There aren’t many holiday destinations in the UK, or indeed the world, which can tick most boxes. For instance, shopping, cuisine, night-life, family fun, entertainment, wildlife, nature, hidden coves, busy streets, surfing, sporting fun … the list goes on, and basically, Newquay ticks them all.
Known as the UK’s premier surfing hot-spot, Newquay is home to international competitions throughout the year, but it is also the ideal place to learn this fun sport, under the watchful eye of a teacher at one of the many surf schools on offer. If you don’t fancy surfing, no problem, because the beaches are perfect for swimming, paddling, sandcastle building, or basically just chilling the hell out with a good book.
Newquay might feel small and intimate, with a charming Cornish feel, but when the evening falls it certainly comes alive, with a lively and colourful atmosphere to enjoy.
Put simply, Newquay is the ideal holiday destination whatever your choice of fun.
If you need a little more persuasion, let’s try to convince you some more.
Okay, so we mentioned beaches in terms of surfing and fun, but Newquay has several to choose from, meaning you can be deserted or you can be crowded, whatever pleases you. Fistral Beach is without a doubt the most famous in the area, the one where the top surfers go, and it’s certainly worth a visit whether you’re going to try your hand or not. The large sweeping expanse of sand really does give you the impression of how exposed this part of the Cornish coast is to the drama of the wild Atlantic.
Aside from famous Fistral Beach, you have the central beach of Towan, instantly recognizable from the large rock island that sits in the middle of it. This is where you will find children building sandcastles and rock pooling, as well as on Great Western Beach too. Watergate Bay is another popular spot, a little out of the centre, with Mawgan Port also situated 5 miles (ca. 8 kilometres) out of the actual resort, so this is ideal if you want to be a little more cut off from the crowds. On top of these options, you also have the rather fantastically named Lusty Glaze, which is a good one for surfing beginners, as well as Porth Beach, Tolcarne, and Crantock Beach, with the nature-packed River Gannel running into it.
If your idea of a summer destination involves a beach, well, basically you’re spoilt for choice in Newquay.
No matter how great any beach is, there comes a time when you need a distraction, and in that case you have plenty of options.
Enjoy wildlife? Head to Newquay Zoo and its 130 species of animals; want to get wet away from the sand? Waterworld Leisure Centre or Oasis Fun Pools are your destination; enjoy marine-life? Head to Blue Reef Aquarium, right on the beach-front; want to scream your head off? Flambards is without a doubt your go-to for that; or do you want to learn something cultural and historic? In that case, Cornwall Gold will teach you about the tin mining industry in Cornwall, and nearby Eden Project is the perfect educational and fun day out. You could even go a little further and head on an organized trip to Land’s End.
Newquay is certainly not all about beaches! Throw in some shopping fun in small, quaint, and quirky shops, surfer chic boutiques, or High Street names, and you’re even more well catered for. Fancy some golf? No problem, you can hit the green overlooking the stunning Atlantic coast.
If you want to escape summer crowds and be at one with nature then head to Trenance Gardens, and kick back and relax. This is a haven for birds and wildlife, and you can hire a boat and head out onto the boating lake to get a little closer; you could even have a Cornish cream tea of an afternoon here too.
Newquay has a night-life option for everyone, so if you want to party, there is plenty of scope for that, and if you want to enjoy a delicious meal with a few drinks, you can do that too. Newquay Harbour is ideal for chilling out with a deliciously fresh caught meal; indeed if you head here early in the day you can witness local fishermen bringing in their fresh catch, and you might even spot an eager seal trying to steal a fish or two!
There are plenty of holiday accommodation options in Newquay, it’s really a case of what calls out to you and your budget at the time.
The great news is that getting to the heart of this fun and scenic destination is easy as A, B, C. Newquay has its own airport, which links large UK cities, such as London and Manchester, so you could be there within the space of less than one hour! Alternatively, there are rail links throughout the year, particularly more frequent during the summer months, and a road trip down to Newquay will certainly take you through some beautiful scenery.
We use the old cliché ‘something for everyone’ so often these days, and a lot of the time it doesn’t really fit with the description, but in terms of Newquay, it certainly does. The fun-filled atmosphere mingles perfectly with the serene and tranquil sense of being right in the heart of nature, and in terms of coastal beauty, you can’t get much more picturesque and raw than the coastline which runs across this part of the country.
Put simply, a break in Newquay ticks every box there is.