’d loved Flambards as a child and it was even better than I remembered.
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary is must for a day out too, as you can see all the rescued seals being nursed back to health.
MULLION HOLIDAY PARK
WE stayed at Parkdean Resorts Mullion Holiday Park, which has a heated outdoor pool with sun loungers and a large, heated indoor pool with a 300-foot waterslide. There’s also crazy golf, a playground, and a large entertainment area offering a restaurant, discos, shows and arcade games. One evening, there was a free outdoor cinema screening of Mary Poppins Returns, complete with hay bales to sit on and popcorn available.
You know you’re going to get a high-quality holiday home in a great, coastal location with lots of fun facilities for the kids and an affordable on-site convenience store for picking up the essentials.
It’s little details that make a difference to families, from the blackout curtains and comfy beds to ensure a good night’s sleep, to the well equipped kitchen, TV and DVD player and the nice, big chunky mugs for that important morning cuppa.
The park – a 10-minute walk from the beach – is a lovely site complete with an indoor soft play area, restaurant, adventure playground, wildlife nature trail, table tennis and multi-sports court and even a Surf Academy.
Cornwall has a population of around 535,000 which is swelled each year by more than five million visitors