family holiday in Cornwall

[corin]

Hello,
DS1 (11), DD2(9), DD3(5), DD4(2), DH and myself are off to Cornwall next week and over the Easter week-end —crossing over from France by boat, then driving from Portsmouth to Cornwall. Previous experience in UK has shown that finding a cosy pub/restaurant with good food that will accept children can be a bit tricky , so I'd be grateful for tips and advice. Also looking for good fish and chips and pleasant tea-shops — they all love scones — nice beaches and activities in general. Is Tintagel worth the trip?, asks DS.
Thanks

Tintagel lovely and if weather good is def worth a trip.
Where are you staying?
I know the area from Padstow down towards Newquay fairly well.
Lost Garden of Heligan brilliant. Eden Project not.
Padstow packed, but can take ferry over to Rock where there are massive sandcastles and enormous beaches, tide permitting.
Bedruthan Steps nice when tide out,but not too great getting down the steps with a 2 year old so maybe not.
Great beaches: Boobies Bay (between Constantine and Trevose Head lighthouse) has wonderful rockpools. (again, low tide best)

We have been going to padstow for the last few years, as pooka says it does get packed, but that tends to be day trips and they mostly disappear by about 5 o'clock, there are some great pubs which are ok about children, such as the Shipwrights and the custom house, a few fish and chip shops (rick steins if you want to take out a second mortgage for haddock and chips) padstow beach is nice, but no loo's there. We go to Trevone bay which is a mile or so from padstow beach and has loo's and a shop which does snacks. You can surf there as well and lots of rock pool for lo's with nets to discover.
Padstow also has a crazy golf course, whcih is a laugh.
We took Ds to a little farm last year that has loads of baby animals (better probably for your younger ones) and a little train they can go on. Can't remember the name, but it's in some of the tourist leaflets.
Word of warning with tintagel, we got halfway down the hill with the pushchair, when a couple coming back up (with a pushchair) told us that at the bottom there are a load of steps to climb up, so impossible with a buggy or little legs.
Heligan is fabulous though - highly reccomend it.

Check out Cornwall Online - very good website with loads of info about tourist attractions etc.

Tintagel has a nice pub which looks ropey but lovely food and huuge playground outside, highchairs etc. The castle is gorgeous but NOT buggy friendly. Port Isaac is really nice and friendly, went to a tea shop (very child friendly) and 2 pub/restaurants with no bother or fuss. we all enjoyed the Eden Project, though not everyone seems to like it. Lovely beach at Polzeath, with lots of surfing but nice little stream running into sea ideal for toddlers. We also fell in love with Trebarwith Strand (near Tintagel, tiny village, beautiful beach, rock pools etc)
We're going back end of June - hope the weather is kind to you!

We LOVE the Eden Project.

Tintagel is really, but lots of steps. Padstow packed. We enjoyed the Camel Trail bike ride (all flat, along old disused railway) that goes from Padstow to ?! You can hire bikes/seats etc.

St Ives is lovely, there is a surf school for the older ones. Hire everything there.

My two used to enjoy the Seal Sanctuary.

Just watch out for ice-creams and seagulls!

Tintagel is really ..... GREAT. Missed out a key word there!

bluesky - very quick, relevant hijack! how far away is Gweek (seal sanctuary) from Tintagel? (noth Cornwall)do you know?
(We are staying near there in June and I have very happy memories of the seal sanctuary, would love to take my boys. )

We stayed in a cottage in Portreath last year. Really nice an untouristy. Porthtowan looked nice too - good beach.

mabel, was the farm called Old macdonalds - lots of rideon toys, treampolines, adventure play park as well as swings, horse rides round the paddockl etc - we loved it so much we went back 3 times in 2 years!!! They do great cream teas too. Between Padstow and Newquay I think

If you've got any train addicts can recommend Dobwalls

www.dobwalls.com/

Its got indoor as well as an outdoor play area. Particularly impressive indoors is the great under 4's area, actually meant to be used by under 4s!!!! Outside we could have ridden on toy steam trains all day!

We found Rick Stein's fish and chip takeaway in Padstow very reasonable, take a rug and eat it outside on the quay, inside you're just paying to eat at a table, it still comes in a takeaway box. 2 adults 2 children came to about £18 for the most amazing fish and chips of your life!

We liked Polzeath beach rather than Rock for North Cornwall.

fullmoonfiend, it is about 56 miles and will take approx 1 hour 51 minutes. (according to aa route planner!)

:) Thanks a lot for all those tips! We'll be staying on the south coast in a tiny port called Charlestown, south of St Austell, so if anyone could tell me more about that area ... You posted several tips about beaches - do they have little booths that serve tea as they do on beaches in Guernesey, where you bring your mug down to the beach in a small wooden basket and then bring everything back when you're finished? DS2 loved that when she was two! The Camel trail sounds good as DS is a bit of a cycling fanatic.

Cadbury - yes it was Old Macdonalds - we thought it was great and Will be taking DS again this year!

Cheers Bluesky - why didn't I think of that :)

Camel Trail fab. Goes all the way from Padstow to Wadebridge and then on to Bodmin.
Trying desperately to think of nice pubs.
The Falcon in St.Mawgan has lovely beer garden and good food if I recall correctly.
We used to stay in Trevone lots when I was little. Has a large seawater swimming pool in the sdjacent beach (Newtrain Bay) which also has lots of rock pools.
Treyarnon lovely. Also has loos and ahotel at the back of the beach. Stayed there for many years.
If you're on the south coast, St Ives is pretty and plenty to see (including The Tate).