RAVEL Treasure cove A wild coast that’s truly booty-ful...
HAVE you seen those bucket list quizzes? The ones where you tick off all the things you’ve done, read, watched...
As I love to travel, “places visited” is one of my favourites – but, looking down the destinations, there was always a glaring omission on my list. Cornwall.
Despite visiting Devon plenty of times, and Dorset even more, that final push down to Cornwall had simply never happened, until now.
Our family of four took the chance to visit Crantock, just south of Newquay, on the north Cornwall coast.
A stop for superb fish and chips at The Fish Shed at Darts Farm, overlooking the Clyst Valley in Exeter, whetted our appetite for life by the coast.
At the scenic Trevella Holiday Park in Crantock, we were in a two-bedroom luxury lodge. Nia, eight, and Tilly, six, were so keen to choose their beds, they completely missed the private hot tub on the patio outside.
The light and airy lodge was tastefully decorated, with an open-plan living room, fireplace, dining area and spacious kitchen with dishwasher.
There was a handy separate utility room with washing machine and patio doors opening on to decking with outdoor furniture.
All the accommodation and pitches are on widely spaced plots around wellmaintained roads, safe for riding bikes and scooters.
In bright sunshine the outdoor pool looked very inviting, as did the three adventure playgrounds for the kids.
We tried our hand at crazy golf and played pool in the games room. There is also a little shop and café with takeaway.
While it doesn’t have a big clubhouse with entertainment, or group activities, it does have plenty of grassy areas with mature trees to kick footballs and create your own fun.
Anglers will love the two well-stocked fishing lakes with carp, tench, bream and roach, and shop selling equipment.
The National Trust-run Crantock beach is just a 15-minute walk away through scenic countryside.
Between headlands and backed by dunes, a dog-friendly expanse of golden sand is great for sandcastles and splashing about, but beware of the currents in the River Gannel running alongside.
Just up the road is one of the world’s top surfing destinations – Fistral Beach at Newquay. It is bookended by two headlands, and there are surfing lessons available and gear for hire. Or soak up the scenery at Rick Stein’s restaurant with a box of fish and chips or spicy Asian dishes inspired by his travels.
Time your visit right and you could get to see some world-class wave riders at the surfing competitions and festivals held at Fistral.
Further into Newquay town centre is Great Western Beach. The best time to visit is at low tide when it joins Towan, Tolcarne and Lusty Glaze beaches to form a beautiful stretch of sand.
Newquay is also a great little town to stroll through, with little shops selling sweets, pasties, fashion, art and crafts.
We also took the kids to Pirate’s Quest adventure, Newquay’s family-friendly walk-through attraction with elaborate sets, costumes and special effects.
Led by Calico Jack’s crew of live actors, the immersive experience relates the history of pirates in Cornwall. Further down the coast is another of Cornwall’s prettiest beaches, Perranporth, with its miles of soft sand, huge surf and dunes.
This is true Poldark country – Winston Graham wrote the first book of the series while living here.
If the tide is right out, take the twomile walk up to the beach at Ligger Point. Then sink your toes into the sand and enjoy a sundowner at The Watering Hole pub, right on the shore.
We’d travelled this far to Cornwall, so another hour in the car down to Land’s End didn’t feel like too much of a stretch.
Up on the headland, at England’s most westerly point, I understood why so