Cornwall is a popular UK holiday destination, rich in history, flavourful foodie hotspots, sweeping coastlines and home to 300 beautiful beaches, so there are plenty of places to visit away from the usual tourist spots…
Watergate Bay
Only a few minutes from Hendra is Watergate Bay, although this beach is well frequented it has 2 miles of golden sands, so a few minutes walk along the shore will take you to an empty open beach. This one is also hugely popular with surfers due to the swell from the Atlantic.
Carlyon Bay
Another large beach stretching 2-miles is Carlyon Bay – over on the South Coast of Cornwall, about a 30-minute drive from Hendra. The south coast of Cornwall is usually home to calmer seas, which makes for the perfect place for open water swimming, snorkelling and paddleboarding.
Whilst you’re visiting the St Austell area, it is also home to popular fishing villages such as Mevagissey, Fowey and Charlestown – as seen in the period drama, Poldark. Charlestown is also home to a number of foodie hotspots, such as Cubs coffee for artisan coffee, The Longstore Steak and Seafood restaurant and the Rebellion Roast House.
Golitha Falls
Further along the South of Cornwall, you’ll find a hidden gem, Golitha Falls and an ancient spectacular waterfall, near the River Fowey. Golitha Falls is a National Nature Reserve, managed by English Nature. You’ll also find the Inkies Smokehouse BBQ here most days serving bbq food, drinks and ice creams.
Bodmin Moor
A little further afield, around a 35-minute drive from Hendra is Bodmin Moor, one of Cornwall’s designated areas of outstanding natural beauty, rich in history you’ll find a vast expanse of open moorland grazed by ponies and historic granite stone circles.
The town of Bodmin (a short 5-minute drive from the moors) is home to our friends, Bodmin Jail, built in 1779 the jail played an important role in Cornwall’s history, all of which you’ll learn about by visiting this attraction, which has recently built a brand new immersive experience so visitors can become immersive in the tales of the jail.
Gwithian Towers
Worth a day trip is the stunning Gwithian Towers, an enormous 3-mile strip of gorgeous golden sands. Again, this beach is a popular one so we would recommend getting there early to secure a spot in the car park. But its huge expanse means that it never feels crowded. A surfers paradise with swells from the Atlantic. Not far from the town of Hayle if you wanted to stop off for a bite to eat. Or a perfect spot for walkers, hop on the coast path and head towards Godrevy to spot the Godrevy lighthouse – this is also a spot often popular for seals – so you may be able to spot them on your travels too!
Widemouth Bay
Over an hour from Newquay and heading towards the outskirts of Cornwall is Widemouth Bay. You may want to stop here on your way home and enjoy this huge beach. Widemouth Bay Beach is about 3 miles south of Bude and makes for the perfect spot for surfing or bodyboarding. Plus, at low-tide, there are many rockpools to explore too.
We hope this gives you plenty of ideas for places to visit on your holidays, but do feel free to ask us for any more suggestions and we’ll be happy to help, plus check out our Hendra Holiday Park Guest Group on Facebook for more suggestions from other guests too!
