3 QUICK TRIPS
Whether it’s storm watching, winter surfing or fossil hunting, get outdoors and work up an appetite for some of England’s finest seafood with these affordable family getaways in Cornwall, Dorset and Sussex
Family foodie escapes
Find cool cocktails, sky-high sandwiches and some excellent crab and chips
Cornwall: Headland
Perfectly positioned on a clifftop overlooking Cornwall’s showstopping Fistral Beach, the imposing Headland Hotel is ideal for a spot of winter storm watching. It has cottages designated for this armchair-based adrenaline activity, while the ballroom has cosy fireplaces and picture windows from where you can watch Atlantic squalls roll in. If you like a bracing walk, step directly out of the hotel onto a sandy path leading to 250 miles of rugged north Cornish coastline. Meanwhile, inside the hotel, it’s just as atmospheric. You’ll soon see why this Victorian pile was chosen as the location to film an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches; think sweeping staircases, grand libraries, ballrooms and fireplaces so enormous you could step inside. Despite all this old-english elegance, there’s a modern heart to The Headland where staff display easy-going charm, rooms are cosy and comfortable, and the spa is a chic retreat.
Headland is a great base for multi-generational holidays; there are plenty of snug rooms with roaring fires and board games, along with activities for all ages. Archery, circus skills and foraging are all on offer, and the hotel is a 40-minute drive from the Eden Project (edenproject.com). There’s an excellent surf and paddle-boarding school beneath the hotel that caters to children as young as five, at any time of year, if you’re game. Dogs are welcome on the beach, too. Home to two restaurants, Samphire is Headland’s grander offering, overlooking the surf and the sea vegetables after which it is named. This is where Headland’s hearty breakfast is served; order from the menu and help yourself to a generous buffet, too – children will be in their element. In the evening, Samphire serves a seasonally changing, Cornishinspired menu (two courses, £34) where dishes are works of art, but the chef also manages to let quality ingredients speak for themselves – such as seared venison, Cornish crab, local sardines and samphire. Sunday lunch is well worth staying for and is excellent value at £24.95 for three courses.
If you’re looking for something more relaxed, you’ll find cool cocktails, sky-high sandwiches and some excellent crab and chips at The Terrace, which forms part of the hotel. Off-site, Rick Stein’s Fistral (rickstein.com/eat-with-us/fistral ) is a short walk away, serving Asian food as well as traditional fish and chips. If you’re after aromatic comfort food, try the nasi goreng (£9.95). For drinks before or after dinner, head to Healey’s Cornish Cyder Farm
(healeyscyder.co.uk) or Skinner’s Brewery
(skinnersbrewery.com), landmarks of Cornish libation, both within day-trip distance. Lily Barclay
How to do it
Rooms from £165 per night for a family of four sharing; storm-watching packages are available in the winter months, until March, and start from £90 per night, based on a three-night stay. headlandhotel.co.uk