holiday in cornwall

JENJEN30X

Hi,
We have always stayed at Holywell bay in a large caravan really clean site, and you cross the road to a pub and a big clean beach with hardly anyone there.
It's 5 minutes or so away from Newquay and the Eden project isn't too far away either.
http://www.parkdeanholidays.co.uk/holywell-bay-holiday-park.htm
Jen

photo
http://www.parkdeanholidays.co.uk/_resource/images/overview-pages/holywell-bay-main.jpg

pavlovs_dog

well we're back

had a lovely time, thanks to everyone for your suggestions. the site (par sands) was amazingly quiet for how packed out it was, and aside from a few minor complaints it was a lovely place to stay, and i would stay there again if in the area.

we feel like we saw a fair bit of cornwall, even if we didnt do as much as we would have liked. it was busy with it being school holidays; in future we'll go when its off season.

we went via glastonbury on the way down. a bit too new age for us perhaps, but a nice town with a fantastic bakery on the hill in the main street! other visits included:

fowey - very quaint, lovely little fishing village. no sign of richard or judy though :rotfl:

st ives - fab! would love spend more time there in future, but it was too packed on the day we visited

lizard - VERY windy and the cafe was expensive :eek: big brownie points for the free parking though

lands end - good to have seen it, cliff walks were fab, but really overcommercialised - they'll take money off you for anything and everything

eden project - lovely day out, especially the tropical biome. we did the gift aid admission, so have free entry for a year at no extra cost.

goonhilly satellite earth centre - not the cheapest for a family day out, but we did enjoy the bus tour round the site. guide was very informative

newquay - nice atmosphere, but again very overcommercialised. we enjoyed wandering around and walking up along the cliffs, but i dont think we could base a holiday here. fistral beach was packed out because of the surf competition. we had fun watching the skaters on the vans ramp - those guys were talented :j

padstow - whats happened to the small fishing village i remember? by far the busiest place we visited. rick steins fish and chips were rather nice though

hayle - got chatting to an old cornish dude outside phillips pasty shop, who told us his life story then raved about the safron tea treats :rotfl: nice pasty, the safron tea treat was edible, but not my thing

bodmin - drove through/over the moors, couldnt get over the expanse. would be nice to go back and do a bit of walk.

tintagel - made a pit stop here but didnt stay long. £1 parking was a nice bonus, and the staff at granny wobleys were very friendly. bought a selection box home to share with friends and family

port issac - very scenic, nice to say we've been there. by far the fishiest smelling place ive ever visited though!


i think thats about everything didnt manage to fit in any castles, or the coastal path walks (the camel trail sounds good too), so we have plenty still to do on future visits. we decided to leave devon out this time, as we'd rather do it justice by visiting properly. we're really enjoying this camping business, so will definately be going next summer.

a massive thank you once again to everyone who contributed to the thread, you helped make the holiday very enjoyable. if you have any advice about things to do in somerset, please feel free to come share your wisdom in my other thread - we're off there in september on our 9.50 sun holiday :beer:

gillette147

Thank you for the thread pavvy,

I cribbed off it too. I lurched everywhere but didn't see you (shame).
We stayed just outside Mullion on the Lizard.
Weather iffy til Wednesday.
But WOW what an area.
Praa Sands, The Lizard, Cadgeworth, Mullion Cove, all of it. Just drive down any road and be amazed.
Although a bit busy in places found it worth going this time of year because all the villages were having their festivals, carnivals etc.
Loved most places - Mullion cove at sunset, Hayle beach, Land's End (walk past the shops and stand on the cliff edge and it is a special place) went there twice (the 2nd time to see sunset fireworks, live band all for £3 for parking). The drive from St Ives to land's End.

On the way back stopped at Tintagel - it was their carnival. Ended up booking into a hotel and staying there - fantastic night.

My sister is saying she is moving there and I am working out how much holiday I have left to get down there again. Only prob really was the 10+ hour journeys!!

Cheers

pavlovs_dog

glad you had a good time :j

Snow_Angel

Thanks for letting us know how your holiday went - glad you had a good time! And WOW you managed to do so much in a week!!! Newquay was busy wasn't it? - I hate it at home this time of year (tend to stay in secret places to hide!). And how honoured to get a true Cornish local's life history! Lucky you :rotfl:
Have a nice time in Somerset - unfortunately not my part of the SW so can't help you there.....but I'll definitely read the post so I can learn something!

surfsister

rockpeblar wrote:

For any of you travelling past Bodmin on your way to newquay, truro, falmouth, etc.... avoid the A30 after Bodmin if you are travelling down on the Saturday. Major roadworks are leading to about 6 miles of traffic jams. For anyone heading to Padstow or Newquay I suggest heading for the A39 after you pass Lauceston and this will avoid the jams. It's not such a good road but should be jam free.
If you're heading for Truro/Falmouth I would suggest Plymouth/Dobwalls/St Austell/Truro as a route instead of A30.

Thanks for the info are Sundays any better?

peteshone

A lot of campsites in Cornwall have pics on their webistes of the sea, only to hide the fact that the sea is a drive or a half day hike away...

We stayed down there in July, at two different sites. The first 'Trevornick' in Holywell Bay described the journey to the beach as a short walk. In reality it was about a mile from the sea, and maybe a 200ft drop over that distance too, not so good on the way back. The beach at Holywell Bay is lovely, very unspoiled and good surf. Trevornick recently featured in 'The Independent's' top 50 campsites. It was very clean, had a lovely outdoor heated pool, had a mini them park on site (cost extra), a decent bar with entertainment most nights, and a reasonable shop. It was expensive though, rates vary through the season.

The second was at Porth Beach, this was a simple site with the only feature a prize winning (I kid you not) toilet block. It was however just across a road from the beach, no hills to scale or car parking involved, and it was also on the bus route to Newquay or Padstow. The neighbouring bay to Porth is Watergate Bay, one of the top beaches in Cornwall with fantastic surf, simple facilities and an unspoiled feel with a non-yobbish clientele. There is also an adventure sports school there... £25 a night in summer hols, less outside.

For me Cornwall is all about beaches, walks, and the sea. Apart from Watergate Bay, Porth Curno with its Minack theatre is my favourite.

fatbelly

If you’re coming to West Cornwall this weekend, pick up a West Briton. There are discount vouchers for:

Flambards, Helston - money off all admission prices, up to £4.55 for an adult
Springfields, St Columb - £2 off all admission prices
Goonhilly Earth Station – free child admission with paying adult, saves £4.50
Godolphin House, Helston – BOGOF admission, saves £6 for an adult
Ships & Castles Leisure Centre, Falmouth – half price sessions
Cornish Cyder Farm, Penhallow - £2 off all admission prices
South Crofty Tin Mine, Pool - BOGOF admission, saves £6.50 for an adult
Treasure Park, nr Redruth – free gold panning, saves £2.50
National Seal Sanctuary, Gweek – half price entry, saves £5.45 for an adult

And inside the Freeview supplement,
Paradise Park, Hayle - £2 off all admission prices

cotsvale

Just back from my 3rd holiday at Polzeath..Valley Caravan Park quiet family site mix of caravans and tents. Who cares about the weather I was in the sea body boarding everyday & have already booked for next year.

Snow_Angel

peteshone wrote:

The second was at Porth Beach, this was a simple site with the only feature a prize winning (I kid you not) toilet block. It was however just across a road from the beach, no hills to scale or car parking involved, and it was also on the bus route to Newquay or Padstow. The neighbouring bay to Porth is Watergate Bay, one of the top beaches in Cornwall with fantastic surf, simple facilities and an unspoiled feel with a non-yobbish clientele. There is also an adventure sports school there... £25 a night in summer hols, less outside.

Porth - that's where I live when I'm not at uni in Plymouth! Lucky me :T Watergate is a great beach. Jamie Oliver (another surfer!) has just built another 'Fifteen' restaurant there - it's above the beach hut. I think there's a 3 month waiting list for tables at the moment! :rotfl: Personally I love the frech fish specials in 'The Phoenix' but don't like how busy everywhere is in the summer Looking forward to September :T