Explore Newquay & The North Cornwall Coast
Then retire back to a real touch of Luxury at Our Happy Place Lodge
Newquay
The famous, Surfers Town 12 mins from our Lodge
Newquay is the nearest town to our Happy Place Lodge and has previously been voted as “One of the Nation’s Favourite Seaside Towns” in the prestigious Which Holiday Survey. It’s known for sandy Fistral, Crantock and Watergate Bay beaches, where waves from the Atlantic Ocean create strong surf. On the seafront, the Blue Reef Aquarium features an underwater tunnel going through a coral-reef tank with pufferfish, sharks and rays. Further inland, surrounded by tropical gardens, Newquay Zoo is home to lions, wildebeest and sloths. Newquay harbour is a popular place to watch the world go by and see the fisherman in action. There are lots of places to eat and drink in Newquay with a huge selection of restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs to choose from. https://www.newquay.co.uk/category/listings/eat-drink-newquay/restaurants/
Padstow
The famous, quaint fishing village 25 mins from our Lodge
The beautiful little town of Padstow is a must-visit destination but you’ll need to go early to miss the crowds. It’s just a short 25-minute drive to Padstow from our lodge at White Acres. Famous for its amazing restaurants like Steins “The Seafood Restaurant” for the very freshest fish and shellfish. Here you can also watch chefs creating seafood platters of oysters, langoustines and sashimi. The town is also home, to Paul Ainsworths “No6” a Michelin Star Restaurant with an emphasis on locally sourced Cornish ingredients. There are plenty of Traditional Cornish Pasty stores and some great pubs too. The Harbour offers amazing vies and many enjoy a trip over to Rock on the ferry.
Perrenporth
The vast fabulous beaches 25 mins from our Lodge
Perranporth is another seaside resort town on the north coast of Cornwall, It is 1 mile east of the St Agnes Heritage Coastline, and around 8 miles southwest of Newquay. Perranporth and its 2 miles long beach face the Atlantic Ocean. The beach is so huge, it almost feels as if you have the place to yourself and the fresh air coming in off the ocean is exhilarating. Early morning you’ll probably see a few horses and their riders having a paddle in the surf and there’s a welcome cafe for a coffee stop halfway along.
Perranporth is an ideal spot to join the coast path and you have the option of heading westwards through mining country, or east along wide golden sands towards Newquay. Whichever you choose the views are unrivalled and uniquely Cornish. After a long walk, we recommend popping into The Cornish Pantry Shop on the Beach rd grabbing a perfect pasty and sitting on the seafront and watching the waves – it’s priceless!!
St.Ives
Famous for art, town and beaches 50 mins from our Lodge
St. Ives is a seaside town known for its surf beaches, like Porthmeor and its art scene. The seafront Tate St. Ives gallery has rotating modern art exhibitions, focusing on British artists. Give yourself time to wander through the lovely cobbled streets with a wide range of boutique shops.
St Ives Museum contains a wealth of interesting history about the town’s past including exhibits on smuggling, wrecking and the fishing industry. Boat trips go to Seal Island, just west of town, to see the seal colony. There are many fabulous restaurants and coffee shops where you can enjoy a cosy lunch or more fine dining treats. We love The Sloop Inn which has been serving the folks of St Ives since the early 14th century.
Trevose Head Light House
Overlooking Contantine Bay and about 30 mins from our lodge
This is the Trevose Head Lighthouse on the North Cornish coast just a couple of miles outside of Padstow. It was sited here so it would be visible from Cape Cornwall to Hartland Point. Trevose headland has a large National Trust car park with lots of great walks and tremendous views over Constantine Bay. You can also walk to Polventon Bay AKA Mother Ivy’s bay from here and Newlyn Bay taking in some dramatic parts of the coastal path.
If you are feeling like a decent walk try going down to Constantine Bay beach which has the reputation as one of the best surfing beaches in Cornwall. Constantine Bay is separated from its neighbour, Booby’s Bay, the first beach you come to from Trevose head, by a small rocky point and a large rocky reef there is a large network of sand dunes behind the beach.
Truro Cathedral
Truro is the only cathedral city in Cornwall 23 Mins away from us.
Truro is Cornwall’s county town, sole city and the centre for leisure, pleasure and retail therapy. With just over 18,000 residents it is a picturesque city with plenty of great restaurants like The Alverton, Mannings & Tabbs. The people of Truro are called Truronians. Truro has two indoor markets and weekly Farmers Markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the summer.
There is Lemon Quay that hosts the Outdoor Truro Antiques and Collectables Market check Visit Truro for dates. Also, look out for Bert Biscoe who runs popular walking tours around this Great Little City.
For top entertainment try and book a show at the Hall of Cornwall where they constantly innovate, entertain, and excite audiences with their diverse offerings. Once you’ve booked your holiday it is worth looking at the great shows at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro.
Trelissick House & Gardens
A beautiful and relaxing National Trust House. 35 mins away
Trelissick house and gardens are run by the National Trust at Feock, near Truro, Cornwall. They are just west of King Harry Ferry, a chain ferry crossing across the River Fal and worth a look in its own right. Trelissick is within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s a place to relax and take in the awesome atmosphere. We love sitting in the lounge and looking out across the River Fal to Falmouth.
The estate offers stunning maritime views and lovely woodland walks. After a trip and lunch in Truro, it is the perfect place to slow down and take a step back in time. The gardens and the beautiful and quite easy woodland walk to the river are one of their most popular attractions. A fantastic glimpse of how the other half used to live and the house shares the stories of its various wealthy residents.
Wheal Coates Tin Mine St. Agnes Head
Iconic Cornish Tin Mine Ruins
St Agnes Head is a fabulous place to walk the coastal path down to Chapel Porth beach. The National Trust car park here will lead you to what remains of Wheal Coates’ tin mine with stunningly beautiful views of the Atlantic, and a short circular coastal walk. You can walk around the Towanroath Shaft engine house, with its distinctive chimney, and look down to the bottom of a disused shaft.
‘Wheal’ means ‘place of work’ or ‘mine’, this iconic engine house is now over 200 years old. Wheal Coates Mine was worked from 1815 to 1914 providing tin that helped shape Britain’s Industrial Revolution in Britain.
St. Micheals Mount – Marazion
A real Cornish Landmark only 50 mins away.
St Michael’s Mount is a stunning, rocky island crowned with a medieval castle and church now run by the National Trust. Discover architecture from the 12th century as you walk along the cobbled pathway to a fairy-tale castle.
Take a stroll through the subtropical garden and enjoy the spectacular views of the bay. It is possible to take a boat from the mainland to the island harbour at high tide and walk across the ancient causeway at low tide, as pilgrims have done for centuries. The St Michael’s Way is part of a pilgrim route leading to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, one of the world’s three most important Christian pilgrimage sites.
Opening times and prices for St.Micheals Mount
Once just barren lands and a blot on the Cornish landscape the area was once an old clay mine with little in the way of plants or beauty. Now this beautiful global garden has been created from nothing and makes for an amazing and interesting even extraordinary day out. Not the cheapest or quietest but if you have not been before or you have a wet day you’ll get a glimpse into our natural world as you’ve never seen it before.
You get to explore the otherworldly “Biomes” They are huge. You’ll enter the world’s largest indoor rainforest and find yourself immersed in a new world. Then next enjoying the calm fragrances of the Mediterranean Biome. Enjoy their extensive Outdoor Gardens and contemporary artwork.
See their website for full details The Eden Project Cornwall