VAN-TASTIC DAYS
SANDRA LOY goes against all her instincts and books a caravan holiday for the first time in years
Newquay has a moderate maritime climate, meaning mild winters and cool summers making it great to visit all year
H ERE’S the thing. I like a bit of the outdoor life. Bracing blasts of fresh air, rolling fields outside the back door, windswept beach just a flip and a flop away.
But I will never, ever, ever stay in a tent. Not even for a night. If your holiday comfort level is not on a par with what you’ve got at home, then that’s not a holiday.
But, you know what? Looks like I’ve found the perfect solution. And millions of people knew about it all along.
Caravans. It’s a couple of decades since I last set foot in one and, back then, they were basic affairs. Scaling half a ladder was your way in. Your knees held the toilet door shut. And as for luxuries like a telly? Forget it. Well, I can tell you now: things have changed.
My family stayed at Parkdean Resorts’ Holywell Bay Holiday Park, about a 10-minute drive from Newquay on the north Cornwall coast.
And we wanted for nothing. For starters, our comfy van – the resort’s new Cardinham model – had its own patio, complete with outdoor furniture, in a private, sheltered spot that sucked up the rays all day. Park your car on the driveway and you’re in.
We stayed cosy courtesy of double glazing, enjoyed a huge freeview TV (plus a DVD player); we had a double bedroom (super comfy beds, no wafer-thin mattresses here) with en-suite bathroom, plus two twin rooms and a second family bathroom.
And as our van was an extra-wide model, there was loads of room – no shimmying past one another to get to the loo. Our kitchen was tooled up well enough to cook properly (there’s a gas oven and microwave, too). As we had a couple of chilly early mornings, the central heating was a toasty bonus.
So, with such a home from home, why venture out? So many reasons… not least, the most wonderful beach.
Take a five-minute stroll towards the coast and Holywell Bay beach creeps into view like the sunrise. First come the towering sand dunes, rising up out of the grass. Clamber over the top, and here is a coast to behold. I’ve seen a few beaches in my time but this one is special.
A broad amphitheatre of a shore that’s got it all: hanging cliffs, rocky islands, sheltered sandy coves, rock pools and the freshest turquoise waves rolling in from the Atlantic. You can see why surfers love it, but it’s a superb family beach, too, idyllic for exploration or picnics or dune surfing. Or just sitting and looking.
If Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome had collaborated, this is the beach of adventures they’d have written about.
Meanwhile, how’s life back on the resort? The park is pristinely clean, friendly, safe and welcoming. It’s tucked away down a winding hill between the beach and the tiny village of Cubert. My offspring – aged nine and 12 – were delighted to roam alone, and I was happy to let them wander.
They loved the outdoor heated pool and the 300ft flume ride. There were kayak lessons on offer, courtesy of ever-patient lifeguards, and sessions on giant bubble ‘water walkers’, too.
On dry land, there are a couple of outdoor play areas and a small amusement arcade big enough to keep them amused without emptying my pockets. In the club house – the only place on site where you’ll get wi-fi (a blessing or a curse?) it’s party central come nightfall.
We found the menu better than average for hearty family fare (the burgers were immense) and had a hoot with the (noisy) evening entertainments.
Expect family game shows, bingo with a twist and jolly, friendly resident entertainers who’ll welcome over-excited kids and pensioners with good humour.
Outside the park, you’re brilliantly located for touring. Cornwall is long but it’s skinny, so you can hop from north coast to south in half an hour and we fitted in plenty in four days.
Newquay is a 10-minute drive away, with a zoo and aquarium, as well as all the seaside surf shacks, bars and diners, fish and chips. You’re half an hour from pretty Padstow, where TV chef Rick Stein appears to own half of the food outlets – and you can catch the ferry across the estuary to Rock.
We drove south to Land’s End, which just has to be done – kids are fascinated by the concept of the end of the earth. St Ives, Mousehole and Penzance (which is where you’ll find St Michael’s Mount) are all nearby, so take your pick of pretty coastal towns.
Then head back to your comfy caravan. It sure feels like home for a girl who’ll never, ever, ever sleep in a tent.