St Austell - out of season

skysky69

Another vote for Flambards here, we went in October last year using our tesco clubcard points. £10.00 voucher got us £40.00 flambards tickets. Some of the rides were on a rotation basis, so some shut, others open for half an hour and then they swap, but it was definitely a good day out.

cedrickerry

New cinema is open . . . and cool according to my 7 year old nephew.

Town is still a bit of a building site.

There is a China CLay Museum (wheal Martyn) nearby which may be worth a look (not been for years though) Depends on age of your children but has an adventure trail, some interesting exhibits and walks, and some bits for children to do. We used to go as kids as it was a cheap day out (not sure of it's price now though)

Would agree with posts mentioning Flambards but I think it closes for whole of January (it's quite a way too)

Also the pool at Newquay is OK and its less than 20 miles away. Charlestown is worth a look, but very chilly this time of year and the visitor centre is shut.

There's a big indoor soft play area at Par (Ben's Playworld) if your kids are under 12.

dog_food

St Austell cinema is now open...state of the art...comfortable...latest films...also a good cinema in Truro.

For shopping and a nice place to visit go to Truro...the only city in Cornwall...small but very pleasant with a beautiful cathedral...get The Enterprise boat up the river for a visit to Falmouth which has lots of nice restaurants and a small maritime museum that is worth a visit.

Get a train to St Ives...lovely picturesque journey to a very nice coastal town. Some parts of the town will bw quiet with some tourist shops closed but there is a Tate Gallery in the town...beautiful beaches and worth a visit at any time of the year.

Go to the Eden project...it's impressive and worth the visit, and just outside of St Austell.

Charlestown is a good suggestion and close to St Austell.

Have a great time.

jay-jay

Wow I didnt expect such great replies, loads of things appeal so im going to print it all out to take with me. Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply I really appreciate it, just hope for better weather now.

davidlizard

Another vote for Flambards (Helston). We went in February last year - just the childrens rides were going (which is fine as we had a child with us) - but theres the victorian village and World War 2 exhibits. We used Tesco clubcard vouchers.

Eden is also nice and quiet at that time of year - there must have been about max 100 people in the day we went. We also used clubcard points (I think they have stopped now) but otherwise would have found it slightly overpriced. There was a bit of landscaping going on when we went so not all the grounds were open (the bio things were though).

Another place we enjoyed was the Wheal Martin China Clay park on the outskirts of St Austell up in the china clay heaps - you can see how the clay was extracted, then go up to the top of the hill and look down watching the workers dig (or rather wash) the clay out of the pit - its different but great if you are into industrial history, but probably a bit "anoraky" if you are not. Its a bit of walking with a "history trail" and a "nature trail". It was only something like £5 to go in, but that was a couple of years back.

Also, for bargains, stop off at Trago Mills on the way home (on the A38 - theres one at Liskeard and another at Newton Abbot) - some great bargains, and a mini zoo, and the food is competatively priced.

And I forgot - the St Austell Brewery does tours.

james10999

I was brought up in St Austell and all my family live there.

There IS a pool in St Austell Polkyth Leisure centre:
www.polkythleisure.co.uk/

There is a cinema in the town centre however Truro (about 15 miles away) is best for shopping and markets are great on a weekend.

Cornish Market World in ST Austell is always a must. There is ben's playworld for the kids and it is actually Europe's biggest indoor market.

Eden project is also in St Austell. why not speak to some of the local's? They get 75% off the ticket price.

If you need any other advice please PM me.

pinkcandyflossprincess

is the trago mills still down that end

Careful_with_that_Axe

There's a Trago in Falmouth too.
Newquay Zoo is supposed to be worth a visit and also the Aquarium.
Tate Gallery at St Ives.
Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station

Blue264

Careful_with_that_Axe wrote: »

Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station

Can you get visitor access to Goonhilly? I thought it was a high security installation because of the monitoring of phone calls between the U.K. and North America. Only know that because when my cousin phones from Canada and we get that tell tale click on the line, he always says "Good Evening Goonhilly!".

chrisyd

I used to live in Conwall (Par) and not been down for a couple of years now. Newquay zoo is NOT worth a visit. I think we go round in about 30 mins.

I guess it really depends on he ages of the people going to St Austell. If you are "older" then I hear Eden is good to visit (but expensive). Flambards (about 1 hr drive) is good for the kids, but try and get discount tickets.

Trago mills is (or was) very popular at weekends (on the Bodmin to Plymouth road).

One thing I have learned living in Cornwal, when is it nice and warm it is a great place to live. When it is wet and cold then it is really horrible place to be.

If it is naty one thing my wife liked to do when I took her down to Cornwall for the first time was to go to Penzance (also lived there) and run away from the waves at high tide - very childish, but it was fun.

thanks