Polmanter Touring Park, Cornwall
If there’s one thing I love while being on holiday, it’s being close to the coast. I also really enjoy a good walk. So Polmanter Touring Park, one-and-ahalf miles from St Ives, in Cornwall, proved a perfect choice.
The site is set in the countryside, surrounded by farmland. You can walk into the seaside town of St Ives in about 30 minutes or take the shuttle bus direct from the site. For those like myself who enjoy a good stretch of the legs you can take a more scenic and longer route that goes via Knill’s Monument (a 50ft-high obelisk atop Worvas Hill) and past Steeple Woodland Nature Reserve. If you want to spend a whole day walking then you can access the South West Coast Path in St Ives and head west towards Zennor on a beautiful, but challenging route, or east towards Carbis Bay for a more relaxing stroll.
St Ives itself has a choice of stunning beaches, and narrow lanes, which are home to a collection of independent shops and a choice of cafés and restaurants. A stroll along the wharf by the harbour in the evening has a Mediterranean feel and there are plenty of tempting restaurants with sea-view tables here.
Also, while in St Ives, if you enjoy art and sculpture, don’t miss the Tate St Ives gallery and Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden.
After all the walking it’s great that back at Polmanter you can relax in the seasonal outdoor pool or, better still, book yourself a pamper session at the on-site Escape Treatment Rooms.
We also didn’t have to go far for an evening meal and drink, as there is the Stable Bar, Restaurant and Takeaway on the campsite.
There are grass or hardstanding pitches with electric, or multi-serviced ones offering additional water and drainage. The facilities are great and include family shower rooms and a launderette.
There is also a wellstocked shop in the reception, which is housed in a woodframed building that sets the tone when you arrive of how luxurious the site is.