Newquay

My husband and I took our yearly holiday to Cornwall last week, this year we chose to go to Newquay. Pull up a deck chair, relax and enjoy my Cornish "postcard".

Newquay is all about the sun, sea and surf.  The Atlantic ocean produces fantastic waves making it perfect for surfers. There are many surf board hire shops and lessons to be had. There is plenty of choices of beaches in the area. They are all within close proximity to the town, we visited 5 beaches.

We started our first day with a visit to Lusty Glaze Beach. We climbed down the 133 steps to the beach that was voted beach of the year 2017 by The Sunday Times. This is a private beach but don't let that put you off, there's no signs or men with shotguns shouting "get of my land". The owners have transformed Lusty Glaze into a  beautiful beach resort, which includes a restaurant, beach lodgings and activities as well as being a unique music venue.  We headed straight for the restaurant which had classy seaside theme decor.  I enjoyed my coffee and poached eggs on toast whilst watching a group of ladies doing yoga on the beach. I'm not even sure if my back bends that way so I didn't join in. After breakfast we went for a stroll on the beach. The jet skis were being put out for the day and families were putting up their pop up tents in the best spots on the sand. I was admiring the rock pools and enjoying the sun warming my freckled skin. The airplane's fly over this beach from Newquay airport, i felt like I was abroad. With the sunshine and a beach like Lusty Cove who needs to fly away to another country. After exploring the cove it was time to head up the 133 steps as this is the only way in and out of the cove. It was a little tiresome for my little legs but I feel sorry for the restaurant that has to bring all their supplies down the steps.

The next beach to visit was Tolcarne beach. This beach seemed to be the place to be for beginners to learn to surf.  There was surfing lessons, body boarding and archery taking place on the beach. This resort was under development. They are putting the finishing touches to a restaurant and beach accommodation. Newquays beaches are definitely becoming resorts within themselves and are targeted at surfers, couples and families. Erasing the party town vibe it used to have.

At low tide you can walk from Tolcarne beach to the Great Western beach. Another surf lesson was taking place here. The RNLI are present at the two beaches.
The Great Western beach at high tide can be accessed via the slope. Which incidentally is the name of the new beach front cafe. The slope is a trendy cafe selling tasty burgers. I chose the ABC chicken burger (Avocado, Bacon and Cheese) with fries. I tucked into my burger watching the surfers.

Towan beach is just off the main shopping street. The high street of Newquay is mainly made up of your high street chains, Cornish bakeries, charity shops and the souvenir shops. Towan beach is a welcome break from the shops. The main feature of this beach is the rocky island that is attached to the mainland with a foot suspension bridge. The beach is also near Newquay harbour. A perfect place to watch the boats coming and going.

The last beach we visited was Fistral beach and this was definitely the most popular beach in Newquay. This beach is where all the top UK surf competitons take place. The sea was full of body boarders and surfers interlaced with people going in for a dip. The waves were enjoyed by all. The water was lovely, just the right temperature to cool down on a hot day.  The beach is edged by sand dunes and over looked by a grand hotel. Fistral beach has an RNLI base, restaurants and surf shops. I could have easily spent the whole day here.

I had a great week in Newquay and will definitely return. For now its back to work, catching up with  the laundry and walking in the rain. I hope you enjoyed my "postcard" from Cornwall. Thanks for stopping by. 

Emma