- Newquay
- (8)
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United Kingdom
With credits crunching and economies sliding get on down to the north coast of Cornwall, arguably England's best slice of coast. I based myself at Newquay from where there is any number of adrenalin sports waiting to be experienced. I cantered on a horse across the Gannel estuary and beach Saturday morning, coasteered and zipwired along Lusty Glaze beach Saturday afternoon while Sunday wasn't lazy at all, being spent on fabulous Watergate Bay kitesurfing and bodyboarding. Superb!
You could try, as I did, www.visitnewquay.org, a great little site with all the info you need for a trip.
You can learn English while staying with a family, and learn to surf at the same time. Cool as!
You get individual attention and learn a lot in just one week.
For self-catering accommodation in Newquay, try booking through Lifestyle Holiday Lettings.
They have a good range of high quality properties to choose from.
They were very friendly and easy to book with. A good service all round.
We got an amazing deal on a short winter break and stayed in a fab place, with views to die for.
Wetsuits for kids in Devon and Cornwall are cheap, they don't need top of the range (usually £35), just get the cheap ones (probably £10 or less). They give them sun protection, keep them warm if they are in and out of the water all day and give a bit of added buoyancy when they are learning to swim.
Get the ones with short arms and legs, you get more use out of them when they are growing fast, but remember to sun cream the lower arms and legs, or do like my kids do and wear a long UV sun suit underneath. Watch out if it's hot, especially if the kids are not going in the water much as they can get very hot with the black neoprene absorbing the heat.
They were the best things we ever bought, my daughter learned to swim in the sea when she was 4 in hers as she felt so confident.
You can buy them in surf shops (expensive), but also in most beach kiosks, bucket and spade shops in town and also in some supermarkets in beach towns. The ones from Decathlon in France are really good, and only 10 Euros.
A beautiful long beach which has places to eat and is a brilliant place to see a sunset.
Newquay
Situated between Newquay and Padstow, this large sandy beach is a welcome escape from the tackiness of nearby Fistral.
Watergate bay is not just a lovely spot; there are facilities to hire all sorts of equipment for fun in the sun: surfboards, wave skis, power kites etc.
After a hard day's activity you can chill on the beach with a beer listening to surf rock.
A popular location for the English Surf Championships and since my last visit a certain Mr Oliver has opened a restaurant there.
A beautiful spot none the less.
AquaSurf B&B is a cool place to stay. Designed for groups - all the rooms have bunk beds. AquaSurf B&B is clean and friendly, with rooms of two to six people.
We had a TV/video in our room, and the breakfast each morning was fab.
It's in a great location, with both the nightlife and the beaches within two minutes' walk.
Most people associate Fistral, Newquay as the main surfing location in Cornwall as many of Britain’s top surfing competitions are held in Newquay (over the summer when it is normaly flat). The Cornish coast has many surf breaks from St Agnes (badlands) on the north coast to Cabbage Patch (secret spots) on the south coast.
The most popular saying by any surfer is "you should have been here earlier" "it was goin' off".
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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